CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Council has requested the city’s sports commission to strictly enforce the minimum safety and health protocols for outdoor physical activities at the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC).
These include social distancing, placing of signage for safety and health awareness while taking into account the maximum allowed number of people inside the sports center.
“Although light or moderate running boosts our body’s natural immune system, however, considering that the virus is still present, we must still observe the minimum safety and health protocols in undertaking physical activities such as jogging or running in public places,” said Councilor Nestor Archival.
After a year of being closed due to the pandemic, the CCSC’s track oval was opened to the public last May 3.
CCSC manager Jundel Bontuyan earlier appealed to those wanting to go to the sports center for a jog or walk not to lounge at the side of the oval as only 200 persons at a time are allowed inside.
If there will be people sitting at the side of the oval, they will also be included in the head count, along with the oval marshal.
There are four marshals assigned at the oval who will take turns every after one hour.
Bontuyan said the marshals are tasked to ensure that the health protocols are followed by the joggers and walkers at the CCSC.
The sports center is open from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m.
As a safety measure, the oval is disinfected daily after its closing.
There is no increase in the entrance fee. It is still at P15 in the morning and at P20 in the afternoon.
Limitations
The Department of Interior and Local Government has directed all local chief executives to strictly impose the prohibition or limitation of mass gatherings under the different community quarantine classifications to protect public health and safety or face sanctions for dereliction of duty.
“Local government units (LGUs) have a critical role in enforcing mass gathering regulations as they are nearer to their constituencies compared to the national government. What LCEs can do is to adopt and implement guidelines and policies of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) as well as enact necessary local policies to support these regulations,” said DILG Secretary Eduardo Año.
Before issuing a statement yesterday, in line with the President’s directive to the DILG, Año issued DILG Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 2021-050 defining the roles of the LCEs in the implementation of minimum public health standards especially on the prohibition against public or mass gathering.
While any violation of the prohibitions in the Omnibus Guidelines is punishable under Section 9 paragraph (d) or (e) of Republic Act No. 11332 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), failure on the part of local officials to enforce IATF resolutions may also lead to charges filed against them based on Article 208 of the Revised Penal Code. Administrative sanction may likewise be imposed on them under the Local Government Code.
“Maaaring administrative complaint or criminal case ang isampa laban sa pabayang LCEs. Hindi po gusto ng DILG na dumating sa puntong gawin ito kaya sana ipatupad nang maayos ng LGUs ang polisiya sa mass gatherings ayon sa quarantine classification sa kanilang lugar,” said Año.
Año also reminded all higher LGUs to exercise their power of supervision over their component LGUs.
With this, the LGU through its Sanggunian, at the instance of a concerned LCE, may hear any complaint for violation, misconduct, and/or dereliction of duty of lower LGU officials and impose sanctions as may be allowed by existing laws against an erring official.
On the other hand, the Philippine National Police (PNP) is also directed to strictly enforce all applicable guidelines and policies of the IATF especially on the prohibition on mass gatherings.
“The PNP should assist LGUs in the enforcement of all policies, laws both national and local, relative to the curtailment of the spread of COVID-19,” stressed Año.
Along with this, DILG is also urging the Filipino citizens to file complaints to their local DILG Regional Offices (ROs) regarding the failure of their LCEs to implement mass gathering regulations.— Caecent No-ot Magsumbol, GMR (FREEMAN)