COMPLAINT FILED. Antique Governor Rhodora Cadiao bares on Wednesday (April 29, 2020) the complaint she filed against five personnel of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology Regional Office 6 who traveled to Antique on April 25, 2020 while they were still awaiting the confirmatory result of their swab tests. One of the men turned out to be Covid-19 confirmed patient. (PNA file photo by Annabel Consuelo J. Petinglay)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Antique provincial office has endorsed the complaint letter of Governor Rhodora Cadiao against five personnel of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) who traveled to Antique, including one who turned out positive of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Upon the recommendation of the provincial Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), Cadiao filed the complaint on April 28 against Insp. Henry Harder, Senior Jail Officer (SJO)4 Rolyn Malolos, JO2 Gaudencio Jabonido, JO1 Reymar Paclibar, and JO1 Joseph Maguad for violating Republic Act 11332 and the BJMP Covid-19 advisory number 5.
Republic Act 11332 is also known as Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act while BJMP Covid-19 advisory number 5 is about the implementation of the jail lockdown effective March 20.
During Wednesday’s press conference of the Antique Inter-Agency Task Force on Coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19), Cadiao said she is hoping that a fact-finding investigation will be conducted regarding the travel of the said BJMP personnel to the province on April 25.
“The coming of the BJMP personnel to Antique caused so much panic to the people of Barbaza and Culasi, especially when one of them, based on the Department of Health Regional Office 6 report, turned out to be confirmed Covid-19 patient on April 26,” Cadiao said.
She said while she commends the BJMP personnel for delivering personal protective equipment (PPE) and medicines to their district jail in Culasi town, yet they violated Republic Act 11332 when they knew that they were still awaiting the confirmatory result of their swab tests conducted last April 20.
“The personnel also committed blatant disregard of BJMP Covid-19 Advisory Number 5 for a jail lockdown starting March 20,” she said.
She said that the personnel should not have traveled to Antique because of the lockdown.
Meanwhile, Cadiao said she has requested the regional office of the BJMP to provide the provincial IATF with their itinerary to help in the contact tracing.
The governor said that BJMP regional director Noel Montalvo also did not disclose that their personnel passed by a gasoline station here.
It was only known upon review of the closed-circuit television of the gas station.
Montalvo only said that they had lunch in Barbaza; delivered PPE units and medicines to their district jail, and brought a wreath to the wake of their retired official who passed away in Culasi.
Cadiao said for a complete contact tracing a truthful itinerary should be provided by the BJMP.
DILG Antique provincial director Cherryl Tacda said the complaint letter was endorsed to the regional office in Iloilo on April 28. (PNA)
