 |
| Actor Piolo Pascual (2nd from Left ) during his visit in Sagada to celebrate his 41st birthday last January 2018 in conjunction with the launching of the stage roofing he donated to Sagada Central School |
By Gina Dizon
SAGADA,
Mountain Province – Officials of Sagada and Banaue, Ifugao barred Monday and
Tuesday an entourage of actor Piolo Pascual and film director Joyce Bernal from
filming in the tourist towns to be used for President Duterte’s state of the
nation address (SONA) third week of July.
Both Sagada mayors James
‘Payko’ Pooten Jr. and John Wesley Dulawan of Ifugao said this was needed to
protect their constituents’ health and lives.
Pascual and Bernal’s
team who came from Metro Manila arrived in Sagada morning of July 5 accompanied
by police escorts.
This alarmed local
officials forcing the local inter agency task force (IATF) to convene an
emergency meeting that afternoon with Bernal telling her their advance team
should leave Sagada within 24 hours due to danger of afflicting local folks
with Covid-19.
Officer in Charge and Vice
Mayor Felicito Dula, who heads the local IATF in a letter to Fern Castro,
coordinator of Bernal’s team, said the health and safety of the town’s
constituents were crucial and needed to be ensured.
The Bayanihan to Heal as
One Act provides local government units (LGUs) local autonomy in addressing
Covid-19 guided by national guidelines and in matters undefined by national
government.
Accompanied by police,
the team left town 10 a.m. of June 6 after spending the night at Cellar Door,a brewery establishment registered with the municipal LGU.
They presented health
and Malacanang documents allowing them to make videos during their travel.
But
the Sagada IATF, in a letter to Bernal’s group cited Sangguniang Bayan
resolution No 110 series of 2020 governing tourism commerce and
industry in Sagada during the covid-19 pandemic.
This included closure
and suspension of tourism activities such as booking of guests by
establishments, all tourist sites and other concerns related to
tourism and non-entry of non-residents to the town coming from ‘red areas’.
Metro Manila where the
team came from is a ‘red’ district area with 20,100 Covid-19 infected persons
and 865 deaths as of July 5.
Local officials said the
team reportedly entered to Sagada showing a letter to local officials from
Malacanang Presidential Broadcast Staff-RTVM authorizing the travel of
14 persons to start production of video for the SONA signed by Dennis
Wilfred Pabalan, PBS-RTVM executive director.
Five composed the
advanced party with the remaining nine who were scheduled to arrive that
night
The team was escorted by
RTVM and outside police who were met by Sagada municipal police and later guided
to Cellar Door.
Marina Biag former
president of the Sagada Inns and Homestays Association (SIHA) said there was an
understanding among inns and homestays that they will not reopen while the
Covid-19 pandemic was a threat.
Biag
said she did not know of any inn or homestay which had a permit to operate.
The Department of
Tourism in its Administrative Order 2020-002 provides, “all accommodation
establishments that intend to commence commercial operations in community
quarantine zones, whether for the accommodation of guests or operation of
in-house food facilities for takeout or delivery services, shall secure a DOT
Certificate of Authority to Operate prior to any operations.”
In said AO, “limited
operations are observed under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ)
where accommodation establishments may undertake normal operations under MGCQ
and may accommodate bookings of all guests, whether for work or leisure;
provided, that operations shall be at 50% operational capacity only.”
Sagada is now under MGCQ
status and has suspended tourism activities to include booking of guests in
inns and homestays.
Cellar Door is not
registered with the municipal government as a homestay, inn or resto.
In his reply to Facebook
when asked why Pascual was accomodated at Cellar Door, manager Andrew
Chinalpan said Pascual and Bernal were friends so he and his wife accommodated
them to their house.
When news of Bernal and
Pascual’s visit went viral on Facebook, Sagada netizens said they can’t go home
due to protocols even if they wanted to since they wanted to keep Sagada safe
from Covid.
Others said if they
travelled back home, but were subjected to quarantine for 14 days before they
rejoined their families.
“Why the preference for
Bernal's team to enter Sagada even without quarantine,” one asked.
Said team was earlier
booked at Sagada Heritage Village at Sitio Sumaguing a few meters from the
famed cave but the latter eventually declined for they to stay which led the team
to proceed to Cellar Door.
Municipal disaster risk
reduction management council officer Aida Abeya said the LGU headed by
Sagada Mayor James Pooten Jr and she as MDRRMC officer with task to check on
entries in town denied the entry of Pascual and group in an earlier verbal
communication on July 3.
Abeya said she told
them they have to subject themselves to a 14- day quarantine as required by
municipal rules if they persist in staying.
Bernal’s team sent an
email on July 3 after office hours stating their request to gain entry to town
and allow them to shoot video materials despite the denial of their verbal
communication on their entry and shooting.
Abeya said she was
shocked when she learned that Pascual and four others were already in Sagada
morning of July 5 and the rest to be arriving night of the same day which
prompted the local IATF to meet and talk with Bernal.
Asked what documents the
team was carrying to allow them entry to Sagada, PNP information officer Raffy
Pinayakan said a letter from PBS-TRVM was shown them.
Pinayakan said the team
was escorted by police detailed outside Sagada. Sagada, which has no Covid
case had been following lockdown systems and 14-day quarantine protocols.
Right after leaving
Sagada on July 6, the team proceeded to Banaue, Ifugao and were met at Mt.
Polis at the boundary of Mountain Province and Ifugao.
They were denied to stay
in Banaue when they requested permission to shoot in Barangay Battad.Banaue
Mayor John Wesley Dulawan said town
police escorted them out from the town up to the boundary of Mt. Amganad.
This, even if they
presented documents from Malacanang they earlier presented to Sagada officials.
According to Banaue police, the group travelled on to Baguio City after the
incident.
As of Tuesday morning,
the Baguio City government did not comment on the matter and whether they will
allow the group to stay in the city
The team was scheduled
to visit Sagada and Bontoc towns of Mt. Province; Banaue, Ifugao; Kalinga, Abra
and Baguio City.
No comments:
Post a Comment