CEBU CITY, Philippines — Quarantine passes distributed by barangays in Cebu City to their constituents are not for sale.
This was the reminder of Mayor Edgardo Labella following reports that certain individuals in a barangay, which he refused to name, are selling quarantine passes.
“Quarantine Passes are not for sale. The city also does not give out quarantine passes,” he said on Tuesday afternoon, March 24, 2020.
He said the quarantine passes allow the barangays to identify the residents, one of each household, who are allowed to leave their homes during the curfew to buy needs for their families.
Some barangays have adopted these especially those who play host to suspected Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases, mostly at the city’s center.
Such passes are not recognized by the city government in general but are tolerated as it is an additional measure by the barangays.
Labella has ordered a probe on the incident to ensure no individual, public or private, uses the situation of the COVID-19 scare to take advantage of the residents.
“We cannot allow some people to take advantage of this situation,” said Labella /rcg.