Gov’t employee in Ilocos Sur faces dismissal over violation of quarantine protocols

LAOAG CITY—An employee of the provincial government of Ilocos Sur is facing dismissal after being caught violating quarantine protocols, according to Gov. Ryan Luis Singson.

In a statement on Thursday (Sept. 30), Singson emphasized the provincial government’s commitment to enforcing strict health protocols to avert the spread of COVID-19.

Police investigators said the government employee, together with two others,  violated protocols when village patrollers caught them on Sept. 28 at 2:50 a.m. along the shoreline of a beach at Paratong village in Sta. Catalina town.

The 21-year old employee belongs to the “project staff” of the provincial government, according to Singson.

Investigators said village patrollers accosted the group when they passed a checkpoint in the village beyond curfew hours.

The three, however, reportedly disobeyed the authorities and proceeded to the beach.

According to Singson, residents should follow health protocols amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in the province.

On Sept. 20, at least 21 towns and cities, including Sta. Catalina, were placed under enhanced community quarantine, the most strict containment classification in the country, until Oct. 6.

The governor said that he hoped that the sanction to be imposed against the employee would serve as a lesson to the province’s residents to respect the implementation of COVID-19 rules that equally apply to all.

Police investigators said the three would face charges for violating Article 151 of the Revised Penal Code, which punishes resistance and disobedience to a person in authority.

They would also face charges for defying the provincial ordinance, which sanctions health protocol violators, added the investigators.