Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has declared April 17 to Dec. 31, 2020 as a period of mourning and vigilance in the entire city in light of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic affecting the country.
Under the Duterte-Carpio’s Executive Order, all city and national government celebrations, parties, anniversaries, and festivities shall be cancelled. Other key point in the order are as follows
- Commemoration of important dates and legal holidays should be kept short
- All barangays shall refrain from extravagant celebration of their fiesta. All founding anniversaries/Araw ng Barangay celebrations shall be cancelled.
- Private parties should be lowkey with no more than 25 guests. Big celebrations are advised to be postponed until 2021.
- Private sector should consider food distribution, feeding program, or financial assistance to their employees instead of big celebrations to mark important event
- The City Government shall file actions in cases of thoughtless extravagance in expenses for pleasure or display.
Citing Article 25 of the Civil Code, Duterte-Carpio’s Executive Order will also file actions in cases of “thoughtless extravagance in expenses for pleasure or display” .
The Davao City mayor cited the economic effect the pandemic will have on residents of the city especially on low income and poor families as a reason for her call for a simpler way of commemorating important events in the city, both in the private and public sector. She said “extreme want and hunger is expected in the coming months” due to the slowdown of economic activity.
She also said that there is a need to emphasize the value of “sympathy” and “empathy” especially for the “families of frontliners who died and will die because of COVID-19” and “for those who are suffering and will continue to suffer the after effects of the pandemic”
The presidential daughter said that “vigilance is an essential step in our steps to protect our families and communities from the deadly viral infection” and that by “being vigilant also means recognizing the sacrifices of the frontliners.
Davao City and the entire Davao Region is under total lockdown until April 26, 2020. (Rommel F. Lopez)