Calamba village chief faces show-cause order over disco gathering

Calamba Barangay Captain Victor Quijano explains his side to Department of Interior and Local Government – Cebu City director, Lawyer Kenneth Lucero on the reported disco conducted by residents of his barangay. | Photo Courtesy of DILG-7

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Barangay Calamba is in hot waters after videos and images of residents engaging in a disco party circulated online last June 28, 2020.

The Department of Interior and Local Government in Central Visayas (DILG-7) has issued a show-cause order against Barangay Captain Victor Quijano of Calamba over the controversial incident that has violated the protocol against public gatherings under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

The Cebu City Legal Office, likewise, issued a show-cause order to Quijano as City Legal Officer Rey Gealon said that the incident will always go back to the barangay chief who has jurisdiction in the area.

Read: Police prepare charges against those identified in ‘fiesta celebration’ in Cebu City barangay

“It is always a question of command. The barangay chief has the command in the area,” said Gealon.

As for Quijano, he said that the incident was unauthorized by the barangay and that the disco party should not have happened.

According to the barangay’s investigation, residents in the sitio (sub village) were celebrating the feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help.

They requested that they be allowed to celebrate the novena through a sound system that would be heard in the sitio so the residents would no longer leave their homes.

However, after the novena, the youths of the sitio used the sound system to play dance music and when the rain poured, they flocked the chapel to dance.

“Uwan man gud to, so wala na gyod karonda among mga tanod. Pero wala gyod to namo sila tuguti nga magsayaw-sayaw didtong dapita. Wala gyod ko mosugot ato,” said Quijano in a phone interview with CDN Digital.

(It was raining, so our tanods could not patrol around. We never gave them permission to dance in that area. We would have never given them permission.)

48-hour ultimatum

Quijano is facing administrative charges over the sitio’s fiesta celebration if he fails to justify the incident. He is given 48 hours to reply to the order.

He is the second village chief to face a show-cause order after Basak San Nicolas Captain Norma Navarro was also issued the same due to a fiesta celebration in his barangay.

Read: DILG-Cebu City issues show-cause order on Basak San Nicolas captain

Quijano is hoping the DILG and Cebu City will accept his explanation as the barangay can only go as far as monitoring its citizens.

“Akoang tubagon ang show-cause order sa DILG ug Cebu City. Unta makasabot sila nga wala ni nako tuguti ang pagsayaw-sayaw sa mga residente sa usa ka sitio,” said the village chief.

(I will face the show-cause order of the DILG and Cebu City. I hope they can understand that I did not give permission for the dancing to happen in that sitio.)

As for DILG-7, the agency reminds the punong barangays in the region to faithfully execute and administer the laws, ordinances, policies and directives relative to the imposition of community quarantine in the country.

DILG Secretary Eduardo Año earlier said that any violation of the quarantine protocols will not be tolerated and those responsible will be made to account. /bmjo