New ECQ passes are being rolled out to the residents of Cebu City.
This followed the announcement of Environment Secretary Roy
Cimatu on June 25 regarding the hard lockdown of the 12 barangays deemed
‘hotspots’ for the virus which include Sambag Dos, Kamputhaw, Sambag Uno, Basak
San Nicolas, Mabolo, Guadalupe, Lahug, Duljo, Tinago, Tisa, Ermita, Tejero.
The 250,000 passes that were given since March are suspended
and will no longer be of use.
Appointment of Sec.
Roy Cimatu
On June 22, President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Environment
Secretary Roy Cimatu, a former military chief, to oversee the quarantine situation
in Cebu City.
Since the appointment, Cimatu has implemented guidelines for
the new quarantine pass for which he had extensive consultations with Gen. Melquiades
Feliciano (IATF-EID deputy chief implementer) and 80 barangay
captains, and the deployment of over 160 Philippine National Police-Special
Action Force commandos and 200 police in the city.
What being in stricter
ECQ means
The barangay captains are now required to limit the movement
of their constituents within their own barangays. Those who will hold on to
their old ECQ passes will not be allowed entry anywhere.
Replacement of old passes
On June 23, DILG Chief Eduardo Año ordered the suspension of
250,000 ECQ passes issued by the Cebu City government to residents.
This was implemented to ensure that only one resident per
household gets a pass. Only authorized persons and essential workers are
exempted from the restrictions for the new quarantine passes.
New QR-coded
quarantine passes
For reference, here are the things to remember when using
the QR-coded passes:
- The new quarantine passes are printed in a piece
of paper with a very big QR (quick response)-code and alphanumerical characters
that are unique to each holder.
- The new quarantine passes will be distributed
using an odd and even scheme to avoid overcrowding. Those with odd-numbered QR
codes can use them every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, while those with even
numbers can use them every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday from 6AM until 8PM.
- At the checkpoint and the PNP personnel will
scan the QR code of the holde rusing his mobile phone which will show the name,
sitio, and barangay of the holder.
Strict compliance
The government wants compliance with quarantine restrictions
similar to what was observed in the NCR, hence the deployment of more police
and military forces in the city.
Wearing of face masks at all times and the observance of
social distancing should strictly be observed by quarantine pass holders. These
measures will be strictly enforced by the police and they will not hesitate to
arrest and file charges against violators.
Issues with the new
passes
City residents took to social media their frustrations regarding
the confiscation of their barangay-issued QR coded passes by the police because
the sticker was not glossy.
This issue was immediately cleared up by Cebu City
Administrator Floro Casas, Jr. in a phone interview with Cebu Daily News.
Casas said that the city government simply used different
printing materials for the passes due to the lack of time and city budget. He
iterated that the basis of a real pass should be the QR code, the name of the
barangay, sitio, and the head of the household or name of the residential
complex – the pass being glossy or not should be immaterial.
This issue with the new QR-coded passes has been resolved with the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO).