CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — The whole of SM City Pampanga mall on Tuesday has been placed under the strict protocols embodied in City of San Fernando Mayor Edwin Santiago’s Executive Order No. CMO0221-21 in a bid to contain the surge of coronavirus cases in the city.
The EO mandated, among other stricter regulations, that only establishments offering “essential services,” specifically, supermarkets, banks, pharmacies and hardware stores, and restaurants offering food takeout and delivery will remain open from April 12 to April 18.
But on the first day of the EO enforcement Monday, majority of the mall tenants operated “as usual” regardless of the essentiality of their goods, and restaurants remained open for dine-in. Located within the territorial jurisdiction of Mexico town, they are outside the ambit of Santiago’s EO.
With only tenants on the city side of the mall under strict protocols while the rest allowed to go about their normal operations, the intent of the EO was adversely impacted, even as an uneven playing field obtained among the tenants.
It is reported that SM management took it upon itself to declare the whole mall under Santiago’s EO after consultation with the local government of Mexico and the provincial government and with the consent of the affected tenants.
With the EO in place, SM City Pampanga has virtually returned to MECQ status, a ghost of its usual vibrant self.
The pictures, taken 3 p.m. Tuesday tell the whole sad story. All photos by BZL
