DILG-Cebu City Officer-in-Charge Atty. Ian Kenneth Lucero informs officials of the Cebu City Emergency Operations Center (EOC) on the creation of barangay-based extraction teams and designation of a point person per barangay for data on COVID-19 cases.
DILG Assistant Secretary for Public Safety and Security BGen Alexander Macario, IATF Deputy Chief Implementer for the Visayas MGen Melquiades Feliciano, and other city officials also participated in the daily EOC meeting today.
DILG Assistant Secretary for Public Safety and Security BGen Alexander Macario meets with Cebu City Councilor Raymond Garcia, Atty. Jose Daluz III, Dr. Jeffrey Ibones, and other city officials to discuss concerns on the operations of Mayor’s Information Liaison Officers (MILO).
ASec. Macario requested the officials to ensure that all activities should be coordinated with the barangays, citing their significance to local governance during these trying times.
He also called for the unity of MILO and barangays especially in distributing assistance to the people.
Officials of Inter-Agency Task Force in Cebu and administrators of private and public hospitals agreed to come up with a uniform template to harmonize the submission of all real-time COVID-related data.
This after hospital administrators raised their concern that several government agencies are asking them various data.
IATF Deputy Chief Implementer for the Visayas MGen Melquiades Feliciano presided over the meeting this afternoon, which was also attended by DILG Assistant Secretary for Public Safety and Security BGen Alexander Macario, DILG Cebu City Officer-in-Charge Atty. Ian Kenneth Lucero, and Department of Health-7 officials.
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.
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 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.
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 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.
The PNP processed doulan 4,000 travel authorities to be dismissed from other barangays for apod to locally stranded individuals (LSIs). The city of Cebu has a total number of 18,000 LSIs. Streamlining the standards is also available for LSIs needs to get financial assistance at City Hall.
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