Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia was recently trending because of a “controversial” Executive Order that she signed, making the wearing of face masks optional in open and well-ventilated spaces. She clarified that this is “not totally scrapping the wearing of face mask” but giving people “a choice.”
“We are not saying do not use face masks. Instead, we are providing a choice—those who wish to breathe in pure air or oxygen, or the more beneficial sea air, are free to do so, and will not be apprehended by the provincial police if they are in an open area,” she said. “Let’s not bring the wearing of face masks to ridiculous levels.”
Malacañang chimed in on the issue, reiterating the fact that the President’s directives will prevail over all local government ordinances as far as the wearing of face masks is concerned. Both the chiefs of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have put their foot down and upheld the IATF’s mandate on mask wearing.
“The Chief Executive's directive is clear: Continue wearing face masks," said Presidential Spokesperson and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar. “We reiterate and support the legal opinion of the Justice Secretary that the IATF resolution on the mandatory wearing of face masks shall prevail over the executive orders by LGUs.”
There is no signal from the Palace whether this mask wearing mandate will change before the turnover to a new administration on June 30, 2022.
The DILG, Andanar stressed, has a standing order to ensure the full implementation of the existing policy, which requires the use of face masks both in open and closed spaces. This means the DILG has authorized the Philippine National Police (PNP) to fully implement the existing IATF resolution on wearing of face masks.
“The PNP will continue to confront, apprehend, and arrest, if necessary, all violators of IATF guidelines and minimum public health standards,” said DILG Secretary Eduardo Año.
This strong response from the IATF versus a provincial ordinance is perhaps a sign of rising concern due to the latest news of new Covid infections last Tuesday, June 14. OCTA Research fellow Dr. Guido David shared their observation that the situation in the National Capital Region (NCR) is becoming “more concerning” compared to previous weeks. On Monday alone, 188 new active Covid cases were recorded, a new high in recent memory. Positivity rate in NCR also increased, from 2.2 percent to 2.7 percent in just one week.
Much more concerning is that David even revealed the possibility that new cases may increase by up to 200 to 300 per day. And, God forbid, it may reach 400 to 500 cases by the end of June.
So, what should it be? Should we have our mask on at all times once we step out of our house? Or should we have the option to breathe in, and breathe out, fresh air without any impediment?
To mask or not to mask—that is a question that each one of us should ask our family members, officemates, neighbors, even the strangers we interact with inside the bank, the mall, the coffeeshop, or the gas station. Among the members of our community, there are still people who are at risk or have comorbidities. Sadly, there are still unvaccinated individuals among us in the crowd.
We must, for the gradual wellness of this post-pandemic world, still wear a face mask. The World Health Organization (WHO) has not announced the end of the pandemic so even if it feels like “normal,” the invisible virus is still lurking around, waiting to strike the vulnerable and the unvaccinated. But if you are just standing alone in front of the wide expanse of an ocean, that’s the only time when you could perhaps ponder on your choice without anyone being affected by your decision to wear—or not to wear—any mask.