6 barangay officials charged due to ‘superspreader events,’ says Año

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has so far filed cases against six barangay officials for supposedly failing to prevent so-called super spreader events in their jurisdictions.

“Sa inyo pong pag-uutos na kasuhan natin ang mga barangay officials, anim po ang nakita natin dito at nakasuhan,” DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said in a televised meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte aired Monday.

(Pursuant to your directive to file cases against barangay officials, six have so far been charged.)

Año said the charged officials were linked to separate incidents in the following areas:

• Gubat sa Ciudad incident, Brgy. 171, Caloocan City
• Recreational and resort operations in San Jose, Navotas City
• Boxing match in Brgy. 181 and 182 in Tondo, Manila
• Bakas River incident in Brgy. Matiktik, Norzagaray, Bulacan
• Brgy. Balabag, Boracay Island and Brgy. Sambiray, Malay, Aklan
• Club Holic Bar and Restaurant, Brgy. Kamputhaw, Cebu City

Duterte earlier ordered the arrest of barangay or village chiefs in case of mass gatherings in areas under their jurisdiction due to dereliction of duty. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1437390/barangay-captains-first-to-be-arrested-in-case-of-mass-gatherings

The President issued the order following recently reported mass gatherings, including a pool party in Quezon City that infected at least 54 people with the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes severe respiratory illness COVID-19. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1435746/covid-19-cases-from-qc-pool-party-rise-to-54

KGA