The national government does not recognize Governor Gwen Garcia’s executive decision allowing the optional use of face masks in well-ventilated and open locations in the province, according to Interior Secretary Eduardo Ao on Wednesday.
In an interview with Super Radyo dzBB, Ao reminded Cebuanos that the pandemic is still active and that outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte is tasked with enforcing people’s right to health.
“Malinaw na ang ginawa ng governor ng Cebu at kanilang Provincial Council ay hindi kinikilala ng national government. That is defective. Kinausap ko din ‘yung ating regional director doon na patuloy silang makipag-ugnayan doon kung pwede pa nilang i-amend ‘yung kanilang EO at ordinansa,” he said.
(It is clear that what the governor of Cebu and their Provincial Council did is not recognized by the national government. That is defective. I also talked to our regional director there, and they will continue to contact there if they can amend their EO and ordinance.)
Following Garcia’s issuance of Executive Order No. 16, which stipulated that wearing face masks should only be necessary for enclosed and air-conditioned venues, this occurred after the Cebu Provincial Board enacted the ordinance on the third and final reading in a special session on Tuesday.
Face masks in Cebu remain mandatory – Año
Garcia claimed that the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) recommendations “doesn’t carry the force of law, not enacted by Congress, nor is that an Executive Order signed by the President,” and that she does not regard the IATF resolution on the requirement of face mask use as the law.
Año disputed this, stating that local government employees could be charged if they disobeyed national government directives.
“‘Yung EO at saka ordinansa na pinasa ng Cebu government ang talagang walang legal basis kasi dapat ang kanilang mga EO o ordinansa naka-angkla ‘yan sa national policies, pronouncements ng Pangulo, batas, Constitution. ‘Pag wala ‘yan, that is rendered defective at hindi dapat ipatupad ‘yan,” he said.
(The EO and the ordinance passed by the Cebu government really have no legal basis because their EOs or ordinances must be anchored in the national policies, pronouncements of the President, law, and Constitution. Without that, that is rendered defective and should not be implemented.)
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