BACOLOD City Mayor Evelio Leonardia has issued Executive Order (EO) No. 80, adjusting the period in the exercise of emergency power of the chief executive/city mayor and other purposes.
Leonardia, who signed the EO on December 15, said on December 9, City Ordinance No. 947 was approved. The ordinance amends the emergency authority to the city mayor in the face of Covid-19 pandemic and for practical applications consonant to circumstance, thereby adjusting the period in the exercise of the said emergency power of the city mayor during the Covid-19 pandemic to be co-terminus with the number of days in the given calendar month or chronological months of community quarantine period declared by the National Inter-Agency Task Force.
“And likewise, the same city ordinance amended all other EOs inconsistent with its application including the curfew hours or the non-social period,” he said.
He added Section 16 of the Local Government Code states that every local government unit shall exercise the powers expressly granted, those necessarily implied therefrom, as well as powers necessary, appropriate, or incidental for its efficient and effective governance, and those which are essential to the promotion of the general welfare.
Section 2 of the EO states that the observance/implementation of the curfew hours/non-social period shall be subject to practical circumstances especially in consideration of customs and traditions particularly acknowledged under CO 947, that in consideration of such customs and traditions of the Christmas season/holidays which Filipinos look upon as a period for family bonding and social interaction, the curfew hours or the non-social period starting from December 15 up to December 31, 2020 only, shall be modified to now run from 11 p.m. up to 3 a.m. of the following day.
Provided, however, that any future application, implementation, or regulation of the curfew hours or non-social period in line with other customs and traditions of Filipinos shall be subject to the issuance of a separate executive order, the EO further stated.
Diocese of Bacolod Bishop Patricio Buzon earlier sent a letter to Leonardia requesting that the existing curfew hours be reviewed to accommodate the traditional Aguinaldo masses.
Under Buzon's proposal, they can schedule a 3:30 a.m. and 5 a.m. Aguinaldo masses.
The Aguinaldo masses, which are held at dawn, is a Filipino tradition and is observed from December 16 until Christmas Eve on December 24.