THE Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) is supporting a suggestion to ease the lockdown through a modified general community quarantine (GCQ) where local government units (LGUs) are allowed to impose a lockdown on a specific barangay or zone if needed.
In a letter to the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infections Diseases, FPI president Jesus Arranza said the group favors this third option offered by the Metro Manila Council (MMC) in their meeting last Saturday and which they presented to the IATF.
Arranza said a modified GCQ will balance the need to address the current serious health concern on one hand and the economic problem on the other caused by the new coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
“If the modified GCQ will be implemented, this will allow the qualified manufacturing industries to restart its operations and resume employment of their employees. This will consequently create the necessary economic activity that will allow the companies to be able to generate funds not only to pay the salaries of their employees, but, also to pay the government the needed revenues, particularly during these difficult times,” Arranza said.
He said with this scenario, government could now focus its fight against the dreaded virus on those identified critical communities where there are high transmission of infections.
The Council, comprised of the Metro Manila mayors as well as other agencies has also recommended the extension of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) for two more weeks, from May 16 to 30 as the first option.
The second option is to lift the ECQ and impose the general community quarantine in Metro Manila.
