Densing backpedals: It was a joke — DILG

MANILA, Philippines — A day after saying the Department of Interior and Local Government will “force” Cebu province to align its guidelines on swab testing for tourism purposes with that of the national government, DILG undersecretary Epimaco Densing III clarified that his remark was only a joke.

Speaking to Cebu reporters in a virtual press conference yesterday, Densing said he was only kidding when he said the governor may face sanctions.

“It was a speculative question. Tinanong lang ako niyan na paano kung hindi daw sumunod si Governor, so ang sagot ko pabiro-pabiro lang muna, sabi ko, ‘Eh di i-force natin si Governor,’” he said.

In an interview on “The Chiefs,” which was aired on Cignal TV’s One News/TV5, Densing had said Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and other local chief executives should follow whatever new guidelines that may be issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) in its meeting on Friday, Feb. 26.

“Cebu will have to align themselves to the decision of the IATF. We will force them to align,” Densing then said.

‘Follow Cebu’

Yesterday, Densing clarified that upon review of Garcia’s Executive Order Nos. 9 and 12, he saw no violations of the current IATF protocols.

Both EOs ease the travel restrictions on APORs (authorized persons outside residence), non-APORs and domestic tourists coming to Cebu province and drop the swab test results as requirement for travel.

Tourists coming to Cebu province only need a medical certificate issued by a reputable doctor within seven days prior to travel date and must pass the symptoms checking at the port of departure and arrival.

Densing said they will propose to IATF, during its meeting today, to no longer require travel authority from PNP and medical certificate for local tourists for purposes of tourism.

There is a need, he said, to ease travel restrictions to open up the economy, especially the tourism industry, which contributed P2 trillion to the country’s gross domestic product in 2019 but almost nothing in 2020.

Densing stressed that there is no need for governors or mayors to ask permission from IATF as local governments enjoy autonomy despite the national public health emergency.

“But of course, it is still subject for review, just to make sure that it is aligned with the national guidelines against this pandemic,” he said.

Densing said the three highly-urbanized cities of Cebu, Mandaue, and Lapu-Lapu can follow Cebu province, which requires only a medical certificate for entry of local tourists and travelers. He added though that this remains to be another subject for discussion in today’s IATF meeting.

Statesmanship

Garcia, for her part, thanked Densing for clarifying that she has not violated any of the provisions of the IATF omnibus guidelines.

“I thanked Usec Densing for having the decency and statesmanship because it really created confusion even amongst our officials,” Garcia said.

The governor reiterated that her EOs in relation to the pandemic are all in line with IATF guidelines and are religiously submitted to the DILG for review.

Garcia also welcomed DILG's proposal to the IATF to waive the medical certificate and travel authority as a requirement in areas with eased community quarantine.

She said she will wait for the updated guidelines that the IATF is expected to release today. — Le Phyllis F. Antojado, JMD (FREEMAN)