Some residents of a barangay in Angeles City are frowning on the delay and process of issuing quarantine passes in apparent disregard for guidelines on health safety protocols.
Residents of Bagong Bayan Subdivision in Barangay Cutcut are complaining that they are being denied passage into public market due to the absence of home quarantine pass while others could not go to work because they do not have the workers’ quarantine pass.
One of the residents interviewed by iOrbitNews and who requested anonymity, said that a market guard at the San Nicolas Public Marker refused her entry into the market because she could not present her home quarantine pass.
She lamented that she just went home without her food supply for a week.
On May 21, Angeles City Mayor Carmelo ‘Pogi’ Lazatin, Jr., issued the guidelines in the issuance of quarantine pass and instructed every barangay captains to give out application form and once filled-out, to subsequently distribute house-to-house the passes.
Residents are also prohibited from going to the barangay to secure the application form, according to the guidelines.
Another resident, who also requested anonymity, said that last Monday (May 25) members of the barangay brigade went around the village announcing that application forms would be handed out at the control points manned by tanods.
He said that he went to the control point to secure application form and found a number of residents crowding around a table at the control points.
He added that no social distancing was observed despite the presence of a police officer assigned to help tanods (barangay police officer) man the control point.
A one-meter to two-meter social distancing is a health safety measure, aside from the mandatory wearing of face mask, is being implemented to stem the spread of the infectious virus COVID-19 that has already claimed hundreds of lives.
He said that a certain Paul Tapang, said to be the designated Executive Officer or Chief Tanod, was allegedly calling the shots on the distribution of application forms and quarantine passes.
The distribution of applications form and quarantine pass was abruptly stopped when a resident confronted Tapang with the manner he was conducting the issuance of passes.
There is no timeline on the issuance of quarantine pass but the guidelines issued by Mayor Lazatin, stated that starting on May 27, employees of establishments that are now allowed to resume operation under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) phase will be required to present their workers’ quarantine pass and their employment certificates.
One member per household will also be issued home quarantine pass to enable the bearer of the pass to access essential goods and services.
As of this writing, distribution of application forms and issuance of quarantine passes has resumed two days later at the control points in the said subdivision and in other areas due to claims of being undermanned.