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Yesterday, November 10, 2020, Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella issued Executive Order 104 banning street caroling to avoid mass gatherings to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during the holidays.
The Prevention, Restoration, Order, Beautification and Enhancement (PROBE) team and the Cebu City Police Office were tasked by Mayor Labella to implement the ban and are ready to act upon the order starting December 16.
Labella explained in a press conference that caroling organized by groups would create crowding which will then lead into making people vulnerable to COVID-19 transmission.
“I hope that our carolers would understand our point here that like other traditions, we tend to postpone caroling. We are still in the middle of the pandemic,” he said.
Labella cited the Anti-Medicancy Ordinance – implemented last 2015, which prohibits carolers from roaming the city streets.
“Of course, we will give them the chance to stop their caroling activities,” Labella added.
Chief of the City Intelligence Branch (CIB) Police Major Randy Caballes said that they will only arrest violators of the new ordinance if they resist instructions from the police to disperse or stop doing street carols while the city is still under community quarantine.
“We will not immediately and necessarily arrest the violators. We will first remind them not to conduct street caroling. If they will not abide by the orders, we will arrest them under grounds of Article 151 (of the Revised Penal Code) which is disobedience against authority,” explained Caballes.
Caballes added that the key action here is to closely coordinate with the barangays, police stations, mobile foot patrols, and Task Force Kasaligan.
The Mayor also announced that he canceled the Christmas party gathering for the Cebu City employees this year with the same reason— not to violate the health protocols.
Photo from Positively Filipino
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