Talisay City back to GCQ

CEBU, Philippines —  Talisay City is on its way back to general community quarantine (GCQ) after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) in Central Visayas has concurred with the Executive Order issued by Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia “de-escalating the city’s risk classification.”

"I just got the word karun (now) ang atong (my) EO is effective upon concurrence of the Regional IATF. So, congratulations Talisay! And, congratulations Mayor Samsam (Gullas)," Garcia announced during her daily presser at the Capitol yesterday.

Lawyer Frank Dinsay, Garcia’s chief of staff, said Department of Tourism (DOTr) Region 7 Director Shalimar Tamano called him up to inform of the development during the IATF meeting yesterday.

The Capitol is still waiting for a copy of the formal resolution from the IATF-7 before the current modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) status of Talisay City will be relaxed.

Garcia, for her part, said that she hopes that the resolution may be furnished expeditiously by IATF-7 so Talisay may be put under GCQ starting today.

Garcia issued on Thursday Executive Order No. 17-G downgrading Talisay’s quarantine status from MECQ to GCQ.

The governor cited as basis the IATF-MEID resolution no. 30 allowing governors to “impose, lift or extend” enhanced community quarantine from the province’s component cities and municipalities provided that the same will be concurred by the regional IATF.

The City of Talisay appealed on June 17 for the lifting of its MECQ status and to be put under GCG along with the rest of the province’s component cities and municipalities.

It states in the EO that Garcia “finds merit” in Talisay’s defense that despite it having 126 cases as of June 17, it has also recorded 50 recoveries and 19 deaths.

This put the city’s active cases to 57. Republic Act No. 7160 or the Local Government Code was also cited in the EO. Specifically, Section 465 (b)(1)(vii) which states that the governor may, “carry out such emergency measures as may be necessary during and in the aftermath of man-made and natural disasters and calamities.”  FPL (FREEMAN)