Cebu bans use of aircon in public vehicles

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia announced that public utility vehicles in the province will no longer be allowed to use their air-conditioning units.

“Ang virus… mabuhi anang sirado, aircon… labi na og wala’y exhaust. So mao na ang atong nahuna-hunaan nga sunod nato aron sa pag-protect sa tanang nagsakay sa atong public transport,” she said. (The virus thrives in closed spaces, such as airconditioned spaces, especially those without exhaust. So that’s what we’ve come up to protect passengers of public transport vehicles.)

The drivers of the vehicles will now be made to roll their windows down for ventilation, the governor said.

This guideline for mass transport vehicles is on top of the already existing social distancing rule being implemented by the province. All passengers in buses, jeepneys, taxis, v-hires and all other public transport vehicles have been required to sit one seat apart from one another.

Adherence to this rule will be checked by members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the military in the designated checkpoints in the province.

When asked whether the same no-aircon rule will apply for private vehicles, Garcia said they are still studying such proposal.

“We are seriously thinking, we are encouraging them. Sa pagkakaron unless it is really for safety purposes, meaning, for security purposes,” she said.

With the newly-implemented restrictions making it harder for passengers to commute, Garcia also ordered companies and businesses to provide free transportation for their employees.

Garcia said this should be easy as in her EO 5-J, companies were already ordered to only require a skeletal workforce composed of not more than 50 percent of the employees to be present in the workplace.

“I will include that now in my ensuing executive order to provide transportation for your employees. Those companies that do not follow the cutting down of your (in person) workforce by 50 percent in the province of Cebu may be recommended for the revocation of their permit,” she said.

As of yesterday afternoon, one case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Cebu, particularly at Chong Hua Hospital in Mandaue City. JMD (FREEMAN)