Market no-pass scheme/ School buildings mes

CITY HALL BEAT
Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY -- The city government has begun implementing a temporary no-pass scheme in some parts of the city market to test the readiness of both the vendors and consumers to the possibility of regularizing the market schedule.
    "Gradually, we started a temporary no-pass in some parts of the market. Let us observe its advantages and disadvantages," Mayor Benjamin Magalong said.
    He asked vendors to cooperate by reminding co-vendors and market goers to strictly adhere to all health protocols.
    He also urged the designation of a health protocol officer by section or area or sector at the market who will regularly conduct information campaign and monitor compliance by the vendors and market patrons.
    Special attention will be given to entry and exit points to compacted stall areas (highlighted with green).
    "Let us all manage the situation for a safe and better public market. Again, let us live with the virus, earn with it while we protect and ensure our own health and family safety," he said.
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Mayor Magalong also advised the public to practice routine disinfection of all goods bought from market places, groceries and other stores as a safety precaution against Covid-19.
    "Please clean the produce that you buy well. Disinfect your bags and wash your hands immediately upon reaching your homes," the mayor said.
    The mayor said this safety measure is necessary in view of the continued occurrence of Covid cases in various establishments.
    He said lately there has been a significant increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in market that is linked with the outbreak experienced at the Slaughterhouse area.
    As a proactive measure to prevent transmission, expanded or targeted testing of vendors is now being done to identify other carriers and isolate and treat them at once and prevent them from infecting others.
Intensive disinfection has also been done in places where the cases occurred.
    "For market goers, we strongly advise that they strictly follow health protocols like wearing of masks and shields and observance of physical distancing when going to the market, groceries and stores. Apart from this, we can protect ourselves by making disinfection of the things we buy a habit," the mayor said.
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It is the Baguio City National Science High School (BCNHS) and not the Philippine Science High School Cordillera Administrative Region Campus (PSHS-CARC) that was the subject of Mayor Benjamin Magalong’s tirade for having substandard structures.
    Magalong admitted he confused one school from the other as both (BCNHS locally known as “Bisay” and PSHS-CARC or “Pisay”) stand next to each other resulting to the gaffe.
    He apologized to PSHS campus director Conrado Rotor Jr. and PSHS resident engineer Mary Carmelle Bautista for the blunder which he said was inadvertent and was not in any way intended to put PSHS in a bad light.
    “In recent interviews about school-based infrastructure projects and corruption, I inadvertently referenced the (PSHS-CAR) as one of those schools which building I personally inspected and found to have been wanting.  Today, I ask that I be given the opportunity to learn from that mistake. I have said what I have said out of an honest sense of duty,” the mayor said.
    “Please understand, my only intention was to protect schoolchildren and teachers from the dangers posed by poorly built structures, with fair warning against those who have committed and intended to commit omissions as to make such buildings unfit for its intended use;
     “Unfortunately, my passion overcame my memory that I unknowingly placed the good name of the PSHS-CAR and its administrators in a bad light;
    The mayor in media interviews criticized the deficient works done in facilities and structures in some schools in the city citing substandard buildings at the PSHS but was actually referring to the BCNSHS.
    Rotor acknowledged that it was “an honest mistake” on the part of the mayor but said it put the PSHS-CARC in “a very bad light especially since the theme of (the) talk is about ‘substandard buildings’ and ‘corruption.’”
    “The mention of ‘structurally unsafe building’ that endangers our students brings anxiety to our current and future students, parents and teachers.  I am afraid that your ‘honest mistake’ head dealt our agency (DOST and PSHS) and its officials irreparable damage to their reputation of good governance and free from corruption,” he said.