POLICE stations in Davao City will be strengthening their personnel visibility in remote areas after a video of an alleged “disco party” in Barangay Catigan in Toril District was widely shared online.
The video that went viral for the past two weekends showed a truck carrying a loud sound system roaming around Catigan, resulting in the convergence of the people in the area.
The video also showed a large number of people, most of them were motorcycle riders, gathering in a certain area, where the majority of them failed to observe minimum health protocols like wearing of face mask and physical distancing.
People in the area were also seen dancing on the road like in the pre-pandemic days.
Davao City Police Office (DCPO) Spokesperson Captain Rose Aguilar told SunStar Davao in a phone interview that they already identified the truck driver and the persons behind the sound system.
Aguilar said the Toril Police Station already filed charges against the respondents in violation of Republic Act 11332, or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act, in relation to Executive Order 12-B, Series of 2021 (Section 7. Prohibition on Mass Gathering), and in relation to Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) Omnibus guidelines, IATF Resolution 127-A, and Department of Trade and Industry Memo 21-28, Series 2021.
To avoid the incident, Aguilar said police authorities and the barangay will strengthen their mobile patrol in the area.
“Naa na sila mga personahe nga magbuhat sa ilang quick patrol na magbantay didtoang lugara (We already deployed our personnel who will be mounting quick patrol to monitor the area),” the DCPO official said.
Catigan Barangay Captain Sonny Mansilagan said in a television interview that he was dismayed by the incident.
“Nasuko ko, na-shock ko og maayo. Ngano ing-ani [kadaghan ang tao]? (I was furious and totally shocked why many people converged in this area),” Mansilagan said in an interview with PTV Davao.
The barangay captain said he immediately deployed his personnel to disperse the crowd but were “ignored.”
He said individuals caught on the video are not their residents but tourists from other areas of the city.
Mansilagan said their area has been a tourist destination for those who wish to relax amid the ongoing health crisis due to its fresh view and air
Residents during the interview said it was their first time to encounter such an incident. Some of them suspected that the truck passed by Barangay Baracatan (Eden) so that they wouldn’t be intercepted by checkpoint officials.
The Davao City government had strictly imposed measures against mass gatherings as these are vulnerable to the transmission of the Covid-19 virus.
The City Tourism Operations Office had prohibited the conduct of social events and activities, such as receptions since the city was placed under modified enhanced community quarantine until now that the city is under general community quarantine with heightened restrictions.