Social distancing ignored at Las Piñas relief drive

COURTING DISASTER The Las Piñas City government is under fire after the distribution of relief goods attracted a huge crowd that may lead to the spreading of the virus. — CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Las Piñas Mayor Imelda Aguilar apologized on Thursday, a day after the distribution of relief goods resulted in a big crowd outside city hall, making social distancing impossible. Videos and photos of the incident quickly went viral, drawing criticisms from netizens and even Interior Secretary Eduardo Año.

Jon, one of the residents who had to walk several kilometers to get to city hall because of the absence of public transportation, said the line even spilled into the Alabang-Zapote Road.

“Not everyone got relief goods. I even didn’t get one myself,” he said. “There were so many people that we were standing too close to each other.”The lucky ones each received a food pack containing rice, three packs of noodles, four canned goods, a pack of coffee and a pack of milk.

The distribution was led by Aguilar and her daughter, Vice Mayor April Aguilar, who were both wearing surgical masks but not gloves.

“But the people there were also in the wrong. We were being reminded by the police to keep a 1-meter distance from each other, but most were hardheaded,” Jon said.

In a statement, the mayor apologized for the incident and said that the relief goods would be delivered to residents’ houses starting today.

“The city government will make sure that your needs will be provided, especially in this time of crisis,” she added.

Wrong recipients

In a phone interview, city information officer Jimmy Castillano explained that the distribution of relief goods was meant for indigent job order workers at city hall.

“We were surprised that a lot of people [came] and were also asking for food packs. Even the police officers tasked to maintain social distancing were overwhelmed by the volume of people,” he said.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, meanwhile, reminded local government units to be mindful of their duty to keep residents inside their homes for the duration of the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon.

Año told the Inquirer that he intended to issue an advisory or some guidelines to local chief executives on how to effectively enforce home quarantine.