The Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) has directed two barangay executives in Quezon City to explain their reported requirement of vaccination cards from their constituents asking for quarantine passes amid the two-week enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila.
ARTA made the statement after Twitter user Nic0tineJunkie posted a video of a female barangay official supposedly refusing to give quarantine passes to people with no vaccination card in Barangay Central, Quezon City.
Video proof that barangay officials refuse to give qpasses to people with no vaccination card. Ayaw pa magpa-video kasi daw baka mapahamak sila. But if this is an official policy which they are implementing, the people have a right to know. ***this is in Brgy. Central, QC pic.twitter.com/B4TMtVNtSg
— isabelle (@Nic0tineJunkie) August 6, 2021
According to ARTA, it sent copies of the Show Cause Orders (SCOs) to Barangay Quirino 2B chairman Ritchie Poblacion and Barangay Central chairman Rosa Magpayo to their official email addresses and Facebook accounts on Saturday evening.
Based on the SCOs, the two barangay executives were given seven days from the receipt of the said documents why no administrative or criminal case should be filed against them.
ARTA has argued that the two officials' alleged directive banning their residents to get quarantine passes without vaccination cards was contrary to the August 1, 2021 memorandum of Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte prohibiting such policy.
Section 21 of the Ease of Doing Business Act stated that government officials and employees refusing to accept applications or requests with complete requirements being submitted by an applicant or requesting party without due cause, and imposing additional requirements other than those listed in Citizen's Charter shall be held liable.
Should Poblacion and Magpayo fail to provide their answers within the given period, ARTA warned in the SCOs the filing of charges against them in accordance to Sections 10, 17, and 21 of the said law.
In its Twitter account, the Quezon City government said the issue has been raised to the concerned department and barangay. It explained that being fully vaccinated was not a requirement to get a quarantine pass.
"Our city guidelines state that the barangay shall issue the quarantine pass preferably to a person that is fully vaccinated. It is not mandatory to be fully vaccinated to get one," it said.
This has been raised to the concerned department & barangay. Our city guidelines state that the barangay shall issue the quarantine pass preferably to a person that is fully-vaccinated.
It is not mandatory to be fully-vaccinated to get one.
Please see: https://t.co/2Azlnj7U0d
— Quezon City Government (@QCGov) August 6, 2021
Last month, President Duterte floated the idea of directing the police and barangays to not let the unvaccinated population out of their homes or escort them back to their house if they were seen roaming around the streets.
On Thursday, August 5, people flocked to different vaccination sites in the National Capital Region (NCR) in fear that they may not receive the cash aid or may not even be allowed to leave their homes during the two-week ECQ due to the rising number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said there was no truth to the rumors that the movement of the unvaccinated people would be limited nor would they be stripped of their cash aid privileges.
"Wala pa po tayong kahit anong pagbabawal na ini-impose sa mga taong wala pang bakuna. Ang hinihingi natin, ngayong nandiyan na ang bakuna, magpabakuna na ang lahat (We have not imposed any restrictions for the unvaccinated. We want everyone to get the vaccine because the vaccines are already here)," he said.
"Walang ring katotohanan na ire-require natin ang bakuna para sa ayuda. Lahat po ng nangangailangan, mabibigyan ng ayuda, 'di kayo hahanapan ng proof of vaccination (There is also no truth that we will require vaccination in exchange for the cash aid. All those in need of the financial assistance won't be required to present proof of vaccination)," he added.
The Palace official did not believe that the public's fear could be traced back to President Duterte's earlier statement of not letting the unvaccinated out of their homes.