Rama to IATF: Allow Cebu City to open cemeteries

By: Delta Dyrecka Letigio - 3 years ago

Cebu City Acting Mayor Michael Rama inspecting cemeteries on October 21, 2021. | Delta Dyrecka Letigio

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City acting Mayor Michael Rama has written to the national Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID or IATF) to allow the city to open cemeteries on October 29 to November 2, 2021.

Rama said in a letter to Secretaries Francisco Duque III, Karo Alexel Nograles, and Roy Cimatu, that the current COVID-19 situation in the city had significantly improved.

The acting mayor explained that the city had remained under General Community Quarantine since September 8, 2021, until the present and had also been classified as Alert Level 2 under the piloted Alert Level System.

“Further, the city continues to experience a downtrend in the number of COVID–19 cases which already dropped and stayed in a single-digit per day out of 500 – 1,000 conducted tests.

“As early as the first week of September 2021, the City has started its preparation not just for reviving the economic activity but also for the safe conduct of special activities like fiesta celebrations, partisan political activities, All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days, Misa de Gallo, Christmas, New Year, Sinulog, graduations, and the election,” said Rama.

Executive Order Number 143, which was issued on September 30, 2021, embodies and expressly mentioned All Souls’ and All Saints” Days as among the permissible special activities.

Since then, Multi-Sectoral Convergence Groups (MSCGs) have been conducted for the purpose of preparing for the All Souls‘ and All Saints‘ Days celebration and activities.

On October 15, 2021, the Office of the Mayor released to the public duly Signed directive and guidelines for the extended observance of All Souls’ and All Saints‘ Days from October 18, 2021, to November 5, 2021.

Rama said that since he released the directives, the administrators of public and private cemeteries had been regularly conducting meetings with all stakeholders such as Task Force Puyo, barangays, parishes, and traffic authorities among others.

“The foregoing series of preparations made by the City of Cebu and its active constituents are designed to bring into new heights the true Bayanihan efforts of the Filipinos to efficiently manage the impact of the pandemic. The plan is not only well documented but was put into motion and ready to capture the success and learn from the failure just to embrace liberation from the current public health crisis,” said Rama.

The letter has been sent to the national IATF today, October 22, and Rama is hoping for a favorable response.

Rama said that Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año was only performing as an implementor and local government units such as Cebu City had the right to request for exemption.

The city government will wait for the response of the IATF before making any changes in its current plans.