Office of the Mayor

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 31

Series of 2020

AN ORDER FOR THE TEMPORARY LOCKDOWN OF THE CITY OF BACOOR HALL

OF JUSTICE DUE TO PROBABLE COVID-19 LOCAL TRANSMISSION IN
ACCORDANCE WITH THE NATIONAL TASK FORCE OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES
ON THE APPLICATION OF THE ZONING CONTAINMENT STRATEGY IN THE
LOCALIZATION OF THE NATIONAL ACTION PLAN ON COVID-19 RESPONSE

WHEREAS, President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order No. 112 , Section
2 (par. 2) of which states, xxx “The mayors of cities and municipalities are likewise
authorized to impose, lift or extend ECQ in barangays upon the concurrence of the
relevant regional counterpart body of the IATF. This is without prejudice to the authority
of the IATF to directly impose, lift or extend ECQ in these areas should circumstances
call for it. No LGU shall declare its own community quarantine, regardless of
nomenclature, without observing the foregoing procedure”;

WHEREAS, the National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 issued a

Memorandum dated 15 June 2020, Operational Guidelines on the Application of the
Zoning Containment Strategy in the Localization of the National Action Plan
Against Covid-19 Response which in effect decentralized the COVID-19 Response
system through the Zoning concept;

WHEREAS, on July 25 and 29, results of two (2) new confirmed cases of
COVID-19 were received by two employees of the Regional Trial Court of Bacoor
situated in the Hall of Justice Building in Barangay Tabing Dagat, wherein the RTC
share the same building with the Municipal Trial Court in Cities (1st floor), RTC on the
2nd floor, the Office of the Public Prosecutors on the 3rd & 4th floors, and the Public
Attorneys Office on the 4th;

WHEREAS, one security guard stationed at the RTC Bacoor also tested positive
for IgM and IgG on his rapid antibody test last July 27, 2020, and he had his swabbing
for RT-PCR testing the next day awaiting result to date;

WHEREAS, the Bacoor Task Force COVID-19 recommends that the Bacoor Hall
of Justice in Barangay Tabing Dagat be locked down immediately for the conduct of
surveillance and case finding/investigation, contact tracing and RT-PCR or rapid testing,
and for all employees therein to undergo fourteen (14) days self-quarantine;

WHEREAS, there is a need for all close contacts of the above three (3)
COVID-19 cases to self-quarantine if asymptomatic, and to complete isolation for
fourteen (14) days in accordance with the Memorandum of the Department of Health
DOH-DM No. 2020-0258 dated May 29, 2020;

WHEREAS, as of 29 July 2020 the City of Bacoor has a total of 667 confirmed
cases of COVID-19, 370 are active cases, 260 have recovered and there are 37 deaths;
219 suspects and 26 probables. Expanded targetted RT-PCR as wells as rapid antibody
testing is ongoing in various areas in the City perceived to be bordering the critical zone
parameters of the NTF;

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 NOW, THEREFORE, I, LANI MERCADO REVILLA, City Mayor of Bacoor,
Province of Cavite, by the power vested in me by law, do hereby order the following:

Section 1. LOCKDOWN OF THE BACOOR HALL OF JUSTICE IN BARANGAY

TABING DAGAT and its DECLARATION as HOJ-CRITICAL ZONE (HOJ-CrZ).

• HOJ-CRITICAL ZONE (HOJ-CrZ) shall consist of the Hall of Justice

Building which houses the Metropolitan Trial Court in Cities (MTCC)
on the ground floor, the Regional Trial Court (RTC) and the Office of
the Clerk of Court (OCC) on the second floor, the Office of the Public
Prosecutor (OPP) and the Public Attorneys Office (PAO) on the 3rd
and 4th floors.

