
Garcia said the province will stand by Executive Order (EO) No. 16 that she issued and later on adopted by the provincial board.
“We will stand by with our ordinance, adopting my EO on rationalizing the wearing of face masks in well-ventilated areas,” Garcia said in a press conference Friday, June 17.
DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said they may resort to filing charges against the governor if the ordinance is not rectified.
Garcia said the Office of the Governor and the provincial board have not yet received any official communication from the DILG after Año issued the ultimatum.
The DILG has rejected her EO and instructed the police to continue enforcing the face mask policy.
Tension between the province and some national government officials intensified further when Police Col. Engelbert Soriano was relieved as chief of the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO).
Garcia said she believes that Soriano was unceremoniously relieved after he expressed support to the EO.
She called out Philippine National Police officer-in-charge Police Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao for accusing Soriano of politicking during his tenure at CPPO.
Garcia advised Año to just let the issue go as he is about to leave his post.
She said the country is facing more pressing issues than to bicker over the face mask policy. “It’s just very trivial in the midst of all the other serious problems we are currently facing.”