Cabanatuan City Mayor Myca Elizabeth Vergara
CABANATUAN CITY – Marry now, treat your loved ones and friends next year.
This is the piece of advice, albeit lightly, on Saturday by Mayor Myca Elizabeth Vergara to couples as the nation continues to battle the spread of the coronavirus disease.
“Dun sa mga ikinakasal po, ikasal na lang kayo ng sampu kayo, tapos next year, dun na lang kayo mag-reception,” Vergara said as she took time to personally explain on television and social media the provision of her Executive Order No. 14, that provides, among others that only a maximum of 10 people shall be allowed in weddings, baptisms, and similar activities.
She noted that some wedding sponsors were actually scared of attending weddings but were forced by human considerations.
“Sa totoo, ang marami rin kayong ninong at ninang na ayaw ring pumunta sa kasal n’yo. As in, sila ay takot na takot, nahihiya lang sa mga magulang niyo,” the mayor said.
To stress her point, Vergara said that parties in weddings she officiates at the city hall are asked to undergo antigen tests. Last Friday (April 16), a wedding sponsor, who turned out to be the one who cooked food for the reception, tested positive for Covid-19.
But while she delivered the advice lightly, she warned operators of events places against circumventing the law by posing as restaurants where 30 percent of capacity is being allowed. “Sa panahon na ito ay huwag na tayong makipag-argue,” she said, stressing that events places are of mass gatherings. She told them not to wait to be served “legal letters.”
Vergara expressed alarm that her city of 320,000 people had 26 deaths since January for a total of 36 Covid-related deaths as of April 17, a spike from only 10 fatalities last year. “Nakakabahala po ‘yun,” she said.
With less than 3,000 residents receiving the first dose of vaccine so far, minimum public health standards remain to be the people’s first line of defense against the virus, she said.
The city has so far received some 2,200 doses of vaccines from the national government.
As of Saturday, this city has a total of 1,224 cases, of which 237 were active, 951 have recovered, 36 were dead, record from the city health office showed.
The mayor also noted that the city had recorded various Covid-19 cases of unemployed individuals which showed that the virus was being brought home by family members, including children who play outdoor.
Eugene Mintu, head of the city disaster risk reduction and management office, said a statistical study showed that of 861 combined RT-PCR and antigen positives from March 30 to April 15, 2021, 68 percent was “transmitted through affinity,” which include household workers and 32 percent by “random strangers.”
“Hindi ito panahon para mag-reunion kayo. Mas mabuti na hong magtawagan kayo kesa hindi na kayo magkita forever. Ngayon, ang dami nating cases na mga matatanda,” Vergara stressed.
