The local government unit of Dipolog City has released a statement regarding the visit of actor Gerald Anderson to the province.
On the official Facebook page of Mayor Darel Uy, Atty. Arvin L. Bonbon, the Incident Commander of IATF-ICS, explained why there was no mandatory quarantine of outsiders, including Gerald, who was also seen not wearing a face mask in some photos and videos circulating online.
Bonbon said on Aug. 24, the City Tourism Office coordinated with the Incident Command Post (ICP) to facilitate the issuance of certificates of coordination/acceptance for then undisclosed individuals who will purportedly conduct film production activities in Dipolog from Aug. 26-30, to which they required the requisite travel documents pursuant to Executive Order No. 21-68 of the Province of Zamboanga del Norte, such as Travel Order and Itinerary issued by the concerned agency and Negative RT-PCR results (dated at most five days prior to travel).
"Just like any other requesting party, it only becomes ministerial for the ICP to issue the corresponding travel certificates upon submission and validation of the required documents," he said.
However, Bonbon said that despite stringent protocols set by both city and the production team, there were snippets of the Kapamilya actor not wearing a face mask posted on social media that created a fuss among netizens.
"Accordingly, Mr. Anderson has to necessarily remove his mask during actual shoot and in between takes. The production team as well as assigned marshals however made sure that safety precautions are undertaken and that nobody is in direct contact with him and the other actors who even stayed in their rooms when it is not yet their turn to shoot and even if they are fully vaccinated," he shared.
"In fairness to Mr. Anderson's team, they even clarified that they are here following all the rules for their own safety and the safety of the people around them as well, and they have not been out anywhere except for work. They added that they are not here for leisure but only to film and portray Dipolog as a beautiful and welcoming city."
Nonetheless, the lawyer noted that CIATF has recommended the issuance of a citation to the concerned personality for apparent violation of City Ordinance No. 20-297. As of this writing, Citation Ticket No. 29952 was already issued and furnished to his production team under Paragraph 11, Section 10 of the said Ordinance.