Reference No. (2020-06-22) MEMORANDUM |
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FOR : | All Honorable Mayors |
FROM : | The LCP Executive Director |
RE : | Appeal of the Commission on Human Rights on the mobility of elderly citizens |
DATE: | 23 June 2020 |
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR), through their letter to the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP), is urging local governments to ensure that their local policies andactions do not unnecessarily restrict the mobility of elderly citizens. Local policies should comply with pertinent provisions of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) Omnibus Guidelines on Community Quarantine which provide that: “Any person x x x sixty (60) years old and above x x x shall be required to remain in their residences at all times, except when indispensable under the circumstances for obtaining essential goods and services, or for work in permitted industries and offices”.
CHR Commission Karen Gomez-Dumpit respectfully reminds all LGUs that “. . . not all older people live with their family members to whom they can rely on for food and other essential needs. A policy solely based on old age runs the risk of disproportionately discriminating older people who need to go outside their homes for essential activities, including work and the procurement of basic goods and services, and those who live alone or only with other older family members.” Attached is the letter of CHR to ULAP for reference.
Related to this, the League is cascading the call of ULAP National President Governor Dakila Cua to all cities to ensure that while we endeavor to protect senior citizens during this pandemic, we must respect their rights to mobility, subject to minimum health standards whenever they are outside their homes, and we shall ascertain that all local actions are consistent with IATF guidelines and protocols.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Atty. Shereen Gail Yu-Pamintuan
LCP Executive Director