CAGAYAN de Oro City residents should bring their barangay exit pass, valid ID cards, and Higalaay QR (quick response) code cards whenever they get out of their homes only for essential activities, City Hall officials said today.
“The barangay exit pass, which wasn’t voided after it was issued last year based on our clarification with the City Legal Office, takes effect immediately and we will meet with barangay leaders later at 3 pm (to discuss the details on its enforcement and their issuance of exit passes to those who lost theirs),’ said Oliver Egypto, chairman of City Hall’s CDO Disiplina Advocacy team, in Visayan during the ‘Ang CDO Karon’ morning program.
The barangay exit pass has been revived after Cagayan de Oro City reverted to modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) effective June 1. Egypto said about 280,000 exit passes were issued to city residents last year.
“As is the case last year, only one exit pass is issued per household which means only one family member will go out for essential activities like buying groceries, medicines, paying bills and bank transactions, etc. to enforce the mandate on people to stay at home,” Egypto said.
For city residents who lost their barangay exit passes both Egypto and Atty. Jose Edgardo Uy, head of the economic cluster of City Hall’s Emergency Operations Cluster (EOC), advised them to head to their barangay hall to secure a new exit pass.
“Those who still have their old exit pass can use them. The barangays will each be given access (to City Hall’s system) so they can generate the QR code and process the exit pass for those requesting for a replacement,” Egypto said.
Uy reminded city residents seeking to secure a new exit pass to procure an affidavit of loss to justify their request to replace their lost exit pass.
“The barangays are mostly online now. The affidavit of loss is necessary because it’s easy to claim that you lost your exit pass,” he said. Egypto also explained the difference between the barangay exit pass which has its QR code and the Higalaay QR code that can be downloaded in one’s mobile device or processed into an ID card.
“The Higalaay QR code is used primarily as a contact tracing tool and it is not a permit for people to go out. With the MECQ in effect, the barangay exit pass will certify that you are outside for essential activities as mentioned earlier. People may complain that there are too many requirements but remember that we are living (under MECQ) so we should all help each other. We should make sure that we use (the exit pass and Higalaay code) for essential activities (in behalf of your families),” Egypto said.
Uy agreed, reiterating that the exit pass and Higalaay QR code are tools to enforce the ‘stay-at-home’ mandate on all city residents.
“These are intended to show to law enforcers that the city resident will buy groceries, undergo medical consultation and other essential activities,’ he said.
Egypto said using the barangay exit pass responsibly should be required of every city resident.
“We should hold ourselves accountable to help the city (during the pandemic),” he said. (Stephen Capillas of City Information Office)
