Violators of quarantine protocols were temporarily detained at the Tejero Gym in Cebu City. | Photo Courtesy of PROBE
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The quarantine violators in Cebu City, who failed to comply with health protocols during the 7th day Misa De Gallo were temporarily detained at the Tejero Gym for admonition.
According to the Prevention Restoration Order Beautification and Enhancement (PROBE) team, there were at least 37 violators placed there on December 22, 2020.
Of the 37, only one was an adult while the rest were minors below 15-years-old who insisted on attending the Misa de Gallo despite restrictions.
Councilor Joel Garganera, the deputy chief implementor of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), said that the rescued minors were brought home after proper profiling.
Mayor Edgardo Labella specifically instructed the deployment of more Kaohsiung buses as holding cells for violators of the health protocols so they may be brought to the Tejero gym for temporary detention, seminar, and proper admonition.
The mayor instructed the EOC that these violators should not be released until they understand the danger of their actions and the risk they bring to the community.
Adult violators will also have to pay a penalty of P500 for first offense and this can rise up to P3,000 for multiple offenses.
“I told the EOC that we have to be strict because we need to prepare for a rise in the COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) cases due to the Misa de Gallo. We need to be relentless,” said the mayor.
For the last two days of the Misa de Gallo, Labella said the mobile detention buses will be strategically placed for violators from the different churches around the city.
The mayor hopes that the buses will not be full of violators by the end of the Misa de Gallo season. /rcg