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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 9) – After discussions lasting more than four hours on Saturday, the 17 mayors of Metro Manila agreed not to make a specific recommendation on whether to lift or extend the improved community quarantine in the capital region.
“Hindi tayo nagdecide Nang Ganoon huh. Nagkaisa ang lahat na kahit ano ang maging decision ng IATF (Inter-Institutional Working Group), we will follow it, “General Manager of the Manila Metropolitan Development Authority, Jojo Garcia, told CNN Philippines after his online meeting.
[Translation: We did not decide on that. We agreed that whatever the decision of the IATF would be, we will follow.]Garcia said the mayors agreed that there should be a policy for Metro Manila. He said relaxing the blocking rules only in some Metro Manila cities while other neighboring cities remain under strict quarantine is not an option, as that system will be difficult to implement due to the porous borders of neighboring communities.
“Ang taste lang nila We will decide as one. Sense kung i-GCQ mo buong Metro Manila, kung i-ECQ mo buong Metro Manila, “he said.
[Translation: They just wanted to decide as one. If you choose GCQ or ECQ, it should be for the entire Metro Manila.]The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases is the policy-making body in the government’s fight against coronavirus disease. The Metro Manila Council, made up of the mayors and the MMDA, was expected to come up with a proposal to alleviate or maintain strict quarantine measures amid a continuing increase in cases of coronavirus disease.
Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez, president of the Metro Manila Council, said on Friday that mayors were interested in recommending to the task force a 15-day extension of the ECQ, which will end on May 15.
Garcia said that the mayors will present to the working group what will happen in three possible scenarios, and they will let the body decide which one to choose: extend the ECQ for two weeks, place Metro Manila under a more relaxed general quarantine of the community or choose to a modified one that could be a mixture of both.
“Pag sinabi mong modified, naka-GCQ ka. GCQ talaga yun wala tayong term na modified e. But … kapag can have a wide variety of words. [COVID-19] cases, pwede mong i-ECQ ang barangay, “Garcia said in an online briefing after the meeting.
[Translation: “When you say modified, you are under GCQ. That’s really GCQ because there’s no modified term. But when a barangay has many COVID-19 cases, it can be placed under ECQ.]He further explained that under a modified configuration, local authorities “with the help of the Department of Health” would decide to impose restrictions on a barangay as necessary.
Garcia said mayors are aware that strict orders to stay home and the closure of many companies could lead to further job losses if the ECQ continues. Most of the country is under GCQ, where more companies and mass transportation can operate as long as they follow the rules of social distancing.
Previously, the Secretary of the Interior, Eduardo Año, said that the mayors’ speech will be a “great factor” in the final recommendation that the working group will present to President Rodrigo Duterte.
Duterte will have the last word on whether to extend or ease the quarantine measures applied in Metro Manila and various provinces beyond May 15. It first placed Metro Manila under community quarantine on March 15, but the ECQ was expanded the following day to cover the entire Luzon Region, until April 12.
The Luzon blockade lasted until April 30. Metro Manila and several “high risk” provinces have remained under strict ECQ.
Metro Manila has the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country with 6,916. This is 65 percent of total infections, which increased to 10,610 on Saturday.
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