PRO-7 pushes GCQ extension

CEBU, Philippines —  With Malacañang expected to announce new quarantine classifications by month’s end, the Police Regional Office (PRO) - 7 is keen on recommending an extension of the general community quarantine status in Cebu City.

PRO-7 Director Albert Ignatius Ferro said he is being conservative and careful with his recommendation.

"I would rather recommend for a status quo. Maybe give us seven days – a week – so that the transition of a vacuumed position of our augmentation will be filled out first before we could come up with a more relaxed quarantine level," Ferro said yesterday.

Ferro, one of the deciding officers of IATF- Cebu, have since recommended a gradual downgrading of quarantine status for Cebu City, once tagged as a hotspot of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

Before the current GCQ status, Cebu City was put back under enhanced community quarantine in June after a spike in COVID-19 cases following a transition to GCQ in May.

"We should not lower our guard down because we'll never know if there is another spreader or another spike," Ferro said.

Ferro said an extended GCQ will also give time for the remaining policemen to adjust as the PNP will have to send home the augmentation forces from Region 6 and 8.

The Crisis Response Battalion (CRB) will have to take over the work that will be left by the visiting policemen.

Ferro said a thorough analysis of the medical capacity and overall situation of Cebu City is being looked into, to be able to arrive at the best actions needed for the city.

Based on data from the Department of Health (DOH) as of August 27, Cebu City now only has 617 active cases of the total 8,302 cases since March. Recovery rate in the city is now at 86 percent.

The recommendation of the regional IATF will be subject to the decision of the national IATF and that of President Rodrigo Duterte.

A highly-placed source told The Freeman that the national IATF is recommending Cebu City to transition to modified GCQ by September 1.

Security Measures

While more industries are allowed to open under MGCQ, Ferro said security measures will remain.

"The good mayor of Cebu is having a good intervention – like the Q Pass will be used, curfew, the QCPs and checkpoints will be maintained and stricter implementation of the minimum health standards will be done, rekorida, information dissemination -- I believe we could sustain. Di na gyud ka mag-kumpyansa," Ferro said.

IATF’s Cebu overseer, Secretary Roy Cimatu, is expected to be in Cebu City on Monday to meet anew with members of the Emergency Operations Center and other sectors concerned.

Cimatu and deputy chief implementer in the Visayas, Ret. General Mel Feliciano, want to ensure that everything will still run smoothly especially that Feliciano is set to shift focus to Bacolod and Iloilo whose numbers of COVID-19 cases are rising.

Feliciano is scheduled to return to Bacolod on Tuesday. He was there last Thursday together with Cimatu and Secretary Michael Dino of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) to meet with local officials, which led to the decision for Feliciano to be in Bacolod.

His advice for Cebu:

“Nag-oopen yung Cebu further so dapat more vigilant tayo. We have COVID-19… nandyan lang anytime. With the breach of the protocol, we would be infected Kaya hangga’t walang vaccine, ingat lang talaga para maiwasan ang spread, yung transmission,” he said.

At City Hall, Mayor Edgardo Labella said it is too early to say that Cebu City is successful in its fight against COVID-19.

"We will never say that we are already successful at this point," he said.

"Let us not flaunt it. Dili kita manghambog. On the other hand, let us be very, very vigilant because there will be more people coming out. Let us be more alert, let us be more circumspect, let us always do better, and always consider that the virus is just with us whether we like it or not," Labella said Friday.

Like Feliciano, Labella said the virus is still present and the fight against the invisible enemy will continue.

"Mao nga ako kamo hangyuon, bisan og GCQ ta, dako raba'g posibilidad nga ang IATF mo-recommend nato'g MGCQ… ato gayong hunahunaon, regardless of the kind of quarantine classification, we are still under quarantine," he said.

He reminded the public anew that quarantine means to stay home and a person shall go out only if there is compelling reason or a very necessary matter to attend to such as purchasing of basic necessities.

"If we love our family, we love our loved ones, we love our fellow beings, and of course, love ourselves, please, just comply with the minimum health protocols," Labella said.

Minimum health protocols include wearing of mask, observing social distancing, avoiding mass gatherings, and washing of hands.

"Di nato kalimtan ang pag-ampo gayod. Akong tan-aw, kining tanan nga nahitabo karon, giubanan gyud ni sa blessing sa atong labaw'ng makagagahom. Giproteksyonan kita labi na ni Señor Sto. Niño," the mayor said. — Caecent No-ot Magsumbol and Ruth R. Malinao, JMO (FREEMAN)