News – Page 16 – DILG Region VII

Category: News

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu meets with punong barangay to discuss the guidelines on the implementation of granular lockdown

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, who is assigned to oversee the government’s response to the COVID-19 situation in Cebu City, meets with punong barangay to discuss the guidelines on the implementation of granular lockdown in the 20 barangays with the highest number of active cases.

The ongoing virtual meeting is also joined by IATF Deputy Chief Implementer for the Visayas MGen Melquiades Feliciano, DILG Assistant Secretary for Public Safety and Security BGen Alexander Macario, DILG Cebu City Officer-in-Charge Atty. Ian Kenneth Lucero, Vice Mayor Michael Rama, Councilor Joel Garganera, and Liga ng mga Barangay-Cebu City Chapter President Franklyn Ong.

#WeHealAsOne
#KumbatiRehiyonSiete

DILG-7 ORDERS BRGY OFFICIALS OF MAMBALING, CEBU CITY TO EXPLAIN

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)-7 served another show cause order, this time on Mambaling Punong Barangay Gines Abellana and members of the Sangguniang Barangay (SB), for disregarding the minimum public health standards.

In an order dated July 20, DILG-7 Director Leocadio Trovela directed the said officials to explain their alleged failure to perform the mandated duties and functions of local chief executive and (SB) Members during a state of national health emergency.

The order was served this afternoon by DILG-7 Bantay Korapsyon lawyer Christian Fernandez.

Video and photos posted online by a local newspaper on July 13 and 18 showed residents outside of their homes disregarding the prescribed minimum public health standards like wearing of face mask and social distancing; prohibition of mass gathering; and strict home quarantine.

Residents were seen loitering in Sitio Alaska, children playing, and some huddled to witness a “sabong”.

There were also photos showing residents swimming near the construction site of Cebu’s third bridge at the South Road Properties.

Abellana and the SB members were given 48 hours from receipt of the order to submit their written explanation as to why no administrative charges should be filed against them.

DILG-7 has so far issued a total of 12 show cause orders to Cebu City barangay officials from Basak San Nicolas, Calamba, Inayawan, Guadalupe, Basak Pardo, Cogon Pardo, Sto. Niño, San Nicolas Proper, Capitol Site, Bulacao, and Mambaling.

DILG-7 Director receives Cebu City Mayor Executive Order imposing granular lockdown in certain areas in the city

DILG-7 Director Leocadio Trovela, in his capacity as chairman of Regional Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (RIATF7-MEID), receives Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella’s Executive Order imposing granular lockdown in certain areas in the city where there are numerous active COVID-19 cases.

Members of the RIAFT7-MEID will convene this afternoon to discuss the matter.

Also present during the turnover were IATF Deputy Chief Implementer for the Visayas MGen Melquiades Feliciano, DILG Assistant Secretary for Public Safety and Security BGen Alexander Macario, DILG Cebu City OIC Atty. Ian Kenneth Lucero, Centcom Commander Roberto Ancan, PRO-7 Director Albert Ferro, CCPO Director Josefino Ligan, Col. Jerry Borja of Task Force CBS, Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera, and punong barangay.

#WeHealAsOne
#KumbatiRehiyonSiete

Orientation on Decontamination Ready Unit and Patient Management of COVID-19 Positive

Newly formed Barangay Extraction Teams from Sixteen (16) Barangays participate in today’s “Orientation on Decontamination Ready Unit and Patient Management of COVID-19 Positive” (First Batch) conducted by the DILG Cebu City, Cebu City Government’s DRRM Office and BFP-7. BGEN Alexander Macario, DILG Assistant Secretary for Public Safety and Security delivered a brief message emphasizing on the importance of Brgy. Extraction Teams. Asec Macario then underscored their core functions which are: 1) extraction of individuals found positive of COVID19 that is needed to be transported to their designated Isolation Centers; and 2) decontamination of affected areas.

DILG Assistant Secretary for Public Safety and Security calls for the passage of barangay ordinances

DILG Assistant Secretary for Public Safety and Security BGen. Alexander Macario calls for the passage of barangay ordinances mandating the wearing of masks and imposing strict implementation of minimum public health standards such as social distancing, strict home quarantine, and prohibition on mass gathering.

In a video teleconference with punong barangay in Cebu City, ASec. Macario emphasized the need to penalize those who fail to wear face masks in public places since it increases the risks of the people of being infected with COVID-19.

