Mayor Sara denies intimidating LGUs over movement of people

Speaking over the city government-owned Davao City Disaster Radio, Mayor Sara said she did not dictate on other Davao Region LGU leaders about movement restrictions.

Instead, she said she only requested them to refrain from asking documents from people traveling to their areas, which she said were unnecessary.

Under the Inter-Agency Task Force Omnibus Guidelines, the interzonal movement of persons between areas placed under GCQ for any purpose other than leisure is permitted.

Section 7 (3) of the Omnibus Guidelines on the implementation of General Community Quarantine issued on May 22, 2020 allows the movement of people from one GCQ area to another.

“Ang ginaingon lang nako sa ilaha, ayaw pangayui ang tao og travel order, mangayo pa sila og seal, mangayo pa og tinuod nga pirma nako because that is not required. Ayaw ninyo pangayui ang mga tao og ing-ana. Kung ang tao moingon nga empleyado sila, di ba allowed man mo-move for work, kung ang tao moingon siya nga nagatrabaho ko diha, pangitai ninyo og ID (What I told them is not to ask for a travel order, a (Davao City) seal, my original signature because that is not required. Don’t ask people for that. If the persons say they are workers are they not allowed to move for work? You can ask an ID),” Mayor Sara stressed.

If they did not want anybody to enter their areas, Mayor Sara said, LGUs should elevate their status to Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).

“Kung dili mo gusto magpasulod sa inyohang LGU, ipasaka mo to an ECQ because during an ECQ dili pwede mosulod, dili pwede mogawas. But during a GCQ, kung ang imohang silingan GCQ, ikaw GCQ, pwede mo magbiyahe for Category I, II, III na offices and establishments for work (If you do not allow entry, you raise your (quarantine level) to ECQ because during ECQ you don’t allow entry and exit. But during GCQ, if your neighbor is GCQ and your are GCQ you can travel to offices and establishments categorized as I, II, III for work),” she added.

Mayor Sara also pointed out that prohibiting the entry of people through lockdowns does not guarantee protection from the coronavirus.

She said LGUs should instead ready their local government for the possible surge of Covid-19 patients.

She dismissed the notion that restricting people from entering and exiting an area would protect the population from contracting the coronavirus.

“Naa man gud notion ang mga tao nga kung dili ka magpasulod, dili ka magpagawas, protected ka na. Dili po. Ang makaprotect po sa imoha is mag andam ka imohang prevention measures, mag-andam ka sa imohang detection especially sa inyohang surveillance, mag-andam mo sa inyohang testing. So dapat nangita na mo og mga tao dinha sa inyohang lugar nga ginasubmit ninyo for testing because naga manifest sila og symptoms sa Covid-19. Mag andam po mo og treatment ug reintegration. Mao dapat na ang nagafunction karon nga GCQ na ang inyohang area (There is a notion that if you do not allow people to enter, exit you are protected. That is not the way. You will be protected if you are ready with your prevention measures, ready with detection especially with surveillance, and ready with testing. So look for the people you submitted for testing if they manifest the Covid-19 symptoms. get ready with your treatment and reintegration. That is how you function under GCQ),” Mayor Sara said. CIO