MANILA, Philippines — Residents are not required to present voter’s identification cards to obtain quarantine passes or food packs, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said yesterday. ?
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said barangay officials should not treat the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine as if it were an election campaign. ?
“Voter’s ID is not a requirement for you to be given food or quarantine pass,” Año said in a televised interview. “Malayo pa ang eleksyon (The election is still far off).” ?
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has clarified that quarantine passes are for free. ?
Año warned local officials not to overstep their bounds, saying they may be suspended or dismissed for doing so. ?
Año also called on local governments to lift the window hours in groceries or markets to avoid crowding. ?
“I’m advising all LGUs to lift what we call the window hours for marketing or buying because if you set window hours, there would be crowding of people. It should be at 12 hours and should observe strict social distancing,” he added.