• The said building shall be locked down from August 1, 2020 up to

August 14, 2020, or for 14 days and all the occupants/employees/
officers therein who are asymptomatic and are not direct contacts of
the identified confirmed COVID-19 cases are hereby ordered to self-
quarantine, or under strict Stay Home Order for 14 days. There shall
be thorough disinfection of the building by the City Environment and
Natural Resources Office (CENRO) and of the surrounding areas by the
Bacoor Bureau of FIre Protection (BFP);
• The NTF Operational Guidelines on the Application of the Zoning
Containment Strategy defines a critical zone (CrZ) to be an area where
the initial number of cases or several clustering of cases are identified
within the past seven (7) days. Specific epidemiological threshold for CrZ
are set depending on a geographical unit. For a “business/work
establishment” such as the HOJ, where the occupants are less than 1,000
it shall be categorized as CrZ if atleast one (1) cluster of cases composed
of either a suspect, probable and/or confirmed COVID-19 case wherein
the individual identified have been physically reporting for work for the
past 14 days;

• The NTF defines a “cluster of cases” as two or more suspected,

probable, or confirmed COVID-19 cases in the same area at the
same time, or within the past 7 days.
• Depending on the occurrence of “clusters of cases,” an area such
as a house, building, street, village, or city can be declared a “critical
zone” in and around which strict lockdowns may be imposed.All stay-
in employees or staff within the BPM-CrZ shall not be allowed to
leave the area, and all vendors are strongly advised to stay inside
their homes during the same period to quarantine and await contact
tracing team information, except only for emergency medical or
surgical procedures and treatments.

• In the past week, there have been reported at least two (2) confirmed
COVID-19 cases in the RTC and OCC offices and at least one (1)
probable case in the security force of the building. All close contacts of the
said cases have been informed and advised to self-isolate for 14 days if
they are asymptomatic, some of them have been swabbed for RT-PCR
testing, and some have undergone rapid antibody testing, and were all
advised to complete 14 days self isolation. Still others, especially contacts
of patient no.2 still have to be tested by RT-PCR.
• All close contacts who will develop any of the known signs and symptoms
of COVID-19 are advised to call Alert 161 for assessment and medical
intervention.

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Section 2. ROLLING STAGES OF INTERVENTION. The HOJ being a Critical Zone,
there shall be an area around it which will be placed under a CONTAINMENT
ZONE (CZ) for which MECQ rules shall apply effective 12:01AM of August 01,
2020, until 11:59PM of August 14, 2020, unless otherwise shortened or extended
by Bacoor Task Force COVID-19. The CZ shall be bounded by the First street on
the North, Rubio St. on the South, the St. Michael Catholic church on the West
and the stores facing Pagtakhan St. on the East, including the Talipapa beside the
CrZ.
i. The Barangay Officials of Tabing Dagat are ordered to determine exactly
which households will be covered by the CZ and apply therein the rules under
Section 3 of the IATF Omnibus Guidelines on the Implementation of Modified
Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ).
• Strict home quarantine shall be observed in all households in Barangay Tabing
Dagat Containment Zone (BTCZ), and the movements of all residents shall be
limited to accessing essential goods and services, and for work in permitted
establishments. Quarantine Pass system shall be strictly implemented and
monitored.

• Any person below twenty one (21) years old, those sixty (60) years old and
above, those with immunodeficiency, comorbidity, or other heath risks, pregnant
women, including any person who resides with the aforementioned are required to
remain in their homes at all times, except when indispensable for obtaining essential
goods and services, for work in industries and offices as permitted under the
Omnibus Rules of the IATF under section 3 thereof, Guidelines for areas placed
under MECQ.
• Mass gatherings shall be prohibited, except those for the provision of government
services and authorized humanitarian activities. Religious activity of not more than
five (5) persons are allowed while strictly adhering to prescribed minimum health
standards (Face mask with face shield, social distancing, frequent hand sanitation).

ii. Those who will develop signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and are determined to
have been exposed at any given time to a known confirmed COVID-19 case are
advised to call Alert 161 or use Telemedicine apps. The DOH COVID-19 Hotlines
1555 and (02) 894-COVID (26843) are available nationwide for all COVID-19 related
concerns or the following free telemedicine hotlines:

