DAVAO CITY – The City Government of Davao will not prevent Lumad families from visiting Davao City during Christmas despite the threat of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Mayor Sara Duterte said.
During her interview over Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR 87.5) on Monday, Mayor Sara Duterte said she anticipated that some Lumad people will still choose to visit the city for the holidays although gifts will be sent to their homes in the hinterlands as did the local government in previous Christmas celebrations.
She said the Lumad will still need to comply with the requirements to enter the city, declared as “restricted” local government unit (LGU) last November 13, amid the rapid transmission of COVID-19 cases.
“May I remind them that Davao City LGU is ‘restricted LGU’ under JTF (Joint Task Force Shield), so just check whether you are APOR (Authorized Persons Outside of Residence) or non-APOR and comply the requirements so that you can go and visit inside Davao City,” she said.
Executive Order 63 of the local government on Friday provides for the guidelines of the city as a “restricted LGU” after seeking assistance from the Joint Task Force (JTF) COVID Shield for enforcement of APOR and non-APOR travels into the city to “insulate other LGUs from the effect of the surging cases as well as to further protect the residents.”
Even with the pandemic, Duterte said the local government will not delay the annual gift-giving to the Lumad families.