ILIGAN City ― The presiding judge of a Regional Trial Court here on Monday has denied petitioners’ appeal to issue a Temporary Restraining Order on the city’s “no vaccination, no transaction policy.”
Posted on Cao Cao Badelles’ Facebook page, the city legal officer said that RTC Branch 6 presiding Judge Leonor Quiñones ruled “to stay and hold in abeyance the TRO for the (executive order).”
To note, the said EO provided for the presentation of vaccine cards in every aspect of city life here before residents can get on with their lives with the alternative of presentation of negative RT-PCR tests if they don’t have the vaccination cards.
However, in another paragraph of the said EO, it stated that “the (local government unit) shall prioritize transactions of vaccinated individuals.”
In the hearing before the release of the decision of the court, Badelles emphasized “prioritization” as this was embodied in a memo from the mayor regarding said EO.
It also states that “It is only the wisdom of the Supreme Court to decide on a final decision on this. Until now, the mayor’s issuance remains valid also.”
The petitioners are led by one Prof. Wilfredo Dimamay.
In a related development, the number of vaccinated people was only more than 6,000 on the first day of the mass vaccination program as compared to the projection of 19,000, per day, at least.
