Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez on Thursday ordered police and all barangay officials to strictly enforce health protocols after the city recorded a total of 1,787 confirmed cases of individuals with coronavirus disease.
Olivarez also directed city police commander Col. Robin Sarmiento to file necessary charges against parents who allow their children going outside their residence without face masks and during curfew hours.
“You are hereby directed to ensure the strict enforcement and to exercise full vigilance in the implementation of the health standards on the use of face masks, strict physical distancing, crowding on public places and in all major streets,” Olivarez said in a memorandum.
The city chief executive was disappointed upon learning from the City Health Office that the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases have reached to 1,787 within a week with 742 (42.6 percent) active cases.
Despite being placed under a three-day calibrated lockdown, Barangay BF got the highest number of confirmed cases at 295. The active cases have reached to 177 cases with 11 fatalities, the highest recorded deaths in the city’s barangays.
Barangay Sun Valley followed Barangay BF with numerous cases at 152 and 92 active cases. Last July 8, the said barangay has only 117 confirmed cases and 73 active cases or an additional of 19 active cases in a week, according to the city health office.
On July 13, the city government recorded 86 new cases of persons infected with coronavirus disease. For two consecutive days, the city health office reported 47 new cases on July 14 and another 43 cases on July 12.
The new cases also came from barangays San Antonio, San Dionisio, Sto. Nino, Tambo and San Isidro.
The total number of active cases in these five barangays have reached to 232 as of July 15, said Dr. Darius Sebastian, head of the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU).
Olivarez, who is the incumbent chairman of the Metro Manila Council, has recommended to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) the extension of the general community quarantine (GCQ) in the National Capital Region.
The suggestion of the mayors was approved Wednesday night by President Duterte.
Olivarez, however, said thousands of residents particularly in the slum areas are hardheaded, uncooperative and not following health authorities.
“They don’t fear of being infected with COVID-19 virus, so it’s time we use an iron fist,” said Olivarez in his directive to Sarmiento.
Olivarez also informed Sarmiento that the city council has already passed an ordinance imposing a fine on residents who will violate quarantine protocols as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 in the city.
Violators will be slapped with P1,000 fine and six-hour detention on first offense; P2,000 and nine-hour detention on second offense; and P3,000 and nine hours imprisonment on third offense.
Olivarez also ordered all police block commanders to apprehend minors violating curfew hours and the city ordinance on the wearing of face masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.