FILE PHOTO DILG Secretary Eduardo Año and Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Not even an ultimatum from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) can make Cebu province reconsider its decision to make wearing face masks an option in open areas.
Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia on Friday, June 17, has announced that they will stand by with the recent ordinance adopting Executive Order (EO) No. 16 that rationalizes the wearing of face masks.
“We will stand by with our ordinance, adopting my EO on rationalizing the wearing of face masks in well-ventilated areas,” Garcia told reporters in a press conference.
The DILG’s recent pronouncements were the latest developments in the tension between the province and national government over Garcia’s EO No. 16 which was issued already a week ago.
The EO sparked discussions and debates nationwide on the wearing of face masks, one of the most important measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Secretary Eduardo Año, said, in a statement, that they had given the provincial government over the weekend to rectify the ordinance.
Otherwise, their department might file charges against Garcia.
Garcia, however, was undeterred. She even took a swipe against Año and told him to “just let it go” as he was about to leave his post as the secretary of the DILG in a matter of days.
“It’s just very trivial amidst all the other serious problems we’re currently facing,” said Garcia.
The Office of the Governor and the Provincial Board of Cebu Province have yet to receive any official communication from the DILG regarding the ultimatum.
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