The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) is now investigating the holding of a procession in General Trias, Cavite, where people violated health protocols against COVID-19.
In the video sent to ABS-CBN News, people can be seen walking and dancing while it is raining on Arnaldo Highway in Barangay Santiago this Sunday.
People participate in the nautilus, a traditional religious procession during a festival in Cavite. The gathering also included a barangay chairperson.
The video shows some of the people sticking together without a face mask. Cavite is among the areas under General Community Quarantine from the 16th to the end of the current month.
This is considered a major violation by the DILG.
“Lahat po ng minimum health standards ay viniolate… Nakakabahala po ito, and DILG will act immediately,” said Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya.
According to Mayor Antonio Ferrer, the gathering did not have the permission of the municipality.
He also said that the parish had nothing to do with the procession, and they did not approve it.
“Wala kaming pinapayagan. Ang dami nang nag-piyesta rin na mga barangay eh, wala kaming in-allow eh,” said Ferrer.
Procession in Cavite with violation of health protocols under probe: DILG
According to Josie Cortez, staff in Barangay Santiago, a show cause order was given, and the participants in the procession were quarantined.
According to Ferrer, the barangay chairperson apologized but is still responsible for the violation.
Malaya once again stressed that the public should be more careful and responsible now, especially with the local transmission of the more contagious Delta variant of COVID-19.
Those who attended the gathering are being sought and notified to report to the city health office if they feel unwell.
Meanwhile, new COVID-19 cases in the National Capital Region (NCR) have climbed by 47 percent in the past week compared to the previous week.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said more than 900 new cases per day were recorded last week in Manila.
As such, Duque said it would have served as a wake-up call to local governments to intensify further case finding, testing, and contact tracing to more effectively combat the spread of the virus.
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