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, assigned to oversee the government’s response to the COVID-19 situation in Cebu City; IATF Deputy Chief Implementer for the Visayas MGen Melquiades Feliciano; DILG Cebu City Officer-in-Charge Atty. Ian Kenneth Lucero; Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella; City Councilor Joel Garganera; and Liga ng mga Barangay-Cebu City Chapter President Franklyn Ong also joined the video teleconference this morning.

#WeHealAsOne
#KumbatiRehiyonSiet

LSI UPDATE from DILG-Cebu City

DILG-7 CREATES LEGAL TEAM TO HANDLE COMPLAINTS ON SAP ‘ANOMALIES’

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) -7 created a legal team tasked to handle and verify alleged irregularities in the distribution of the financial assistance under the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) in Central Visayas.
DILG-7 Director Leocadio T. Trovela formed the Emergency Operation Center Legal Team to focus primarily on SAP complaints received by the regional office through the EOC hotline system, its official Facebook page, electronic mail, and from walk-in clients.

Such initiative stemmed from the Memorandum entitled “Incentivization of Citizen Complaints against Local Government Officials in Relation to the Implementation of the Social Amelioration Program” issued by DILG Secretary Eduardo Año directing all DILG and Philippine National Police regional directors to receive, act on, and verify complaints.

This after President Rodrigo Duterte instructed the DILG to investigate corrupt local officials involved in the distribution of financial assistance under SAP and file appropriate cases against them, subject to relevant laws, rules and regulations.

The President also offered P30,000 incentive to any person who will provide information on any local government official pocketing or misusing cash funds intended for SAP beneficiaries should such information turn out to be legitimate and true upon validation.

Another memorandum was issued by DILG Head Executive Assistant Jerry Loresco ensuring that the President’s directives are efficiently carried out, in accordance with existing laws, rules and regulations.

Acting on those, Trovela ordered the creation of the EOC Legal Team composed of DILG-7 Local Government Monitoring and Evaluation Division and concurrent DILG Cebu City Officer-in-Charge, Atty. Ian Kenneth B. Lucero as the team leader; Atty. Gerlyn Mae C. Sayson, Atty. Christian A. Fernandez, and Atty. Louthera Christie C. Rizon as members; and LGOO II Hana Rea O. Tamse and ADAC RTA Leslie Mae O. Cabrido as Secretariat.

Lucero said the team is tasked to act on the complaints within a reasonable time and conduct fact-finding investigation when needed.

“We will evaluate if it needs further investigation and verification. Our role is to act on complaints and verify them. There is no filing of charges in the regional level,” Lucero said.

As of June 23, 2020, the DILG-7 EOC Legal Team received a total of 79 complaints, of which 31 are from Cebu Province and 30 from Cebu City.

Seven complaints were received from Bohol, five from Negros Oriental, four from Mandaue City, and two from Siquijor.

Of the total number of complaints, 57 were referred to DILG field offices for verification.

Meanwhile, 22 complaints such as splitting of SAP, government officials pocketing or misusing cash funds, or malicious inclusion of beneficiaries, were referred to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

Of these, five were filed by CIDG before the Prosecutor’s Office while eight were considered closed due to the refusal of complainant to pursue charges or lack of basis of the allegations, among other reasons.

On the other hand, 15 complaints were forwarded to the Office of Secretary Año, through the Legal and Legislative Liaison Service, for further review before administrative charges will be filed.

Thirty-two complaints on mere inclusion or exclusion of SAP beneficiaries without the involvement of local government officials were referred to Department of Social Welfare and Development-7 for validation.

Trovela said this is a reaffirmation that the present administration is serious in going after corrupt local government officials.

“Nakakalungkot dito sa Region 7. Merong mangilan-ngilan pero hindi naman ganoon kadami,” he said.

Trovela then assured the public that the government will not tolerate the corrupt activities of local officials especially in this time of pandemic./GML

RIATF7-MEID PASSES A TOTAL OF 14 RESOLUTIONS

Since its inception, the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force-7 for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (RIATF7-MEID) has passed a total of 14 resolutions and indorsed them to the National IATF either for its favorable and immediate decision or for information. It also acted on the communications it received from the different local government units in the region.

IATF Resolution No. 34, series of 2020 provides that the regions shall convene their RIATF with the respective regional offices of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) as chair and Department of Health Centers for Health Development as co-chair, which shall be a separate and distinct body from the Regional Task Force COVID-19.

The RIATF shall report to the IATF Technical Working Group on matters of appeal for risk classification, with its representatives reporting to their natoonal government agencies.

In Central Visayas, the RIATF7-MEID is chaired by DILG-7Director Leocadio T. Trovela and co-chaired by Department of Health (DOH)-7 Director Jaime S. Bernadas. The DILG-7 likewise provides the RIATF7-MEID Secretariat services.

