TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Embattled Vice Mayor Bernard Glenn M. Dao-as belittled the open letter of city residents that denounced his alleged discrimination of frontliners in the Talaca checkpoint, saying that the same has no bearing at all even if it will be submitted to the Office of the President.
The vice mayor disclosed he travelled to Manila on June 3, 2020 to look after the state of their residence after he left it during the implementation of the Luzonwide lockdown and that he was only able to do the household chores when the status of Manila was downgraded that time.
He claimed that his travel to Manila was authorized by the city government because he secured the required health certificate approved by the City Health Office and travel pass that was also approved by the City Legal office and the City Mayor where the date of exit stated was June 3 and the date of re-entry was June 6.
However, Dao-as stated that he did not wait for the prescribed date of re-entry as they opted to go home on June 4 for them not to violate the condition of their travel pass.
While preparing for his trip back to the city, he disclosed there were some city residents who were reportedly texting him to assist them to return home but he was only able to accommodate one person in his vehicle to comply with the policy on physical distancing.
He admitted he accommodated the personnel of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Bulacan in his vehicle on the way back to the city because he knew that the said frontliner passed through stringent health protocols against the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and that she wanted to see her family as she was only granted 4 days’ vacation by the BFP.
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Dao-as narrated the travel pass and identification card of the BFP personnel was honored in the checkpoints in Tarlac until Isabela but when they were in Talaca at around 3 a.m. of June 5, they stopped at the checkpoint and his driver alighted to show to the frontliners their travel pass.
However, his driver returned and informed him they will be put on hold as they were allegedly advised by health authorities to out their belongings, including shoes and clothes, into a cellophane bag.
Dao-as revealed he alighted from his vehicle to inquire from the frontliners if the removal of their clothes was part of the protocols under the modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) but because the frontliner’s failed to show proof that undressing is part of the rules, they did not adhere to the same, aside from the fact that they did not have extra clothes with them.
According to him, the job order frontliner of the city was allegedly arrogant and disrespectful by not facing the people she was talking with and that she was not able to show the city’s MGCQ guidelines mandating the undressing at the checkpoint and the spraying of people despite the advise of health authorities not to do spraying activities.
In the case of the BFP personnel that rode with him, Dao-as said that she also lighted from the vehicle and that her temperature was taken and that if the frontliners in the area told him to leave her behind, then the same should had been done.
The vice mayor cited that his driver told him to leave the BFP personnel at the Agbannawag triage but it was already in the wee hours of the morning and that he was too tired and sleepy, and that he needed to rest because of the round trip travel, thus, the BFP personnel was turned over to the triage in the morning.
He also denied that no police escort or personnel from the city escorted them at that time en route to the Agbannawag triage center and the information circulated by the frontliner was unfair and unjust.
He also questioned the city government for allowing a job order personnel to head the team managing the checkpoint despite knowing that a job order personnel has no accountability with the city.
However, the allegations of the vice mayor was refuted by the involved frontliners in the case they filed against him for abuse of authority, among others, before the Office of the Ombudsman.
Earlier, the vice mayor stated that he has not yet received the summons from the Ombudsman on the case that was filed against him and that he will answer the same formally as soon as he will be summoned to do so.
By Hent
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