Cebu City Acting Mayor Michael Rama (center) has issued an executive order given more benefits to fully vaccinated individuals in the city. | CDN Digital file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The new Executive Order (EO) No. 143 of Cebu City Acting Mayor Michael Rama already draws the line between fully vaccinated and partially vaccinated individuals for privileges as the city moves forward this October 2021.
In EO 143, fully vaccinated individuals are the only ones allowed to attend gatherings such as birthdays, weddings, and baptisms for up to 40 percent of the venues or up to 125 people whichever is lower.
Fully vaccinated individuals can also avail of indoor dine-in, personal services establishments, indoor tourist sites, and indoor sport venues up to 50 percent capacity of the venue or establishment.
Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibits can only accomodate fully vaccinated individuals up to 50 percenf capacity.
The same goes for bars and recreational venues.
Partially vaccinated individuals, who used to enjoy the same services, will no longer have the same privilege.
Instead, partially vaccinated individuals can enjoy outdoor sports venues, al fresco dining, and outdoor tourist attractions up to 75 percent capacities.
Non-vaccinated individuals can only be accomodated for al fresco dining at 75 percent capacity.
With this new policies, Police Colonel Josefino Ligan, the director of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said they would already conduct stricter monitoring for establishments.
The police will already check the vaccination status of individuals inside establishments that are only allowed to serve fully vaccinated individuals.
Anticipating the possible backlash of the stricter policies especially since the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has already aired out concerns over the city’s vaccine bubble in the past.
“Greater good for the greater number. General welfare is the supreme law. Di mahimo nga majority nagpavaccine, naay usa dili (It is not allowed that the majority will get vaccinated and one will not be vaccinated).”
“Kung naa moy human rights, kami pud naay human rights, right not to be infected. Kung mo-insister ka nga di ka magpabakuna, puyo na lang ka,” said Rama.
(If you have human rights, we too have human rights, the right not to be infrected. If you insist not to be vaccinated then you just stay at home.)
The acting mayor said that the city government was intensifying the vaccination program to inoculate more individuals.
Given that the vaccination program is in full swing, there is no reason that the public will not get vaccinated eventually.
For Rama, this is good enough reason to give fully vaccinated individuals the privilege of availing services in establishments that have long wished to reopen.
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