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DILG: Shoot-to-kill threat vs quarantine violators 'illegal'
MANILA, Philippines — The “shoot to kill” threat against quarantine violators of a Quezon City local government official is “improper and illegal,” the Department of the Interior and Local Government said.
QC local government’s Task Force Disiplina official Rannie Ludovica posted on his Facebook account that those who will violate the modified enhanced community quarantine will face shoot-to-kill policy. He later took it down but not before Rappler reported his post.
In a statement on Tuesday, DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said they advise Ludovica “to desist from issuing similar statements in the future.”
Malaya, also the DILG’s spokesperson, reminded department heads of LGUs that they must be “circumspect in their social media posts since this may be mistaken by their constituents as official LGU policy.”
Discipline as measure against spread of COVID-19
Malaya also said that while they believe in discipline as a preventive measure to deter the spread of the coronavirus, “this must be enforced within the bounds of the law.”
Public officials have long banked on the narrative that Filipinos are “pasaway”—or are stubbornly ignoring quarantine guidelines—and are to blame for the rising COVID-19 infections in the country. Data from tech giants Google LLC and Apple Inc. however refute this.
Malaya, in the same statement, also said that the DILG will not tolerate abuses of local government officials and penalties imposed on quarantine violators “must be within the bounds of their respective ordinances.”
The DILG official also said that QC Mayor Joy Belmonte disowned Ludovica’s post “saying that it should not be taken literally” and that it “was merely an expression of frustration over the growing number of violations” in the city.
The QC Government, on its Facebook page, listed reminders for its citizens as the city returns to MECQ status. Among these are staying at home; liquor ban; no public transportation except tricycles; no mass gathering; no dine-in and presentation of quarantine pass or work ID at checkpoints.
It does not include a shoot-to-kill policy.
Ludovica meanwhile pinned the blame on Rappler for reporting on his now-deleted “personal” Facebook post and accused the online news site of being malicious.
He also clarified that the Quezon City government does not have a shoot-to-kill policy.
Rappler, for its part, stood by its story and said if the local officer insists that their reporting was malicious, “then he should either avoid making irresponsible statements or quit.” — Kristine Joy Patag
Disclosure: Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte is a shareholder of Philstar Global Corp., which operates digital news outlet Philstar.com. This article was produced following editorial guidelines.
Follow this thread for updates on COVID-19 risk levels, safety measures, and data from Metro Manila's local government units.
Photo: The STAR/Michael Varcas
Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, who has been cleared of criminal liability for a quarantine breach last year, was given special treatment by the Department of Health and Department of Justice, Akbayan Youth says in a statement.
The group says the junking of the complaint against Pimentel came as government officials were questioning the supposed special treatment of the University of the Philippines and Polytechnic University of the Philippines for requiring coordination with school authorities for military and police operations in their campuses.
"Nakakahiya (How shameful). What makes the likes of Sen. Koko and Duterte's other minions so special that they are free to abuse their positions and not required to obey our laws?
"We expected more from our leaders to follow the rules, and even more to implement them fairly," the group says.
The Quezon City government says it is closely monitoring the case of a resident who trested positive for the new COVID-19 variant, which was first detected in the United Kingdom.
City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit says they are doing everything they can to trace and isolate, following the arrival of the patient from Dubai last January 7.
“We have to remain cautious and vigilant to avert the spread of this new variant. What is important is we take care of the resident, and make sure we don’t sow panic in the community,” Mayor Joy Belmonte says.
Manila prohibits street parties, stage shows, parades, palarong kalye and other similar activities that will draw crowd in the community in Pandacan and Tondo areas for the nnual Feast Day of Sto. Nino on January 16 to 17.
In Executive Order 2, Mayor Isko Moreno says such activities during fiesta regulation, if not regulated, can be an easy medium of COVID-19 spread and transmission.
Selling of liquor and other alcoholic beverages within Pandacan and Tondo will also be banned on the same dates.
Pasig City has ordered 400,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19, Mayor Vico Sotto announces.
He adds, though, that "actual quantity and date of delivery will depend on several factors."
"We'll buy from others too as opportunities arise," he also says.
Many of us LGUs signed a tripartite agreement with AstraZeneca and the national govt yesterday.
— Vico Sotto (@VicoSotto) January 10, 2021
Pasig ordered 400K doses (*100M pesos). Actual quantity & date of delivery will depend on several factors.
We'll buy from others too as opportunities arise.https://t.co/iwjrTssqr4
The government of Quezon City is finalizing discussions for purchasing an initial batch of 750,000 does of COVID-19 vaccines.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte says the procurement will be through a tripartite agreement between the national government, local government unit and the pharmaceutical company.
"The LGU is not authorized to procure... The pharmaceutical company allocates what it can to LGUs that signify intent, with the national government procuring in behalf of the LGU," Belmonte says. — The STAR/Janvic Mateo
Isinasaayos na ang pagbili at pagkuha ng COVID-19 vaccines mula sa isang international company para sa paunang 750,000 na doses ng mga libreng bakuna para sa mga residente ng lungsod. pic.twitter.com/tjYP6iecHr
— Quezon City Government (@QCGov) January 4, 2021
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