Must mask

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia did it again. Gov. Garcia acted anew independently from national government’s continuing campaign to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Invoking her authority under the Local Government Code of 1991, Gov. Garcia issued her own executive order to implement a Cebu-wide “optional” wearing of facemasks in outdoor settings or well-ventilated public areas starting last week.

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año issued an official statement the next day declaring that the DILG “does not recognize the executive order issued by Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia.” The DILG Secretary is the immediate head of chief executives of all local government unit (LGUs) in the Philippines.

For the nth time, Cebu Gov. Garcia went against the national government directions in controlling the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. She had brushes in the past with the national government in imposing Cebu’s own rules and regulations not aligned with the guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID).

Just last February, Gov. Garcia issued Executive Order No. 3-2022 which allowed unvaccinated and partially vaccinated foreign tourists to enter the country through the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) while the IATF guidelines then required foreign nationals to show proof of full anti-COVID vaccinations.

The Cebu Governor asserted she is empowered to do so as a local chief executive in the exercise of the autonomy granted to all LGUs. Re-elected Governor for a second term in the Provincial Capitol, Garcia specifically referred to her mandate under Section 105 of the Local Government Code.

A former lawmaker for two terms in Congress in the past, Gov. Garcia adverted to this provision that states: “Direct National Supervision and Control by the Secretary of Health. - In cases of epidemics, pestilence, and other widespread public health dangers, the Secretary of Health may, upon the direction of the President and in consultation with the local government unit concerned, temporarily assume direct supervision and control over health operations in any local government unit for the duration of the emergency, but in no case exceeding a cumulative period of six (6) months. With the concurrence of the local government unit concerned, the period for such direct national control and supervision may be further extended.”

In effect, Gov. Garcia was telling the national government that Cebu no longer concurs with President Duterte’s existing Proclamation that extended until Sept. 22 this year the period of state of calamity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The same Proclamation, however, provides the President may either lift earlier, or extend again the state of public calamity.

With his six-year term ending at noon of June 30 this year, the ball though is still in the court of President Duterte.

Testing perhaps the limits of the national government, Gov. Garcia twitted DILG officials for its haste to void her EO on “optional” masking. She rhetorically asked why DILG did not order the arrest of thousands of people immediately who did not wear masks during the many political campaign rallies leading to the May 9 national and local elections?

Año, however, sternly reminded the Cebu Governor the nationwide mandatory wearing of facemasks remains effective even in certain areas like Metro Manila that have already been downgraded to Alert Level-1. The DILG Secretary is the co-chairman of the National Task Force (NTF) implementing the anti-COVID guidelines handed down by the IATF.

Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque III, who is the co-chairman of the IATF, confirmed indeed these guidelines were all contained in the more than 200 Resolutions issued since the outbreak in our country of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. In particular, Duque underscored wearing of facemasks has proven to be effective especially during the period when our country has not gotten yet “a single drop of vaccine” against COVID-19 and even during the surges of the more contagious or highly transmissible COVID-19 sub-variants that breached our borders.

Duque cited the findings of the John Hopkins Hospital study from September 2021 to April this year that showed the “masking” rate of the Philippines ranged from 91 to 96 percent. Or this means, Duque pointed out, nine out of ten Filipinos wear or use facemasks. Even when the country had several COVID-19 surges, Duque credited this “masking” requirement for the much improved ranking of the Philippines this year among countries succeeding to curb COVID-19 cases.

In the latest DOH by-monthly Alert Level evaluation, Cebu remains under Alert Level-2 due to the higher risks of COVID-19 infections in the entire province. The DOH is expected to release any time soon the latest Alert Levels in various parts of the country for June 16 to 30.

A recalibration of the facemask protocol by making it “optional” as adopted by Cebu could, however, be a good pilot test before President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. decides on this matter when he takes over the helm of the IATF.

Speaking in our weekly Kapihan sa Manila Bay virtual news forum last Wednesday, the DOH chief expressed hopes the next administration will “institutionalize” the Alert Level System, and other IATF innovations to adapt to the evolving nature of the COVID-19 foreign variants. “If they want recalibration, that’s alright because it depends on the number of (COVID) cases,” he quipped.

Despite the ramped-up vaccination program of the national and local governments, Duque admitted they are still short by seven million of the 77 million target of fully jabbed Filipinos by the end of President Duterte’s exit from Malacañang. In the meantime, he appealed to duly elected LGUs to ramp up booster shots in the exercise of local autonomy to issue quasi-mandatory booster shot ordinance.

But still, President Duterte prefers to keep the must mask on requirement, at least until the end of his term.