Cebu officials, businessmen: No to lockdown

Another lockdown is uncalled for as it will further sink the livelihood of Cebuanos

Officials and business owners in Cebu are opposed to the proposal to place the province under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) status again.

Mayors Edgardo Labella (Cebu City), Jonas Cortes (Mandaue) and Junard Chan (Lapu-Lapu) supported Governor Gwendolyn Garcia in countering the plan of the Department of Health (DoH) central office for a province-wide hard lockdown due to increasing coronavirus disease 2019 cases.

Cortes told the Daily Tribune on Thursday he will not support the ECQ plan.

“We have experienced lockdowns in Mandaue and it was very difficult for us. Our livelihood and economy were greatly damaged,” he said.

From some 4,000 enterprises operating during the lockdown, there are now 15,000, Cortes added.

Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Steven Yu also said they oppose ECQ talks.

“We are against any form of lockdown which is uncalled for in the present scenario. We will only further sink the livelihood opportunities of Cebuanos. We have to prioritize bringing food to the table and learn to live with Covid-19. For the sake of the greater good, let us say no to lockdowns and say yes to bringing back more livelihood opportunities,” he said.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said it’s time to stop fearing the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead, Cebu will move forward.

Labella said Cebu City has come a long way since lockdowns were lifted.

“Cebu City continues to be a work in progress. We all know that the past year was a very challenging one. Our momentum was ininterrupted by a global pandemic never before seen in our lifetime,” he said.

Rey Calooy, president of the Filipino-Cebuano Business Club Inc., said the federation of micro, small and medium enterprises will fight Covid-19 without sacrificing economic growth and public health.

“The upgrading of the community quarantine will create more problems. We cannot solve a problem by creating another problem,” he said.

Chan reiterated his opposition on the proposed lockdown as the livelihood of his constituents are at stake.

“As long as we cooperate and help each other in the campaign against Covid-19 and follow health protocols, we will win the fight,” he said.

Garcia, who first faced criticisms when the province reopened to tourists, said she will always stand up for Cebuanos.

“You may bash me, you may criticize me, but I will stand up for Cebu,” she said. “And so we declare: Enough of this fear of the pandemic. Enough of this economic misery. Stand up, Cebu! We will move on. We will move forward.”

As of 24 February, Cebu City still has 3,120 active cases, Cebu Province 1,308, Mandaue 774 and Lapu-Lapu 720.

Overall, Central Visayas is still grappling with 6,433 infections.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF MALAY TOURISM Keeping paradise clean Is Boracay Island ready for international tourists? Aklan Governor Florencio Miraflores thinks so as reopening for local guests in October prepared them well. He said quarantine facilities are well-equipped while they await the approval of the Provincial Office of Aklan, Department of Tourism VI and national IATF for the use of saliva testing by the Philippine Red Cross as entry requirement. For the period 1 to 20 February, Boracay welcomed 11,278 tourists — 7,200 of them from the National Capital Region. Recently, 50 organizations and private groups composed of hundreds of volunteers cleaned the shores, streets and underwater of trash.