MALAYBALAY CITY, Bukidnon (PIA) — The province of Bukidnon has decided to cancel this year’s Kaamulan festival as the novel Coronavirus 2019 (now officially named “COVID-19” by the World Health Organization) continued to loom.
Bukidnon Gov. Jose Maria Zubiri Jr. announced on Wednesday, February 12, the cancellation of the festival, which has been set to roll this March 23 to April 23.
In Memorandum No. 431, the governor ordered all mayors, village officials, and tribal leaders to stop preparing for the festival due to the threat posed by the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
He explained that he acted on the advisory issued by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III who urged the public “to avoid attending, participating, and organizing events that draw huge number of attendees in view of the ongoing threat of the Coronavirus.”
“In view thereof, the Kaamulan Festival 2020 is hereby canceled as a proactive measure to keep the people of the province safe from the threat of this highly infectious disease,” Zubiri said.
In a meeting with Bukidnon’s 464 Punong Barangays (village chiefs) on February 11, the governor urged all barangay officials to reactivate their Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs) to avert the entry and spread of said Coronavirus.
He also discussed concerns about setting up additional checkpoints and quarantine that should be strictly guarded by designated police and nurse crews.
“This is a serious matter; there is still no cure for this coronavirus. The provincial government is planning to build a hospital in an isolated area just in case the disease crosses county borders,” the governor added. (Jeric B. Lambo/BukSU, with reports from Reymart V.S. Pulido and Jovan Marlou Caῇadilla /PIA Bukidnon)
