Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has denied shelving the implementation of the non-mandatory wearing of face masks in open spaces after supposedly acceding to the request of Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin "Benhur" Abalos Jr.
“Yesterday (Sept. 1), Mayor Mike Rama of Cebu City issued a statement denying the deferment of the implementation of Executive Order No. 5 s. 2022 which declares the wearing of face masks as non-mandatory throughout the City of Cebu beginning Sept. 1, 2022,’’ Abalos said on Friday, Sept. 2.
Earlier, Abalos commended Rama for being amenable to his call to put off the non-obligatory wearing of face masks outdoor policy in Cebu City.
The DILG chief even praised Rama for granting his request and, in return, guaranteed the Cebu City mayor that he will study the viability of the order to make wearing of face masks non-mandatory outdoors.
But after a day, Rama supposedly had a change of heart, denying to have agreed to Abalos’ appeal for the delay in the imposition of the non-obligatory wearing of face masks in the city.
In response, Abalos noted that there seemed to be a miscommunication as to what he and Rama discussed regarding the issue.
"I respect the statement of Mayor Rama, and I fully intend to keep communication lines open to give him the opportunity to explain his position and basis behind the enactment of the city-wide order," Abalos said.
Abalos said the DILG remains firm and steadfast in its commitment to raise the issue to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) and make Cebu City a pilot city that will help assess the lifting of masking protocols in outdoor areas amid the Covid-19 pandemic.