San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora reaped backlash from netizens after he and his entourage allegedly went to Baguio City and “ignored” required border protocols.
In a Facebook post, a netizen cited “reports” claiming that the mayor and his entourage of 30 people “ignored and bypassed” the triage, where visitors in the city are subjected to a mandatory medical examination.
“They went directly to Baguio Country Club,” the netizen claimed.
“Baguio Country Club informed the Baguio City Hall of the breach in protocol. The group was sent back to the triage,” the netizen added.
Attached in the netizens post was a photo of Zamora against the backdrop of the San Juan City’s official seal.
“We do not need your feeling privileged group in our city,” the netizen said.
In a separate Facebook post, another netizen has also slammed Zamora, claiming that the mayor ignored the instructions to proceed first to the triage area.
“Instead dumiretso ito sa Baguio Country Club para magpasarap,” the netizen alleged.
“Wala ka sa balwarte mo kaya nararapat lang na sumunod ka sa mga polisiya ng aming siyudad,” the netizen added.
Asked for a comment, Zamora said: “Pasensya na, kasalukuyang undergoing medical treatment ang asawa ko. Thank you for your understanding.”
The mayor did not yet confirm if he indeed went to Baguio.
The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases placed Baguio, the country’s summer capital, under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) until June 15.
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) earlier stressed that travel passes are required for those who need to cross to another province and regions.
DILG Undersecretary and Spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said those exempted from travel passes are those who need to pursue work-related matters.
“In such cases, they only need to present their company ID or documents from their office or company justifying the reason for such travel,” Malaya explained. (John Casinas)