INTERIOR Secretary Eduardo Año yesterday said Metro Manila mayors want to further open up businesses while retaining the current status of general community quarantine (GCQ) amid the continued rise of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the region.
“Base dun sa meeting namin sa NCR mayors ay gusto nila na maging mahigpit pa rin pero mabuksan natin ang ekonomiya (Based on our meeting with NCR mayors, they want to us to be still strict but we they want to open economy),” said Año, a member of the government’s COVID-19 policy-making body Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
Año said the mayors want people who have nothing essential to do outside to remain in their houses. “Based dun sa recommendation and inputs nung ating mga NCR mayors, the GCQ, gusto pa rin nilang iretain ‘yun (Based on the recommendation and inputs of our NCR mayors they still want to retain the GCQ),” he added.
“Pero sabi ko nga merong mga adjustment…Kapag sinabi mo ‘yung open up ‘yung economy or ‘yung businesses dapat ‘yung transportation i-adjust din kasi kung wala namang masasakyan papaano makakapagtrabaho ‘yung mga tao? (But as I said, there will be adjustments. If you say open up economy or businesses, you also have to adjust transportation because if there is lack of transportation, how can the people go to work?),” he said.
Año said the IATF discussed the recommendation of the Metro Manila mayors during a meeting last Tuesday. The group was set to meet with President Duterte later yesterday.
Año said the task force’s recommendation to the President is based on data analytics.
“Magsimula muna tayo sa science-base bago tayo pumunta sa ibat-ibang factors for consideration like social, security, kailangan tingnan muna natin ‘yung basis (We’ll start with science-based data before we go to other factors for consideration like social, security.
We have to see the (scientific) basis first,” he said.
In a pre-State of the Nation briefing, Año said the country cannot afford a second wave of COVID-19 infection. “We cannot remain stagnant for too long. Neither can we afford to have a second wave of COVID-19 infections. Truth be told, our situation feels like walking across a tightrope,” he said.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said there are some areas in the country that would revert back to more restrictive quarantines due to the spike in COVID-19 cases all over the country.
He said, though, that majority of the cities, municipalities and provinces in country would remain under the modified general community quarantine (MGCQ).
“There are areas that will go back to stricter quarantine measures but by and large, the Philippines will be under MGCQ overwhelming,” Roque said in an interview with ANC.
He declined to say what the affected areas are and their current quarantine levels, preferring to wait for the official announcement of President Duterte on Wednesday night.
He also said that there were four cities and one province that had filed an appeal with the IATF about the proposed quarantine level that would be imposed on their jurisdictions.
Cebu City is under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) until July 15 while Metro Manila, and the provinces of Benguet, Cavite, Rizal, Leyte and Southern Leyte are under GCQ.
MM IN GCQ
Roque said based on in the IATF discussions and collated data, Metro Manila is likely to remain under GCQ due to the high number of cases of COVID-19 in the region and the decreasing critical care capacity particularly in the number of available hospital and ICU beds.
“I can definitely say that (relaxing the) restriction is out of the question, it was never considered, it was never agreed upon with the Metro Manila mayors. It was the data. The data does not lie. The case doubling rate is between seven to nine days which is not bad.
But it only warrants the existing GCQ,” he said.
Roque said the government is gearing towards opening more industries but hesitates due to possible local outbreaks.
He said at present there are still some “restrictions of movements, (but) we will actually open up the economy to the full extent that we can”.
COVID TOLL ON THE ECONOMY
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the COVID-19 health crisis had not just taken its toll on the health of the people but also on the economy.
Nograles, in the second pre-state of the nation address (SONA) forum, said the economic gains made under the administration in its first three years had helped the country weather the economic impact of the pandemic but the COVID-19 situation “is perhaps the toughest economic crisis most of our people will live through.”
He said no one predicted or had prepared for the pandemic.
He said despite the strong economy prior to the COVID-19, the government saw its revenues being depleted with the estimated tax collections from the Bureau of Internal Revenue down by 16 percent from last year during the same period, while unemployment in the country was recorded at 17.7 percent in April.
“My countrymen, we may be having difficulties now, but there are signs that we are fighting and the economy is recovering,” he said citing a 4.4 percent increase in customs collections, and an A minus credit rating obtained by the country from the Japan Credit Rating Agency.
Nograles said different agencies are also working together to ensure that the country has enough supply of food and at the same time continuing its fight against poverty and hunger.
LOCKDOWNS
The Department of National Defense building in Camp Aguinaldo was placed on a two-day lockdown starting yesterday following after senior military assistant Col. Rolly Nerona tested positive for COVID-19.\
“In accordance with prescribed bio-security protocols, the Department of National Defense Proper will effect a lockdown beginning 12 noon today, 15 July 2020, in order to give way to the disinfection of the DND’s main building and premises,” the DND said in an advisory.
It said normal operations will resume on Friday.
It also announced that DND employees were subjected to rapid tests on Monday in coordination with the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, an agency under the DND.
“Aside from implementing proper health protocols in the workplace, the DND required mandatory rapid testing for its employees in light of the ongoing efforts against the spread of coronavirus disease 2019,” it said.
It said 294 employees underwent the test but did not disclose the results.
Meanwhile, the Malabon city government will impose a two-week lockdown in five barangays starting Thursday due to a spike in COVID-19 cases in the areas.
In an advisory, the Malabon city government said portions of barangays Tanong, Longos, Potrero, Tugatog, and Tonsuya will be on localized community quarantine until the end of the month.
In barangay Tanong, the areas to be on lockdown include 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th streets and C4 Road; while to be affected in barangay Tugatog will be P. Concepcion and Tumariz streets.
University avenue extension and Guava street will be closed in barangay Potrero, while Gozon Letre road and Phase 1 in barangay Tonsuya will be on lockdown, and Block 14A and Block 14C in barangay Longos will also be closed.
As a standard procedure, residents in these areas will not be allowed to leave their houses except if they are authorized persons outside residences (APORs) like medical workers and other essential workers.
The city government assured residents of lockdown areas of assistance.
The city government said it had coordinated with the PNP, barangay officials, and volunteer groups to ensure that health protocols will be properly observed during the lockdown period.
The city has tallied 936 CVID-19 cases as of 12 p.m. Tuesday, of which 365 have recovered and 76 died. — With Jocelyn Montemayor and Raymond Africa
