Police Colonel Josefino Ligan, chief of Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) together with Police Major Juanito Alaras of Mabolo Police station, conduct a foot patrol inside Sitio Zapatera, Barrio Luz, which was placed under a lockdown on Sunday, April 12, 2020. | Photo courtesy of CCPO
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Sitio Zapatera in Barangay Luz has remained under lockdown despite the pronouncement of Mayor Edgardo Labella that the lockdown in the area has already been lifted.
This is because the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) has yet to sign the memoranda of the Cebu City government lifting the lockdown order in Sitio Zapatera.
Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro, PRO-7 director, said in a text message to CDN Digital that he was still awaiting the decision of the COVID-19 task force or the IATF-MEID (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases).
“It will be a collective decision making by members of the inter agency task force not only me, para sound yong decision namo (so that our decision would be sound)!”, said Ferro.
Read more: Sitio Zapatera lockdown lifted anew
Memoranda sent
After Mayor Labella announced the lifting of the lockdown on June 4, 2020, memoranda were sent to the barangay and the police.
However, on Friday, June 5, 2020, the PRO-7 has asked for additional documents, which the barangay council did not specify.
The PRO-7 needed to sign the documents to officially withdraw the forces deployed in the locked down sitio.
The barangay council said the city had immediately complied with the requirements Friday, June 5, 2020, so the lockdown would be immediately lifted, but the PRO-7 had not signed the documents as of Saturday, June 6, 2020.
Recall police
Luz Barangay Captain Ronilio Sab-a, for his part, has already written a letter to Police Colonel Josephine Ligan, Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) director, to recall the police guarding the area after the mayor announced the lifting of the lockdown.
“The residents of Sitio Zapatera, Barangay Luz, have been seriously affected with the lockdown order issued by the city government in effect to the incidence of viral infection found among residents of the sitio, which was enforced last April 17, 2020,” said Sab-a.
He said that the 58-day lockdown had taken a toll on the residents as their movements had been limited, prohibiting them from accessing basic needs outside their sitios such as food supplies.
This also brought challenges for the barangay that provided for the needs of the locked-down residents.
“We appeal that you adopt a more humane, viable, and applicable protocol relevant to the lifting of the lockdown pursuant to the General Welfare clause adhered to by all LGUS (local government units) in the country,” said the village chief.
Zapatera residents’ concerns
Meanwhile, Chriselle Lumain, 31, a resident of Sitio Zapatera, told CDN Digital that they still could not go out of the sitio to buy their needs or even to go to work.
The situation has greatly affected the workers, who are on the brink of losing their employment because they cannot go to work.
“Ang uban diri sa amoa hapit na tangtangon sa trabaho kung dili motrabaho kay di gyod pagawson. Ila ra pagawson katong ninegative sa swab test pero dili man kami tanan giswab,” said Lumain.
(Some of the residents have been warned by employers that they will be terminated if they do not appear at work. Only those who have a negative result in the swab test are allowed to go out, but not all of us were tested.)
Food supply has been running low as well since the city government or the barangay is no longer obliged to provide for the residents, and most residents still cannot go out.
Lumain and the rest of the Sitio Zapatera residents are hoping the lockdown will be lifted before Monday so they can go back to work already before they lose their jobs completely./dbs