No arrest made as Cebu folks ditch mandatory face mask policy
By Chito Chavez
Unperturbed by the warning from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), authorities made no arrests in Cebu province with some doing away with the face mask rule amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
In an ABS-CBN report on Thursday, June 16, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia maintained that it is the prerogative of DILG Secretary Eduardo Año if he decides to file cases against her insisting that Executive Order (EO) No. 16 that makes it optional to wear face masks outdoors has legal basis.
Standing firm on the legality of the EO, Garcia noted that it will be the ‘legacy that he (Año) will leave behind’ in his tenure at the DILG.
Many Cebu residents stood by Garcia’s order like market vendor Linette Barusan who was overjoyed by the scrapping of the rule saying that she will no longer deal with the long hours of pain caused by face mask strings secured to her ears.
But, DILG Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III said that the Cebu Provincial Board Resolution, which asked Garcia to come up with the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of her policy, has made Executive Order 16 moot.
"Nakalagay doon sa provincial board resolution ay binibigyan ang governor ng pagkakataon para mag-promulgate ng implementing rules and regulations, idedetalye po ’yung provincial resolution na yun. (It is stated in the provincial board resolution that it gives the governor the chance to promulgate the implementing rules and regulations for the policy which will detail the said provincial resolution),’’ Densing said.
Densing explained that the DILG will assist in laying down the IRR details to ensure that it is anchored on the policy of the national government.
He added that the law enforcers will be implementing the national policy in the meantime, while the DILG waits for the IRR adding that they just want to implement the protocols embodied in Executive Order 151 signed by President Duterte. (Chito A. Chavez)