Jagna Mayor Joseph Rañola takes the cudgels of filing a case against Jagna Vice Mayor Theodore Abrenilla and wife Belinda for alleged violation of protocol amid the alleged inaction on the issue by the Bohol Inter Agency Task Force (BIATF).
Rañola filed a case of before the Ombudsman of the Visayas through the Provincial Prosecutor on March 9, 2021 for violation of Executive Order (EO) No. 54 series of 2020 issued by Gov. Arthur Yap, specifically section 5 paragraph e of the said EO.
The Jagna mayor alleges that the vice mayor and his wife violated the provision on the protocol for authorized person outside residence (APOR).
The mayor humbly pleads the Ombudsman to conduct a preliminary investigation and to file the corresponding information.
The affidavits of Gemuel Sajulga, a responder of the Municipal Disaster and Risk Reduction Office (MDRRMO) Emerson Ian Alimpolos, driver/responder of the MDRRMO; and Aljay Agustine Lecciones, the operations officer of Jagna Emergency Medical Rescue Unit (JEMRU) were included in the filing of a case against Vice Mayor Abrenilla and his wife.
FINDINGS
The filing of the case stems from the report of the fact-finding team of Jagna’s Municipal Inter Agency Task Force (MIATF) dated Feb. 22, 2021 outlining the alleged protocol violations of the vice mayor and his wife.
The investigation report of the MIATF indicated that, “The following breach of health protocol were [allegedly] made by Vice-Mayor Theodore R. Abrenilla (VM Ted) and wife:
1. The couple used the [Sangguniang Bayan] SB Van knowing fully well that it is not authorized as the JEMRU Van was deployed and was designated to transport the couple to their places of destination;
2. Dra. Belinda T. Abrenilla, VM Ted’s wife, personally handed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to Wewen, the designated SB van driver to be worn by him as the couple was transported from the Port to JJ’s Seafood Village. Everybody is presumed to be a carrier of the virus thus any APOR or [locally stranded individual] LSI is not supposed to hand anything to the driver or anybody to avoid contact and possible transmission of the virus, especially that VM Abrenilla and his wife is coming from Cebu, an area which is virus hotspot;
3. The couple ate lunch at JJ’s Seafood Village which is a public place. Passing-by JJ’s Seafood Village was not included in the couple’s itinerary and as APOR, VM Ted and wife should head straight to their destination.
4. Dra. Belinda T. Abrenilla ordered the SB Staff Brian (Cuevas) a PPE which she handed personally and assist them on their needs. The SB Staff was not trained on how to don and doff the PPE properly.”
BACKGROUND
It was alleged that on Feb. 6, 2021, the vice mayor and his wife arrived from Cebu City.
According to the investigation report of Jagna chief of police, Maj. Joseph Berondo, the JEMRU team tasked to extract the Vice Mayor and wife from the Tagbilaran sea port saw allegedly a van of the SB of Jagna will be used as the means of transport of the vice mayor and his wife.
The vice mayor and wife boarded the SB van which prompted the JEMRU teams to follow the couple to a restaurant in Tagbilaran where the couple ate lunch.
After which, the JEMRU team transported the couple to the provincial capitol with the SB van trailing behind.
Moreover, after the meeting at the Capitol, the couple boarded the JEMRU van. The van transported the vice mayor and his wife to barangay Pagina in Jagna with the SB van trailing the team.
In the same report the chief of police said that the couple’s visit to the restaurant is not part of the itinerary, which was limited from the port of Tagbilaran to the provincial capitol and then to barangay Pagina.
Jagna chief of police Berondo in his report said:” In view of the foregoing circumstances and based on the testimonies of the witnesses, it is concluded that Vice-Mayor Theodore R. Abrenilla and wife Dr. Belinda T. Abrenilla have breached and violated the health protocols on COVID-19”.
BIATF ACTION
During the virtual presscon on Friday, Mar. 12, 2021, Provincial Administrator Kathyrin Pioquinto said the BIATF has yet to receive any written complaint regarding the allegations of protocol violation against the Jagna vice mayor.
She added that as far as the BIATF is concerned the documents of the vice mayor as an APOR are complete.
“Allowed man ang APOR nga mutrabaho, musuroy sa mga places nga naa sya’y official business for as long as naa syay negative [polymerase chain reaction] PCR ug acceptance ug naa syay escort ug walay close contacts with anyone,” Pioquinto said.