Labella: Reports on the distribution of new Q passes ‘untrue’

Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella. | file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The additional quarantine passes that the Cebu City government distributed to the barangays were part of the city-issued passes that were printed in June.

Its distribution was delayed in case there will be additional requests for passes coming from the 80 barangays, Mayor Edgardo Labella said.

Labella said these are not new ones, contrary to the misconception by the police.

“Adunay 178,000 initially distributed unya gipun-an ni og (We initially distributed 178, 000 passed and later on added) another 75,000 with the coordination of the police,” said the mayor.

Labella made his clarification following the appeal of Police Brigadier General Albert Ignatius Ferro, Police Regional Office director, asking city officials to always coordinate with the police prior to the implementation of new policies.

READ: Ferro to Cebu City gov’t: Consult us on any change in policies

Ferro said it came as a surprise to them that the Cebu City government distributed another 1,500 quarantine passes to each of the barangays.

During his virtual presser on Tuesday morning, August 4, Labella said that they have been in close coordination with the police while the city was under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and now that the city was already given a more relaxed general community quarantine (GCQ) status.

Labella said that Ferro’s concern on the distribution of additional quarantine passes in the city “is not accurate.”

“That is not true,” he said.

Labella said that there was no need for the city to print additional Q passes since they already printed something that was already commensurate to the number of households listed in the 2016 population census.

The use of quarantine passes in Cebu City remains a requisite for residents to go out to buy essentials.

READ: Use of Cebu City’s Q passes still a must under GCQ

/ dcb