BGC mass gatherings organized by church group – Taguig info office

MANILA, Philippines — The local government of Taguig City on Wednesday said it was not responsible for the distribution of cash assistance in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) which resulted in mass gatherings of citizens during the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine.

In a statement, Taguig Public Information Office said that after further investigation they found that a Church organization led the cash assistance as shown in a viral video of a crowd in BGC.

“We would like to make it clear the distribution of assistance in the area was not done by the local government,” read the statement.

“Upon verification, the local government found the activity in the video was organized by a church in BGC in coordination with Caritas,” it added.

Taguig government said it will coordinate with the religious organizers to ensure that financial aid for residents will practice social distancing.

“The local government has already reached out to the organizers and asked them to inform the Taguig City government of any similar assistance distribution in the future so they can be given the proper assistance,” Taguig government said.

Associated Press said social distancing is the process of limiting people to gather and spreading the virus.

As of April 7, Taguig documented 116 confirmed cases of COVID-19 including eight deaths and five recoveries.