Follow GCQ guidelines or face sanctions
QUEZON City’s 142 village chiefs were urged to strictly enforce the general community quarantine (GCQ) guidelines laid down by the government or face administrative cases.
QC Mayor Josefina Belmonte bared that the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) was closely monitoring compliance to health protocols.
“We also remind barangay (village) officials that the DILG is constantly monitoring if they are cooperating with the city government. Failure to do so may lead to the filing of administrative cases against both local and village officials,” she said on Sunday.
The mayor met separately with the city’s village chiefs to discuss reports that physical distancing violations had contributed to the recent spike in local cases.
“We have been informed that most of the causes for the spread of Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) cases in areas that were recently placed under special concern lockdown (SCL) were due to various unauthorized activities, which were regrettably preventable,” she said.
“There were reports that residents in the said areas had drinking sessions, boodle fights, wakes that exceeded limitations in duration and number of attendees and even played basketball and volleyball,” she pointed out.
Belmonte also bewailed the holding of karaoke sessions and birthday parties, which also lead to the transmission of Covid-19 in some areas.
The spike in Covid-19 cases in SCL areas was alarming, she said.
As of Friday, Quezon City had 3,707 confirmed Covid- 19 cases, with 239 recorded deaths.
Because of the violation of health protocols, village heads were ordered to arrest violators, conduct foot patrols to disseminate information to residents, enforce the public safety hours of 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. and strictly regulate the sale of liquor, which is allowed only between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
The Philippine National Police and villages are set to release joint protocols to ensure smooth coordination and uniform implementation of procedures and penalties in the communities.