Mandaue cannot close borders from Cebu City unless IATF says so

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia inspects the border checkpoint at the border of Mandaue and Cebu cities along AS Fortuna St.in Mandaue City a few hours after the province’s ECQ has started. | Rosalie O. Abatayo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Unless there will be a “total lockdown,” Mandaue City cannot close its borders to Cebu City.

Mandaue City Administrator Jamaal James Calipayan said the city will continue to open its borders for the passage of persons, even from Cebu City, that are essential in continuing basic services and production of basic goods in the city.

Calipayan made the statement following the “misunderstanding” between the city and the provincial government due to the reciprocity agreement that the highly urbanized cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu entered into.

The reciprocity agreement allows the entry and exit of persons that they deemed as essential in each other’s jurisdiction.

The exemption covered by the agreement, however, differ from those that Governor Gwendolyn Garcia allowed in her Executive Order no. 5-O which only include officials and employees of the provincial government; justices of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Court of Tax Appeals, Sandiganbayan, Ombudsman and Deputy Ombudsman; judges and skeletal staff of the lower courts and the prosecutors; DOH officials and employees and skeletal force of other government agencies; healthcare and admin workers of hospitals; media workers; field personnel of utility and energy services; sanitation personnel; and employees of banks and money transfer firms.

Mandaue City, being an industrial and manufacturing hub, Calipayan said it would be difficult to sustain the supply chain if workers in food production companies and relative industries will not be allowed to cross borders as Section 15 of EO 5-O mandates.

While food production and manufacturing companies are allowed to continue to operate, Calipayan said the businesses may not be able to sustain their operations if their workers will not be allowed to cross borders.

“Katong pag-ingon nga i-close nato nang atong borders, unfortunately, we have to consider nga we have to feed, kung Metro Cebu lang, almost 2 million people everyday. Mahurot gyud ni atong groceries kung wala tay production. Masira siya ug ma-hamper siya tungod sa restrictions,” Calipayan said.

Calipayan added that not all establishments that engage in food production are big enough to provide accommodation for their employees while the border closure is in effect.

“Alkansi na silang daan tungod kay nagsiga ilang suga, pero hinay ra ilang production kay gamay ra ang tawo nga ilang gipatrabaho. We are requiring them to house or provide transportation for their employees. Kana pa lang daan, that is putting a lot of toll on the manufacturers,” Calipayan explained.

“It is not just about the business but if the manufacturers mao nay modecide nga this is not feasible and we can’t continue to operate, mosara sila, that will be the end of our supply chain,” he added.

Executive Order 5-O-1

On Tuesday, March 31, Garcia has already granted exemption in the border entry restriction for workers of bakeries, fast foods, groceries, pharmacies and funeral services to maintain “fluidity of operations in essential businesses.”

In a press conference on Wednesday, April 1, Garcia said she made the exemption following the request of Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony Gullas and Consolacion Mayor Joannes Alegado.

“Nihangyo sila kay sila mismo maoy gidumog sa ilang mga constituents sa ilang tagsa-tagsa ka mga LGU nga kung mahimo palugwayan ang mga exemptions,” Garcia said.

Garcia added that Mandaue City should have raised their concern on the border restriction when they were finalizing EO 5-O.

“Before we finalized EO 5-O, I first met with the concerned mayors, Mayor Samsam of Talisay, Mayor Jonas [Cortes] of Mandaue, and Mayor Alex Binghay sa Balamban. Gitagsa-tagsa ni nato ang mga exemptions. It was the time unta nga i-raise ang objections kung tan-aw nila maglisod gyud sila og patuman,”Garcia said.

Closing borders from Cebu City should come from IATF

Calipayan, on the other hand, maintains that it should not be the call of a single LGU such as the province of Cebu, to order the closure of borders from Cebu City.

“If ever there is somebody who will recommend nga mao ni dili na paagion and we will sacrifice our production and everything and ato na ning i-stop ang atong interaction with Cebu City, that will be the interagency taskforce of the region. Not a single LGU,” Calipayan said.

Governor Garcia’s reason behind ordering the closure of the province’s borders from Cebu City is due to the rising number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the city.

At present, there are now 21 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Cebu City with 4 deaths.

Garcia said that allowing the ingress and egress of employees to and from Cebu City and the province may trigger further transmissions of the virus. /rcg