INTERIOR Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. said Thursday, September 1, 2022, that Cebu City Michael Rama has agreed to defer the implementation of his order that declares the wearing of face mask in open spaces under its jurisdiction “non-obligatory.”In a statement, Abalos said he had talked with Rama since the issuance of the latter’s Executive Order 5 on Wednesday, August 31.“Mayor Mike agreed to temporarily put this executive order on hold by virtue of my commitment to bring the matter to the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) for deliberation,” he said.“In fact, I am going to even further suggest to make Cebu City the pilot implementer of this measure since the city has always been first in espousing non-masking policies outdoors for the ease and benefit of its people amid the pandemic,” he added.Abalos said the country is still in a national health emergency and that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has repeatedly called for the public to be vigilant and pro-active in following health protocols to prevent the spread of coronavirus.He noted the importance of harmonizing existing laws and policies where implementation should benefit the public, which will further enhance the trust and confidence of the National Government.Abalos appealed to all local chief executives to put on hold their possible actions on the matter until he brings it over to the IATF, to which he already requested to convene to thoroughly discuss the measure.“Be assured that I, and the whole of DILG, will support its implementation as soon as this initiative gains the concurrence of the experts and policy-makers of the IATF,” he said.“Handang makiisa ang DILG sa layunin ng bawat sektor na isulong ang mga inisyatibong makabubuti sa ating mga komunidad, kaya’t bukas ang Kagawaran na makipagtulungan sa lokal na pamahalaan sa pagpapatupad at pagpapalaganap ng mga estratihiya upang muling makabangon ang ating kababayan mula sa pandaigdigang pandemiyang dulot ng Covid-19,” he added.Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan and John Eddu Ibañez, executive secretary to Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, also said that they are already studying the lifting of the mandatory face masks rule in their areas of jurisdiction.Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue City were the remaining local government units in the province of Cebu that had yet to drop the face mask rule.In June, Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia issued EO 16, which makes the wearing of face mask in open spaces in the province no longer mandatory, in contrast to the protocols set by the IATF against Covid-19. (SunStar Philippines)