BY MARTIN SADONGDONG
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Metro Manila mayors have recommended to place the National Capital Region (NCR) under a “hybrid” general community quarantine, Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19, bared Monday.
In a hybrid community quarantine status, Galvez said the economic and private sectors shall take equal responsibilities in containing the spread of COVID-19.
He said the country’s economy will not survive the COVID-19 pandemic if the NCR is reverted to enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
“Sa nakikita natin, kapag ginawa natin ang ECQ sa buong NCR, buong siyudad, babagsak po ang ekonomiya. Nakita rin po natin may limitasyon po ang ECQ,” Galvez said in a virtual press briefing in Malacanang.
Concerns were raised as to the possible placing of Metro Manila under a stricter community quarantine to prevent the health care facilities from being overwhelmed, but Galvez said this recommendation was not included in the list submitted by the local chief executives to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF).
According to Galvez, the IATF conducted a meeting last Thursday and Friday to decide on the fate of the entire country’s community quarantine status ahead of its lapse on Wednesday, July 15.
“Napagkasunduan na may areas na mag-e-escalate considering that nakita po natin na tumataas po ‘yung ating severe at critical cases, at the same time ‘yung new cases tumataas rin po (It was decided that there are areas that will be escalated considering there is an increase in the number of severe and critical cases, and the new cases are also rising),” he said.
“Sa ngayon po, miniting din nila ang [Metro] Manila mayors and they are recommending na ma-maintain ang ano nila.. na nakita natin ‘yung hospitals medyo napupuno (Right now, they also met with Metro Manila mayors and they are recommending to maintain their [status].. as we have seen that the hospitals are slowly filling up),” he said.
“Ang hinihiling nila, magkaroon ng parang stricter ang control but we can open other economic activity kaya parang tinatawag nilang hybrid,” he explained.
“Sabi nga ni [Finance] Secretary [Carlos Dominguez, the economy is now in the tipping point, meaning napakahirap na po ng sitwasyon na kapag hindi natin na-recover ngayon mahihirapan na pong magkaroon ng mas malaking crisis (Like what Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez said, the economy is now in the tipping point which means that it will be difficult to contain a bigger crisis if we cannot recover now),” he said.
The Philippines has one of the longest lockdowns in the world to contain the COVID-19.
While it helped in slowing down the spread of the disease as proven by medical experts, it also resulted to a massive blow to the economy with millions of jobs lost and thousands of businesses closed, according to the Department of Labor and Employment.
The government is now implementing the second phase of its so-called National Action Plan (NAP), or the overall strategy to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Duterte is expected to announce the new community quarantine status on Wednesday.