• Telimed Management and Medgate hotline: (02) 8424-1724

• Globe Telehealth (KonsultaMD): (02) 7798-8000 (free for Globe/TM users)
iii. The rest of Barangay Tabing Dagat shall be Buffer Zone (BZ), wherein the rules of
GCQ shall apply. However, there shall be strict monitoring of movements of people.
Quarantine Pass System shall be strictly monitored by the Barangay Officials and
the observance of the following minimum public health standards:

• Wearing of face masks and face shield while outside and in Public;
• Strictly observe social distancing while in public esp. in talipapa and stores;
• Frequent hand washing with soap or with alcohol, and daily disinfection of
frequently touched surfaces in houses and in establishments.

Section 3. The City Health Office (CHO) is hereby ordered to direct the City-ESU and
the Local Contact Tracing Team (LCCT) to conduct intensified contact tracing and
expanded targeted RT-PCR testing of close contacts of the HOJ-CrZ cases, in
accordance with DOH protocols, depending on the availability of testing, and to properly
assess and apprise close contacts about personal interventions as needed. Consider
the possibility of extending the taking of samples to the stores and talipapa vendors in

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the CZ to rule out localized transmission.

Section 4. The rules under the Omnibus Guidelines for the Implementation of
Community Quarantine in the Philippines under Section (3) thereof, and the NTF
Guidelines on Zoning Containment Strategy shall apply to the lockdown of HOJ-CrZ
and the TD-CZ:

1. PERIMETER CONTROL. Restricted Movement and Perimeter Control is

hereby imposed in the areas around HOJ-CrZ. There shall be established
barangay checkpoints on strategic location in the Poblacion area, on the corner
of Pagtakhan and Rubio Sts., which shall be manned by Barangay Tabing Dagat
tanods, under the main supervision of the Chief-PNP of Bacoor, from 12:01AM of
August 1, 2020, until 11:59PM of August 14, 2020, to ensure that there shall be
no unnecessary/non-essential entry of people who are non-residents of the TD-
CZ contained zone. Entry to the HOJ-CrZ is restricted.

Section 5. MANDATORY QUARANTINE OF SUSPECTED, PROBABLE AND AND

ISOLATION OF CONFIRMED COVID-19 CASES (MLMR E.O. No. 12,
April 5, 2020; NTF Guidelines June 15, 2020)

• Home Quarantining/Home Isolation of all confirmed cases will not be

allowed. The City Health Officer is ordered to ensure that the said cases
shall be admitted to the Community Isolation Unit (CIU), or in hospital
depending on the physical assessment by the CHO, applying appropriate
DOH Protocols, EXCEPT as provided for under DILG MC-2020-101,
wherein as a last recourse the CHO may allow home isolation under the
following strict parameters:
• Patient has own room with toilet and bath, and shall not be allowed to
go out of such room for any reason until there is a negative PCR test
result;
• There are no family member within the same household who are
vulnerable, or with co-morbidities (e.g. sennior citizen, pregnant
women, hypertensive, diabetic, undergoing dialysis or
chemotherapies, other underlying health conditions).

Section 6. ENFORCEMENT – All Barangay Officials, the Bacoor-PNP and other duly
delegated local enforcers are hereby mandated to ensure compliance to and
the strict execution of this Order.
Those who will be caught violating this order will be meted with penalty in
accordance with those provided under Section 10 of RA 11332 or Mandatory
Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern
Act, for NON-COOPERATION, and under such other applicable laws, rules
and ordinances.

Section 8. REPEALING CLAUSE. All prior issuances on the COVID-19 public health
event, shall remain in full force and effect. Provisions therein as are
inconsistent herewith shall be deemed superseded by this Order.

Section 9. EFFECTIVITY. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately.

Issued in the City of Bacoor, Cavite this 31th day of July, 2020.

LANI MERCADO-REVILLA
City Mayor

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