The members of RIATF7-MEID, who are regional directors of the different national government agencies in Central Visayas, convene and continuously collaborate to regularly monitor the performance across all sectors and develop the appropriate recommendations.

The policy-making body is mandated to process the appeals to impose, lift, or extend a community quarantine in provinces, highly urbanized cities and independent component cities.

It is also tasked to provide concurrence as appropriate to the appeals of provincial governors to impose, lift or extend the community quarantine in component cities and municipalities, as well as of local chief executives of cities and municipalities in their respective barangays.

Considering that its decision-making is highly critical, the RIATF7-MEID takes into account the doubling rate of cases in the particular area, epidemiological curve and health capacity, among others.

It recently adopted the Feasibility Analysis of Syndromic Surveillance Using Spatio-Temporal Epidemiological Modeler for Early Detection of Diseases (FASSSTER) as one of its tools to assess the current situation in a locality, in addition to the health parameters for community quarantine classification by the National IATF-MEID Sub-Technical Working Group for Data Analytics.

FASSSTER is a scenario-building tool that can project the growth of COVID-19 cases in a locality given the existing community quarantine conditions and general population mobility. It provides the body the prognoses such as when relaxing the quarantine status in a particular LGU.

Meanwhile, on June 9, the RIATF7-MEID called for its first virtual press conference on the current issues and policies implemented amid this pandemic.

It was attended by members of the RIATF7-MEID, other national government agencies, and print, broadcast and online media. It was moderated by the Philippine Information Agency-7 and facilitated by the RIATF7-MEID Secretariat./GML

RESOLUTIONS PASSED:

Resolution No. 01, series of 2020 Entitled A Resolution Concurring the Recommendation of the Screening and Validation Committee to the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force – 7 for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases of Risk Reclassification of Lapu-Lapu City and Mandaue City from General Community Quarantine to Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine

Resolution No. 02, series of 2020 Entitled A Resolution Concurring the Imposition of the Provincial Governor of Cebu, Hon. Gwendolyn F. Garcia, on the Risk Reclassification of the City of Talisay to Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine

Resolution No. 03, series of 2020 Entitled A Resolution Recommending to the National Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on the Risk-Level Reclassification of Cebu City to General Community Quarantine Beginning June 1, 2020 Until June 15, 2020

Resolution No. 04, series of 2020 Entitled A Resolution Recommending to the National Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on the Risk-Level Reclassification of the Province of Cebu to Modified General Community Quarantine

Resolution No. 05, series of 2020 Entitled A Resolution Enjoining All Local Chief Executives in the Central Visayas Region to Allow Entry of Government Officials and Employees Authorized to Physically Work in their Respective Local Government Units Without Subjecting Them to a 14-Day Quarantine Health Measure

Resolution No. 06, series of 2020 Entitled A Resolution Reiterating the RIATF7-MEID’s Position on Recommending to the National Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Infectious Diseases on the Risk-Level Reclassification of the Province of Cebu to Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ)

Resolution No. 07, series of 2020 Entitled A Resolution Recommending to the National Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on the Risk-Level Reclassification of Cebu City to Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine

Resolution No. 08, series of 2020 Entitled A Resolution Concurring Executive Order No. 17-G Issued by the Provincial Governor Of Cebu, Hon. Gwendolyn F. Garcia, Entitled De-Escalating the Risk Classification of the City of Talisay from Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine to General Community Quarantine

Resolution No. 09, series of 2020 Entitled A Resolution Extending the Use of DepEd Schools in the Central Visayas Region as Temporary Quarantine or Isolation Facilities Until July 15, 2020, Except for the Areas Placed Under Enhanced Community Quarantine

Resolution No. 10, series of 2020 Entitled A Resolution Recommending to the National Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on the Risk-Level Reclassification of the Province of Cebu to Modified General Community Quarantine, Except in the City of Talisay, and the Municipalities of Minglanilla and Consolacion Which Shall Remain Under General Community Quarantine

Resolution No. 11, series of 2020 Entitled A Resolution Concurring the Lifting of Hard Lockdown in Sitio Zapatera, Barangay Luz; Sitio Gonzalo, Barangay Tejero; Sitio Alaska, Barangay Mambaling; Sitio Callejon, Barangay Labangon; and Barangay Bacayan, All in Cebu City

Resolution No. 12, series of 2020 Entitled A Resolution Extending the Use of DepEd Schools in the Central Visayas Region as Temporary Quarantine or Isolation Facilities Until July 30, 2020

