Push Admin

Persona non grata: Ilocos Sur governor wants Long Mejia, Dagul, Gene Padilla banned

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — The governor of Ilocos Sur wants comedians Long Mejia, Dagul, and Gene Padilla banned entry to the province over their alleged violation of coronavirus quarantine protocols.</p><p>In a statement on Sunday, Ilocos Sur Gov. Ryan Luis Singson called out the showbiz personalities for their &quot;awful disregard&quot; of lockdown rules during their &quot;unsanctioned visit&quot; with their companions.</p><p>According to Singson, Mejia, Dagul, and Padilla evaded checkpoint personnel, aside from engaging in activities with &quot;no legitimate purpose.&quot;</p><p>&quot;I strongly condemn these actuations,&quot; Singson said.</p><p>He then called on the provincial board to pass a resolution declaring the three persona non grata, which would bar them entry to Ilocos Sur.</p><div><script src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v2.5" async="" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/ryanluisvsingsonofficial/posts/3390942937612269" data-width="auto"> </div><p>&quot;These people are personalities of the show business with broad patronage, which should all the more be the reason that they take it upon themselves to comply with existing rules in a place they visit,&quot; he said.</p><p>Public cooperation, Singson added, is needed to help minimize the spread of COVID-19, on top of government measures.</p><p>&quot;The little inconveniences that result from following strict rules and guidelines is a small sacrifice that we have to bear if we want to succeed in this fight against COVID-19,&quot; he said.</p><p>As of writing, Mejia, Dagul, and Padilla have yet to address the statement from Singson.</p><p>Ilocos Sur so far has eight confirmed cases of COVID-19, four of whom have recovered and with zero deaths, according to its July 19 tally.</p>