Davao City will enforce a liberal approach in implementing its Alert Level 3 status from January 14 to 30, 2022.
Mayor Inday Sara Duterte bared this during the Special Hour program of 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio (DCDR) aired on Monday afternoon, January 17, 2022.
She said, “Very liberal ang atoang implementation sa Alert Level 3. Ang emphasis dinhi sa city government side is mask and distancing. Giingnan na nako ang atoang COVID-19 Task Force [nga] liberal ta sa implementation sa Alert Level 3 and there will be no closure [of establishments] from our side because dili siya pwede sa Alert level 3. (We will be very liberal in our implementation of Alert Level 3. The emphasis of the city government of Davao is the mask and social distancing. I’ve told the COVID-19 Task Force that we will be liberal in our Alert Level 3 implementation and there will be no closures from our side as it is not allowed in Alert Level 3).”
Mayor Duterte also said that she met with the management of a mall and she told them that the city government will have a liberal approach insofar as the Alert Level 3 is concerned.
“Dili pwede magsige ta open-close, open-close, open-close, lockdown, lockdown because of COVID-19 (We can’t open-close, open-close, open-close, lockdown, lockdown because of COVID-19),” Mayor Duterte said, adding that there needs to be an acceptance that COVID-19 is already a part of people’s lives.
Thus, the local government unit (LGU) cannot forever impose lockdowns and restrictions in travel as there is a need to adjust and adapt to the pandemic.
Since there are no closures in the city’s liberal implementation, the mayor said bars may still open as long as they do not serve alcohol in deference to the modified liquor ban that has been extended until June 30, 2022, under her Executive Order (EO) No. 2 series of 2022.
“Ang atoang ginalikayan diri sa alcohol in public is the mass gathering it will create. Kung ang bar mag-open lang sya para sa other services niya, that is not a problem (We are preventing mass gathering due to consumption of alcohol in public. If a bar opens to cater other services, that is not a problem),” the mayor underscored.
She said entertainment in restaurants and venues are also allowed in the liberal implementation of Alert Level 3 status in Davao City. But the wearing of face masks and social distancing should still strictly be observed.
The mayor also said that the national government’s guidelines on Alert Level 3 status will be followed by Davao City.
“Wala ta nagdungag dinha para dili na ma-confuse ang mga tao. We still maintain the modified liquor ban that you can only buy and consume in private places. Walay consumption in public places. And there is still no curfew sa pagkakaron. Mao na siya ang bag-o na ginabuhat nato sa kini na surge after the advent of vaccination boosters and the arrival of medicines (We didn’t add any more guidelines so that the people won’t be confused. We still maintain the modified liquor ban that you can only buy and consume in private places. There is no consumption in public places. And there is currently no curfew. That’s what we are doing in this surge after the advent of vaccination boosters and the arrival of medicines),” the city’s chief executive said.CIO
