Garcia: No acceptance letter required for returning LSIs

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia yesterday denied requiring a letter of acceptance from her office or concerned local government units for locally stranded individuals (LSIs) and authorized persons outside residence (APORs) arriving at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) who wish to go to areas within Cebu province.

Garcia said she received reports that a booth with table and alley way were put up at the MCIA for LSIs and APORs of Cebu province for them to present such requirement. The booth was reportedly manned by Cebu City Emergency Operations Center personnel.

“Ang mga nag-man ato nga booth gigamit ang akong pangalan nga wala ko masayod. Mao na diay to ilang gihimo nga baload didto sa airport alang sa atong mga Sugboanon nga mouli tawon sa ilang tagsa-tagsa ka mga lungsod sa probinsya sa Sugbo,” Garcia said in a press conference yesterday.

“I gave no such order. They totally misrepresented the Province of Cebu and the Governor,” she said.

“(They) claimed falsely that the need of letter of acceptance or letter of coordination was my order... How could they use my name? Order of the Governor?” Garcia lamented.

‘Power-tripping’

Such a requirement is needed only for those travelling to Cebu City, according to existing guidelines of the Cebu City Emergency Operations Center headed by Councilor Joel Garganera.

“Pero akong gikahibulongan nga giapil man og man ang booth. Gibutangan og lamesa ang probinsya, wala gali mi masayod, wala gani mi pasabta, ug ang mga naglingkod gikan niining Emergency Operations Center sa Cebu City, since when nga ilang awtoridad niabot na ngari sa probinsya?” Garcia asked.

“Dili man gani ko ka-issue og executive order nga kinahanglan sundon sa Cebu City, that should work vice versa, nga kon unsay ilang pamalaod, ayaw apil-apila ang probinsya kay inyo man na,” she furthered.

For Garcia, what the EOC did constituted “power-tripping.”

“Nakit-an tingali nila nga gamay na lang sila ma-power-trippingan, and I'd say power-tripping gyud. Mao na na ilang gi-impose kay niingon man (ang airport operator chief executive advisor) nga they were seeing maam that passengers were lying and no longer saying they were going to Cebu City. They would say they were going to Mandaue, that’s why they had to put that,” Garcia said.

“And now they were claiming nga kinahanglan og acceptance letter gikan nako. So what is that? Isn’t that over-extending their authority? Second, isn’t that misrepresentation because they themselves manned the booth of the province without the courtesy of informing us,” she added.

The system, it was learned, has been implemented at the airport since January. Garcia only learned about it Monday.

The governor has asked those who manned the airport booth to explain.

Garcia has also ordered that a notice be posted at the airport’s strategic points to tell LSIs and APORs of the province: “No letter of acceptance from the Provincial Government of Cebu nor from the local government unit of destination shall be required for entry into a municipality or component city of the Province. Welcome to the Province of Cebu.”

Garganera mum

Sought for comment, Garganera refused to comment on Garcia’s statement of the EOC’s alleged power-tripping and misrepresentation.

Instead, Garganera sent to The FREMAN a link to the city’s requirements for travel clearance in seaport and airport travel, which is only for its residents, including APORs, LSIs, non-essential travels, medical purposes, visa appointments and cadaver transfers.

Garcia said she felt Garganera was “power-tripping” by the authority of the chief implementer retired Major General Melquiades Feliciano.

Feliciano, for his part, said, he does not know about the setup at the airport.

“I really don’t know the setup at the airport. I was out of Cebu (for) five months. I just arrived last Wednesday,” he said.

MCIAA acting general manager Glenn Napuli said that as of yesterday, only the desks of the cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue were up at the airport. — with Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon, Caecent No-ot Magsumbol, JMD (FREEMAN)