Antique gov says ‘driver-only’ order didn’t break lockdown rules

ILOILO CITY—Imposing a “driver-only” policy on cargo trucks crossing provincial borders is not a violation of government protocols on the free flow and delivery of goods.

This was the contention of Antique Gov. Rhodora Cadiao who was among the three provincial governors asked by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to explain why they should not be cited for allegedly violating guidelines set by a government task force during the national public health emergency as a measure to stop the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

“We are not hampering the flow of goods into the province but [we are] restricting the entry of people,” Cadiao told the Inquirer on Thursday.

Executive order

In the show-cause order issued by Local Government Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III, Cadiao was directed to submit an explanation within 48 hours why no administrative charges should be filed against her for the “prohibition on the delivery on nonessential goods such as hardware and construction materials and the imposition of a ‘driver-only policy.’”

Densing cited an executive order issued by Cadiao on March 22, which prohibited the entry and exit of the nonessential goods.

Cadiao confirmed she was one of the three unnamed governors who would be required by Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, in a statement on Wednesday, to explain why they would not be prosecuted for violating lockdown measures.

Under protocols set by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), cargo vehicles with at most three persons on board are exempted from quarantine measures.

No passenger

Cadiao, however, said the cargo trucks should not carry passengers, except their drivers, to enter Antique.

The “driver-only” policy was meant to control the entry of nonresidents, she said after President Duterte placed the entire Luzon on enhanced community quarantine.

“We have provincial borders where cargo trucks pass and we have [encountered some people who would] pretend to be truck helpers to evade border restrictions and quarantine measures,” Cadiao said.

The governor said local officials had assured cargo truck drivers that establishments in Antique would provide assistance in the loading and unloading of goods.

Mayors’ support

She said it would be more difficult to monitor and ascertain if infected persons were entering the province if they allowed two persons, other than the driver, per truck to get through.

“Twenty-five trucks per day would mean an extra 50 people who have not undergone testing or quarantine,” she said.

She said the measure was supported by all mayors in the province, as well as Antique Rep. Loren Legarda.

The province, she added, had also allowed the entry of construction materials for projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways.