INTERIOR SECRETARY Eduardo Año has ordered 3
governors and two mayors to answer allegations against them for violating
national quarantine policies.
Año said the
officials reportedly violated the quarantine directives issued by the
Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
He did not
identify the officials said the “the
point of all of these national policies is to ensure unity, cohesion, and order
in the entire country during the novel coronavirus, or Covid-19, crisis which
requires the local governments’ full cooperation and compliance.”
“As directed by the President himself, we will not go easy on local government officials who will violate the prescribed directives during the ECQ (enhanced community quarantine), that’s the mandate of the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) – local government supervision. Therefore, we have no choice but to issue show cause orders and file the necessary charges against them, when necessary, kagaya ng ginawa natin sa ilang barangay official na lumabag din sa quarantine policies,” he said.
“As directed by the President himself, we will not go easy on local government officials who will violate the prescribed directives during the ECQ (enhanced community quarantine), that’s the mandate of the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) – local government supervision. Therefore, we have no choice but to issue show cause orders and file the necessary charges against them, when necessary, kagaya ng ginawa natin sa ilang barangay official na lumabag din sa quarantine policies,” he said.
Año said the officials were ordered to submit a written explanation stating clearly why no administrative cases should be filed against them for negligence, dereliction of duty, and violation of the Bayanihan Act.
“Failure to do so will result to an automatic administrative case to be filed before the Office of the Ombudsman. The officials may also face criminal charges from the National Bureau of Investigation of the Department of Justice,” he said.
“Kagaya ng ating ginagawa sa mga pagkakataong tulad nito, we are giving them due process to explain and defend themselves because they enjoy the presumption of regularity in the exercise of official functions unless overturned by sufficient evidence,” he said.
He repeatedly warned local chief executives to strictly follow the national quarantine policies. “We consider the local governments as our partners from the very beginning but once we have exhausted all avenues for dialogue, we have no choice but to start filing cases. Hahabulin namin sila,” he said. (Mindana0 Examiner)
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