Resolution No. 13, series of 2020 Entitled A Resolution Approving and Adopting the Central Visayas Regional Recovery Program 2020-2022

Resolution No. 14, series of 2020 Entitled A Resolution Requesting the National Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to Allow Outbound Locally Stranded Individuals in Cebu City to be Exempted from the Travel Ban Amid the Enhanced Community Quarantine

LETTER-REPLIES

Letter-Reply of the RIATF7-MEID to the Letter of the Province of Siquijor re RIATF7-MEID Resolution No. 05, series of 2020

Reply to the Resolution of Siquijor Provincial Task Force COVID-19 Requesting for the Temporary Suspension of Acceptance of LSIs in Cebu City

Letter-Reply of the RIATF7-MEID to the Letter of the LMP-Bohol Chapter Recommending to Stop Receiving LSIs Until Quarantine Facilities are Empty and Available

Reply of RIATF7-MEID to the Special Report of DILG-Canlaon City Regarding the Clarificatory Question on the Alleged Conflicting Issuances of RIATF7-MEID and National Task Force Against COVID-19

DILG-7 SHARES BEST PRACTICES IN THE WORKPLACE

The unprecedented situation brought about by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic prompted the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) -7 to develop innovative practices to ensure the continued delivery of services to the public without compromising the health of its workforce.

The regional office, under the leadership of Director Leocadio Trovela, initiated the observance of hygienic measures to mitigate the spread of the virus and provide a safe working environment for its people.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic early this year and even prior to the implementation of the community quarantine protocols, Trovela has directed the regular checking of temperature of the employees using a thermal scanner.

It has also been the practice of the regional office to provide alcohol for each of its division and unit offices.

At the start of the outbreak, more alcohol and hand sanitizers were made available in the office, including the main entrance and for every floor.

When Cebu City where the regional office is located was placed under the Enhanced Community Quarantine, the DILG-7 has to limit the number of employees reporting for work and adopt alternative work arrangements.

Minimum health standards such as social distancing are also observed in addition to the existing sanitary practices.

Employees who are required to physically report to office are given free face masks, vitamins, and lunch every day.

The skeletal workforce are also provided with vehicular support daily, with the observance of physical distancing.

Both workers and walk-in clients are made to undergo foot bath before entering the office premises to prevent the transmission of virus.

The regional office also installed plastic barriers at the Emergency Operations Center for the protection of the duty officers and walk-in clients.

All DILG-7 employees are also reminded to stay healthy and boost their immune system.

Creating a safe working environment that protects its people and clients is in line with the commitment of DILG-7 to make sure that the continued rendering of service to the public remains unhampered amid this quandary./GML

RMCC-7 supports #DisiplinaMuna campaign

The implementation of the Disiplina Muna National Advocacy Campaign gained traction after the Regional Management Coordinating Committee-7 urged its members to support the initiative.

As a strategy in bringing back the culture of discipline among Filipinos, the committee approved a resolution enjoining its members to support the implementation of the campaign in their respective organizations on January 31, 2020.

Department of the Interior and Local Government-7 Director Leocadio Trovela presided over the meeting with the presence of the officials from the Bureau of Fire (BFP), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Philippine National Police (PNP), National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM), National Youth Commission Visayas Cluster, National Commission on Muslim Filipinos-7, Regional Training Center, Armed Forces of the Philippines, among others.

“DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2019-181 enjoins local chief executives and heads of attached agencies to lead the campaign in their respective local government units/attached agencies by undertaking relevant advocacy activities promoting the culture of discipline among their constituents and stakeholders,” reads portion of the approved resolution.

Under the memorandum circular, there are seven pillars of the campaign such as; a) Road Clearing; b) Disaster Road Preparedness and Resilience; c) Anti-Smoking; d) Ease of Doing Business; e) Liquor Ban; f) Tourist Spots Cleanup; and g) Functional Barangay Anti-drug Abuse Council.

To recall, DILG-7 held the regional launch of the Disiplina Muna on December 6, 2019 in Tagbilaran City, Bohol.

During the meeting, PBGEN Valeriano De leon, then director of Police Regional Office-7, requested the group to conduct another regionwide launch for a wider reach.

Other members of the body, such as BFP and BJMP, for their part, pledged to cascade their program at their level by conducting separate launch and lectures.

RMCC is the coordinating body for effective organizational and coordinative linkages and integration of policies and programs at the regional level.

In the approved resolution, it stated that the advocacy campaign aims to rebuild the culture of discipline in the community as a key for sustainable development and maintenance of peace and order.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año and all member-agencies of the RMCC will be given copy of the approved resolution.