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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Optional outdoor wearing of face masks up to the experts, ULAP president says

Optional outdoor wearing of face masks up to the experts, ULAP president says

Published Jun 14, 2022 02:24 pm

The decision to enforce the optional wearing of face masks in Quirino province will be based on science and pertinent data from the experts, Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) president and Quirino Governor Dakila Cua said on Tuesday, June 14.

In a news briefing, Cua explained said the plan would push through in Quirino province should the next administration opts to place the country under the public emergency for another year.

Earlier, Cua said that they are considering the option to make the wearing of face masks outdoors optional in Quirino similar to Cebu province which the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) had rejected.

On June 13, DILG Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III warned that individuals disregarding the wearing of face mask regulations in Cebu province may be arrested by persons in authority as the country remains under the national public health emergency.

He noted that President Duterte’s directive is to call the attention of face mask violators, and for the police to provide them with masks if they have any.

But if the individual purposely refused to heed the call of the persons in authority for them to observe health protocols, Densing pointed out that this will be a basis for their arrest.

Further, Densing emphasized that the laws of the local government units (LGUs) should be aligned with the regulations set by the national government since the country is still under the Covid-19 pandemic.

The DILG official pointed out that the national public health emergency in the country will be lifted on Sept. 12 this year.

Still, Cua noted that he sees no problem in case the next administration extends the state of public health emergency in the country.

“I see no problema na baka naman pag aralan din talaga nila (they might study) whether there should be changes in the policy (mandatory wearing of face masks),’’ Cua explained.

He maintained that safety levels should be defined amid the Covid-19 pandemic, adding that their call was based on the research they conducted from international bodies like the World Health Organization (WHO) while considering all the data they gathered.

“So again, it is just a call and it is just a study na pag aralan natin. Baka tama yung data na magkaroon ng konting adjustments doon sa mga outdoors na maluwag naman at hindi kumpol kumpol ang tao. Puwede na natin buksan na walang face mask if the risk is manageable or very, very low (that we are studying. Maybe the data is correct in making outdoor adjustments in places which are not crowded and people are not clustered. We can make wearing of face masks outdoors optional if the risk is manageable or very, very, low),’’ he adeed. (Chito A. Chavez)

Related Tags

Epimaco Densing III Dakila Cua DILG QUIRINO PROVINCE ULAP
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