DILG urges LGUs to pass anti-discrimination ordinances for frontliners

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) is urging local government units (LGUs) to enact ordinances that penalize discrimination against COVID-19 frontliners.

DILG Secretary Eduardo Año stated that such acts are inhumane and unfair, considering the risks frontliners take to care for patients and maintain essential services.

Reports of harassment against health professionals, police, military, essential service personnel, and social workers have prompted this directive.

Incidents of discrimination range from verbal abuse to more severe actions like throwing bleach at workers and shooting an ambulance driver.

The DILG lauded LGUs like Manila and Muntinlupa City that have already passed anti-discrimination ordinances and encouraged others to follow suit.

These local ordinances are considered more responsive and tailored to specific community situations compared to waiting for a national law.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) will address acts of discrimination through criminal, civil, and administrative actions.

DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya recommended extending these anti-discrimination measures to include overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), COVID-19 victims, persons under monitoring (PUM), and persons under investigation (PUIs).

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has pledged legal assistance to victims of discrimination through its various offices, and President Duterte has ordered law enforcement to protect health workers.

Discrimination against frontliners has manifested in various ways, including denial of public transport, entry to establishments, and eviction from housing.