CALOOCAN CITY, March 15 (PIA) -- Navotas City Mayor Toby Tiangco has issued a directive that sets a three-strike policy on barangay officials caught failing to implement health protocols in their respective areas of responsibility.
Mayor Toby warned that barangay officials could be charged for gross neglect of duty on the third time members of the Philippine National Police and city government officials would arrest more health protocol violators than them within their area of concern amid the spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in the city.
Tiangco signed Memorandum Order TMT 2021-033 implementing a three-strike policy as he said “the primary reason for the increase in COVID-19 cases is the failure to strictly implement” the city’s various virus-related ordinances.
Data from the City Health Department showed that the city recorded as of Sunday, March 14, 69 more COVID-19 cases bringing the total to 718 active cases from 508 the previous week.
There are 18 barangays in Navotas, and among these areas, three villages stand out with the most number of coronavirus active cases: Barangay NBBS Dagat-Dagatan with 91; Barangay San Jose with 83 cases; and Barangay NBBS Kaunlaran with 68.
“Despite several instructions and directives to strictly implement COVID-19 related ordinances to avoid the spread of the virus, this office still continues to receive a lot of complaints/reports on the violation of proper wearing of face masks and 24-hour curfew on minors,” the directive read.
Under the order, Tiangco warned barangays officials that “if the Task Force Disiplina or the Philippine National Police is able to flag down more violators in a particular barangay than the barangay authorities themselves, and if this occurs for at least three times,” he will refer a gross neglect of duty complaint against them.
“This is one of the reasons for the upsurge of COVID-19 cases in both children and adults within the city of Navotas,” he added.
Ten areas, including the Navotas City Hall and other streets in the city are currently under granular lockdown due to a spike in new COVID-19 cases.
Residents, except qualified workers, in the area are prohibited from going outside. Their provisions are being supplied by the local government. (PIA NCR)
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
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