THE pressure from various sectors affected by the Covid-19 pandemic to go back to normal is a litmus test on the political will of Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella. Political will is defined as the “determination of an individual political personality to do and say things that will produce the desired outcome.”
These sectors that are demanding/requesting to return to normal now that the city is placed under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) are operators and drivers of traditional jeepneys, sidewalk vendors, cinema and entertainment operators, licensed cockpit operators and cockfighting aficionados and some businesses that are allowed to operate with less capacity like bars and restaurants.
Although Labella can bank on the decision of the Inter-agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF) and some national agencies to decide on the matter, some of these sectors rely on his decision. He can depend on the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) for the traditional jeepneys to go back on the streets.
He can rely on the decision of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on the request of sidewalk vendors to go back to vending. If you recall, before the pandemic, President Rodrigo Duterte, through the DILG, ordered to clear the streets of sidewalk vendors. It was an order to be implemented nationwide. DILG officials conducted an inspection to see if the order was carried out and rated LGUs in terms of compliance. There were local chief executives who were administratively charged for failing to implement the order. I think that order still in effect.
Under MGCQ, cinemas and cockpits are already allowed to operate. The IATF gave LGUs a free hand to open or not these establishments, depending on their respective Covid situation in their territorial jurisdiction. Last week, cinema operators met with Mayor Labella to appeal for a reopening. The mayor created a task force headed by Councilor Philip Zafra to study the proposal of this sector. He also created separate task forces to look at the concerns of the jeepney operators and drivers and sidewalk vendors.
I don’t know if the mayor will also create a task force for the reopening of a cockfighting arena as this sector is heavily lobbying to resume operations to help those who are greatly affected by the pandemic, like the breeders, those who work in the cockfighting facilities, such as the “masyador” (those who match and take bets) and “kristo” (the referee who will decide on the winning cock) and all the “sabong” patrons.
In a recent resolution, the IATF said licensed cockpits and the conduct of cockfighting activities are already allowed under MGCQ, but these must follow health and safety protocols to prevent the spread of the virus. However, LGUs have the final decision on whether the operation of licensed cockpits and the conduct of cockfighting activities can proceed in their respective areas, the IATF said.
Will Labella succumb to the pressure of these sectors? Will he grant their request or demand amid the threat of coronavirus? The MGCQ is just a quarantine status but the virus is very much pretty around. Will Labella give weight to political accommodation and considerations over protecting the public’s health against the virus? Naa ra kaniya ang paghukom.