MANILA, Philippines – On Tuesday, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, file a complaint against the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) officials over last weekend’s overcrowding at Manila Bay’s dolomite beach.
“I am calling IATF: Charge those people in DENR [for] violating our rules. If we cannot implement it in their offices, then there is no point to implement it sa mga taumbayan [to the public],” Moreno said in an interview with ANC.
Moreno also called out the members of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to charge their colleagues in the national government over violation of Covid-19 health protocols during the dolomite incident. He even warned some DENR officials that if health protocols are not being observed during the opening of the dolomite beach the city government might conduct arrests.
“Ang bilin ko nga kapag maggaganyan-ganyan tayo eh ‘di mag-aarestuhan tayo pare-pareho, gobyerno sa gobyerno”, he said.
(I told them that if the protocols are not observed then we might as well arrest each other)
“But we don’t do that, we try to be rational and reasonable,” he added.
During the Palace briefing, DENR Undersecretary Benny Antiporada said that haven’t personally heard about Mayor Isko’s challenge to the IATF and admitted they DENR had a shortcoming but he assured that this was being addressed right away.
“Sinasabi nila na nagkaroon ng violation ng social distancing. Immediately, na-address po yan,” Antiporda said.
(They were saying that there was a violation of social distancing protocol. It was addressed immediately)
“Nagkulang ng kaunti pero naagapan po,” he added.
(It was a little shortcoming but we were able to act on it.)
DENR then announced on Tuesday, Oct. 26 that children below 11 years old will no longer be allowed to enter the dolomite beach.