Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año on Thursday, Sept. 30, brushed off fears that granular lockdown may be used by rogue politicians to harass or commit abuses against their rivals as the May 2022 national election nears.
Under the Alert Level System currently pilot tested in Metro Manila, the local government units (LGUs) have the power to impose granular lockdowns in the areas identified as ‘hotspots’ due to the coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) surge.
Short of saying that the authority is not absolute, Año insisted that “granular lockdown in an area cannot be imposed by any local chief executives without the confirmation from the RIATF (Regional Inter-Agency Task Force).’’
“Likewise rationale for granular lockdowns shall be based on data analytics cross checked by DOH (Department of Health),’’ Año stressed.
The DILG chief vowed that administrative charges will be filed against rogue local chief executives if they do not adhere to the granular lockdown imposition process adding that a probe initiated by the DILG will be conducted starting with the issuance of a show-cause order.
However, Año did not specify how long the cases against the said local officials will be resolved as some apprehensions were raised that the resolution of the complaints may last until the homestretch of the campaign period or even after the elections.
Año’s explanation came at the heels of concerns that the mayors, governors and their party mates may abuse the authority to enforce granular lockdowns in the rich-vote areas of their political rivals.
Critics claimed the possibility of the local chief executives unfairly placing the bailiwicks of their political adversaries under granular lockdowns to prevent their rivals’ supporters from casting their votes on election time or hamper their sorties during the campaign period. (Chito A. Chavez)