Cebu’s Alert Level 2, which also includes the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu, was supposed to be in effect until yesterday. As of this writing, however, there was no news yet if Cebu or Region 7 has been downgraded to Alert Level 1, just like Iloilo.
Cebu City officials are wishing that today the city will be downgraded to Alert Level 1, which has more relaxed health protocols than Alert Level 2, after the city has reportedly fully vaccinated 73 percent of its 90,000 eligible seniors against the Covid-19, as of Monday, March 14, 2022.
But the wish of Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and Councilor Joel Garganera that the city be deescalated to Alert Level 1 is still in the dark.
Retired Major General Melquiades Feliciano, the chief implementer of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF)-Visayas, in a text message to me, confirmed that in Metro Cebu only the cities of Mandaue and Talisay, and the towns of Cordova and Minglanilla are qualified to be downgraded to Alert Level 1. The Province of Cebu is not yet qualified, he added.
But the public transportation in the towns and cities outside of Metro Cebu had long been operating on a 100 percent capacity even while under Alert Levels 2 and 3. The establishments, particularly the restaurants in Cebu City, have already allowed a full seating capacity. I believe though that as long as the wearing of face masks, except when eating or drinking, is complied with, all the establishments should be allowed to operate on a 100 percent capacity.
According to Feliciano, for provinces, towns and cities to qualify for Alert Level 1, 68 percent of the qualified seniors should be fully vaccinated. The question is, if Cebu City has fully vaccinated 73 percent of its eligible seniors, why is it that it remains at Alert Level 2?
The IATF data (as of March 14, 2022) that Feliciano sent me through Viber clearly showed that only 66.38 percent of the 88,000 qualified seniors in Cebu City have been fully vaccinated. Does this mean that the city is remiss in updating the IATF with its data on the vaccination of seniors?
The Metro Cebu Senior Vaccination Program data that I received from Feliciano also showed that Mandaue City has fully vaccinated 91.54 percent of its seniors; Talisay City, 78.8 percent; Minglanilla, 80.80 percent; and Cordova, 74.84 percent.
The fully vaccinated seniors in Lapu-Lapu City are only 51.74 percent; Naga City, 52.97 percent; Consolacion, 51.24 percent; and Liloan, 51.97 percent. Not one of the 20 towns and two cities in northern Cebu and the 20 towns and two cities in southern Cebu reached the cap of 68 percent fully vaccinated seniors to qualify the province to be downgraded to Alert Level 1.
Would Mayor Rama or Councilor Garganera, the deputy head of the Cebu City’s Emergency Operations Center, seek reconsideration from the IATF since, according to Cebu City Health Officer Jeffrey Ibones, the city as of Monday already fully vaccinated 73 percent of the 90,000 qualified seniors?
What about Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia? Would she also seek reconsideration on the findings or data of the IATF that not one of the towns and cities in the province was able to attain the 68 percent cap for fully vaccinated senior citizens?
The data of the IATF Visayas for the towns and cities in the Province of Cebu only demonstrates the lackadaisical efforts of the local government units in the vaccination of the qualified seniors.