MAYOR Oscar Moreno said he is set to announce the reopening strategies of Cagayan de Oro anytime this week.
"We already have some good ideas on how to proceed and I expect to make the announcement sa weekend, kung dili makaya ugma, sa Sabado or Dominggo," Moreno said during the press conference Thursday, April 30.
Moreno assured the public that the strategies will be a balance on health issues and economic issues, and vowed not to compromise health concerns.
"This is a very difficult balancing act," he said.
As planning is ongoing, Moreno said all angles and concerns raised will be considered.
"Kay di man gyud nimo malipay ang tanan, there will be those who will say nga kulang, there will those who will say nasobraan lang rest assured, we will look at all the possible considerations and angles relating to this very important phase. Then again, kinahanglan ma improve nato ang atong health data, we need to show kaya na nato mobangon even if we know naa pa ang virus, we need to demonstrate we know where we are," he said.
On Wednesday, 26 village chiefs in Cagayan de Oro signed a petition calling for the declaration of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Moreno again rejected the new petition from the barangay captains saying that a lockdown is the last resort.
He also lamented the call for lockdown which has "evolved into a demolition job."
Guided by the National Government guidelines, Moreno said it is not his call to implement ECQ, citing the Inter-Agency Task Force's (IATF) announcement last week classifying Misamis Oriental, including Cagayan de Oro, as under general community quarantine.
"Dili ka pwede magbuot buot, as if akoy mayor akoy magbuot," he added.
Meanwhile in a statement, the group of barangay captains maintained that their move is not motivated by politics.
The group said the petition was made out of concern for the welfare of their respective constituents.
"Contrary to the mayor's insistence that the petition is politically motivated because all the signatory barangay chairpersons are not allied with the mayor, Kauswagan Punong Barangay Pedro Balite insists that there is no politics behind their petition," the statement said.
Barangay captains from Kauswagan, Nazareth, Macasandig, Puerto, Lapasan, Macabalan, Bayabas, Bonbon, Balulang, Consolacion, Bulua, San Simon, 1, 15, 5, 16, 26, 31, 36, 33, 2, 12, 23, 30, 38, and 34 have signed the petition.
Some residents of Barangays 17, Patag and Puntod also signed the petition.
The village officials said they fully support the doctors' appeal that "the mayor must declare ECQ so that incidents of more positive cases like the one in Pinikitan, Camaman-an will not happen in the days to come."
"They are very much worried for their people, that without ECQ in CDO what happened in Davao City and Cebu City where positive cases increase each day despite both cities declared ECQ weeks ago, will also happen in CDO if the mayor continues to allow people to freely move around because public transport still operate and CDO has never been under ECQ. Their group believe, like the doctors, that ECQ is critical in stopping Covid-19 transmission," the group added.
The barangay captains also insist that for an ECQ to be successful and for people to stay home, city hall must use the city's calamity fund, approved supplemental budget and the Bayanihan Grant. (With reports from Alwen Saliring)