INVOKING the Local Government Code of 1991, which grants local autonomy to local government units, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia signed an executive order on Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021 declaring Cebu Province under general community quarantine (GCQ) starting Wednesday, Sept. 8.
Garcia issued the EO just a few days after the decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) keeping Cebu Province under GCQ with heightened restrictions from Sept. 8 to 30.
But Garcia clarified that should Covid-19 cases increase in some local government units (LGUs) in the Province, it will be up to her to place them under the stricter modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) status.
During her online press conference held at the Cebu Provincial Capitol Tuesday, Garcia said if there is a need to implement GCQ with heightened restrictions or to declare MECQ status, it should be placed under a local government unit within her jurisdiction, not the entire Province.
She said the Province should be placed under GCQ just like the cities of Mandaue and Cebu. Lapu-Lapu City was placed by the IATF under the status of GCQ with heightened restrictions just like Cebu Province.
“It is not logical or sensible to have different classifications, unless they forgot that we are on the same island,” Garcia said.
She has also lifted the MECQ status placed on 11 local government units in the Province.
Last month, Garcia placed the towns of Consolacion, Liloan, Cordova, Minglanilla, Sibonga, Samboan, Argao and Oslob and the cities of Talisay, Naga and Carcar under MECQ due to their increasing number of active Covid-19 cases.
She also reiterated that the Province will continue to implement its “swab-upon-arrival” policy for returning overseas Filipinos and overseas Filipino workers. (MVE)