Case awaits wrong info

CEBU, Philippines —  Those who do not fill out COVID-19 contact tracing forms seriously can face charges, authorities in Cebu City warned yesterday.

"Kon ang ilang gi fill-upan is a public document, falsification of public document. Kon ang ilang gi fill-upan private document, falsification of private document. Kung mahibaw-an nga ang ilang gibutang diha dili tinuod, it's false entry. It's a false entry ang ilang gisuwat. They can be held criminally liable," Mayor Edgardo Labella said.

(If they filled out a public document, it’s falsification of public document. If it’s a private document, it’s falsification of private document. If proven that they wrote false information, it’s false entry. They can be held criminally liable.)

Labella made the warning after Councilor Joel Garganera, deputy chief implementer of the city’s Emergency Operations Center, appealed to the public to take the forms seriously after seeing a post of a netizen about contact tracing forms filled out with names of movie characters such as Doctor Strange, Bruce Wayne, and Optimus Prime.

"Naa’y uban tao nga nag tuo kataw-anan ni ilang gibuhat nga dili motarong ug fill-out sa contact tracing forms. Pero pila ka kinabuhi ang pwede maapektohan niining pagpamakak. This doesn’t make you superheroes. This makes you villains. Sunod, angay nani ipadakop," Garganera said in a social media post.

(There are those who think that making fun of the forms is funny. They do not realize that lying will affect the lives of others. This doesn’t make you superheroes. This makes you villains. Next time, these people should be arrested.)

Garganera said those who do not provide accurate information may be punished under Section 9 (b) of RA 11332 or the Mandatory reporting of notifiable diseases and health events of public health concern Act for “tampering of records or intentionally providing misinformation.”

“Usbon nato, i-fill out ug tarong ang mga forms kay og naa diay mag-positive ana nga establishment unya inyo ngalan kay si Doctor Strange, unsa’y buhaton sa among contact tracing team? Mo ingon lang sila’g, “Avengers, Assemble!”? Naunsa,” Garganera said in frustration.

(Let us repeat, fill the forms out properly because what will our contact tracing team do if someone in the establishment tests positive? Should they just say, ‘Avengers, assemble!’?)

Labella said those who go to business establishments, especially now that more people are out and about during modified general community quarantine, need to be identified.

"Kinahanglan gyud nga they should be identified. Mao gyud na'y pina-kabasic kay how could we implement effectively, efficiently sa atong contact tracing kon ang entry nga ilang gibutang dili mao, laing ngan?" he said.

(It’s important that they are identified properly. That’s basic, because how can we do contact tracing effectively and efficiently if they put in a different name?)

Garganera said it is the responsibility of the establishment to ensure that those entering its premises will provide accurate information.

He also said filling the forms out properly is a very small way for the public to help fight the pandemic.

“The EOC would therefore recommend nga bisan mag-show lang ug valid ID before entry and check sa forms if completely filled ba. The government is doing our best to address this pandemic. I think filling up the forms properly is just a small contribution the people can make to help us fight this pandemic,” Garganera said.

Aside from providing accurate information, the EOC also urged the public to bring their own pen, write legibly, and sanitize after filling out the form.

Case at bank

Meanwhile, Labella said the city has been communicating with the business sector to closely monitor workplaces after 12 COVID-19 cases were recorded at a bank last Wednesday.

"Everything is possible pero ato gyud nga bantayan nga dili mosaka," Labella said.

(Everything is possible but we will keep an eye on this so that our numbers won’t go up again.)

As of Thursday, September 10, 2020, Cebu City's logged a total of 9,768 cases, of which 387 are active. At least 8,719 have recovered but 662 have also died from COVID-19.

"Let's continue to monitor, let's continue to undertake massive contact tracing and testing. Di gyud ta mokompyansa (Let us not be complacent). It's not over until it's over. Magpadayon ta sa atong aggressive nga pakigbugno kining COVID-19 virus (We will continue with aggressive offense against the COVID-19 virus),"

Labella reminded the public that regulations in the streets are still in place even if the city’s borders have been reopened.

He met with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, Cebu City Transportation Office, and bus companies, among others, yesterday to ensure that minimum health protocols are observed at the South Bus Terminal, which has also reopened at its old location on N. Bacalso Street. — Caecent No-ot Magsumbol, JMO (FREEMAN)