8 Cebu City barangay chiefs face raps for quarantine violations

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has issued show cause orders to eight barangay captains in Cebu City for alleged breach of quarantine protocols such as tolerating basketball games and illegal cockfighting in their jurisdictions.

“Meron na po tayong walong barangay captains sa Cebu na inisyuhan natin ng show cause order dahil sa iba’t ibang paglabag,” DILG spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said Friday in a televised briefing.

(We have issued show cause orders to eight barangay captains in Cebu due to various violations.)

Cebu City is the lone area in the entire country under the strictest form of lockdown or enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

“Meron pong mga kapitan na tinolerate nila yung pa-basketball, violation of curfew, meron pong illegal cockfighting na nangyari at hindi po nagawa ng kapitan na sila ay mapigilan or gawin yung tungkulin na ipagbawal yung ganitong klaseng pagtitipon dahil stay-at-home ang ating polisiya at naka-ECQ po ang lungsod ng Cebu,” he added.

(There was a barangay chairman who tolerated basketball games, violation of curfew and there was an illegal cockfighting that happened, which he did not stop, or do his duty to stop this kind of activity since our policy is stay-at-home due to the ECQ imposed over the city.)

Malaya said some of the barangay captains already responded to the accusations against them and are already being studied by the DILG’s legal office.

“Kung mapapatunayan po at lumabas po doon na hindi katanggap tanggap ang kanilang naging sagot sa show cause order ay mapipilitan po ang DILG na magsampa ng kaso sa mga kapitan na ito sa Ombudsman for the dereliction of duty and grave misconduct,” he said.

(If it is proven that their response to the show cause order was not acceptable, the DILG has no choice but to charge them before the Ombudsman for dereliction of duty and grave misconduct.)

EDV