FILE PHOTO: Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque holds an online press briefing while on self-quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19. Screengrab from RTVM
MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Tuesday appealed to local government units (LGUs) to “respect the process” an President Rodrigo Duterte on the decision to either keep or remove the use of face shields, saying mayors should not decide on their own regarding the matter.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that if local chief executives will do things on their own and defy national government policies, it could set a bad example to the public who may opt to disobey health protocols.
“Kinakailangan idaan sa proseso dahil kung hindi natin idadaan sa proseso, baka magkaniya-kaniya na lang ang ating mga kababayan,” he said in a Palace briefing.
(That needs to go through the process, because if not, the public may just go and do things on their own.)
“Mababalewala iyong mga polisiyang iniisyu ng IATF na dapat sana ay ipatupad ng mga lokal na pamahalaan,” he added.
(Policies issued by IATF will be ignored when those should be implemented by the local governments.)
Roque insisted that mayors should respect the President and for LGUs to not just decide on their own regarding COVID-19 policies.
“Hindi pupuwede kasing nagkakaniya-kaniya sa panahon ng pandemya. Siguro po, kung hindi batas ang pinag-uusapan, respeto na lang po sa ating Presidente dahil lahat naman po ng desisyon ng IATF ay desisyon ng Presidente,” he said.
(We cannot have individual rules during the pandemic. Maybe, if not about the law, mere respect to our President because all the decisions of the IATF are decisions of the President.)
Duterte’s official mouthpiece made the remarks after Manila City and Davao City issued respective orders making the use of face shields “voluntary” and “non-mandatory.”
Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso even dared Malacañang to bring its opposition to his exeuctive order before the court.
Roque earlier labeled the city orders as “null and void” as they ran contrary to the existing national policy on the mandatory wearing of face shields.
READ: Davao City order on optional use of face shields also flagged ‘null, ‘void’
READ: Palace says Manila LGU’s order to drop face shield mandate ‘null and void’