The Barrio Luz Elementary School was earlier used as an isolation center for COVID-19 patients in the barangay. | Photo grabbed from the Barangay Luz Facebook page
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Five days have passed since Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella made an official declaration for the lifting of the lockdown in Sitio Zapatera, Barangay Luz.
But to date, the area remains tightly guarded by law enforcers making it difficult for residents to move around.
Most of the workers, who live in the Sitio, are also barred from leaving their homes to already report for work.
Luz Barangay Captain Ronilio Sab-a said that these workers already needed to report for work especially since they are no longer getting food subsidy from City Hall.
“Maluoy intawon mo, duha ka buwan na silang nag-antos. Ilift na tawn ang lockdown,” said Sab-a.
(Please take pity on the residents because they have been suffering for two months now. Please lift the lockdown in the area.)
Sab-a said that he is now wondering what could have happened to the application which he sent to the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) on June 4 to make a formal request for the lifting of the lockdown in Sitio Zapatera.
While Mayor Labella has already ordered the lifting of the lockdown in the Sitio which earlier recorded for than a hundred cases of the coronavirus disease, PRO-7 will have to also sign the memoranda issued by the city government to facilitate the pullout of government troops from the area.
Read: Sitio Zapatera still under lockdown 2 days after mayor says it has been lifted
On Friday, PRO-7 asked for additional documents from the barangay council which they will use as basis in signing the City Hall memoranda.
Ferro said in an earlier interview that he was also awaiting the decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on the lockdown in Sitio Zapatera.
Sab-a said they already complied with PRO-7’s documentary requirements also on Friday. But he did not specify what documents they submitted to the police office.
“Irelease na lang unta na kay naglisod na gyod pag-ayo ang mga tawo didto. Unsay problema, ila unta ifix, dili kay dugay-dugayon nila pahuwaton ang mga tawo nga naay mga trabaho,” said Sab-a.
(They should already release people in the Sitio because the residents are already suffering. Whatever the problem is, they should have it fixed immediately and not make the residents, especially those who have jobs, to wait.)
A lot of the Sitio residents, he said, have especially raised concerns on their failure to report for work. / dcb