By Joseph B.A. Marzan
Rallies are allowed in areas under the Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), according to Department of Interior and Local Government-Region 6 (DILG-6) Director Juan Jovian Ingeniero on Friday.
Ingeniero made the clarification after DILG Secretary Eduardo Año on Friday issued an advisory warning local government units (LGU) across the country against allowing protest rallies.
Groups across the country are planning to hold protest activities to counter President Rodrigo Duterte’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 27, 2020.
Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas on Thursday allowed the group SONAgkaisa Panay to hold a “People’s SONA” on July 27 at Sunburst Park near the city hall.
In an interview with Aksyon Radyo Iloilo, Ingeniero explained that the guidelines against mass gatherings issued by the national Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases in its Resolution No. 57 only pertained to areas under GCQ.
Areas that are currently under GCQ include Metro Manila and several provinces in Luzon and Mindanao.
“Secretary Año issued an advisory dated July 23, with the subject of strict compliance with IATF Resolution No. 57 dated July 23, reiterating the prohibition on mass gatherings. In view of the forthcoming [SONA], the IATF strongly reiterates that mass gatherings (sic) are prohibited in areas under GCQ, subject to limited exemption, stated in Section 4, paragraph 12 of the Omnibus Guidelines,” the director said.
The director then clarified that for areas under MGCQ, mass gatherings are allowed but with only 50% capacity of the venue.
Ingeniero’s statement was based on Section 5, paragraph 5 of the IATF’s Omnibus Guidelines on the Implementation of Community Quarantine in the Philippines, which was amended as of July 16, 2020.
Iloilo City has been under MGCQ since June 1 via Executive Order No. 086 issued by Treñas on May 31.
“If it’s under [MGCQ], health protocols are still there that they should not gather with more than 50% of the venue and should be separate from each other, that is the restriction there for mass gatherings. If they are going to go around and there is a tendency that they will stick close to each other, then that would not be allowed,” he said.
BAYAN Panay spokesperson Elmer Forro told Daily Guardian on Thursday they will be following strict health protocols such as physical distancing and wearing of face masks during the protest.
