ECQ may be lifted in Metro Manila, other areas after May 15 – DILG spokesman

May 3, 2020

The enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) is likely to be lifted after May 15 in Metro Manila and other areas in the country, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said on Sunday.

“By all indications, it looks like we will already graduate (from ECQ) and we will be under GCQ (general community quarantine),” DILG Undersecretary and Spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said in a radio interview.

“If we are already under GCQ, the people can already go back to work and if it happens, we could kick start the economy already,” he added.

Malaya said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) has two policies before it declares that an area is under GCQ.

“First is the critical care infrastructure which is the hospitals, on the preparedness of health workers for any possibility because Metro Manila is high-risk situation. The other one is the case doubling time… the risk of increasing the number of (COVID-19) cases,” he said.

He expressed hope that the situation in Metro Manila will continue to improve son that by May 16, it will already be placed under GCQ.

However, quoting DILG Secretary Eduardo Año, Malaya said that even if Metro Manila is downgraded to GCQ, there will still be some areas that may remain under ECQ.

“Some portions of Quezon City will remain in ECQ… but this is still being studied by a technical working group on data analytics by IATF,” he said.

He clarified that areas under so-called “hard lockdown” will only have few authorized persons outside residence (APOR).

“But this is for limited time only… so I appeal to the public to respect it as local government has the authority to implement it,” Malaya said.

Asked on how prepared the DILG for GCQ, he said they are ready together with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and local government units (LGU).

“We on DILG, we are ready… there is always bumpy road at the beginning but I noticed that the guidelines is much clearer this time compare to the first time (we implement quarantine),” Malaya said.

“It is clearer now because Malacanang released omnibus guidelines under Executive Order 112 and this is what we send to our LGUs. In there, it is clear on what is the difference between GCQ and ECQ… though there are some clarifications but it is clearer to LGUs what they need to do,” he added.

On religious gatherings, Malaya said it is the members of the Church themselves who requested to not allow it in areas under GCQ.

“There is confusion at first because the IATF allowed religious gatherings under GCQ but the priests themselves requested that since there is no cure for COVID-19, masses should not be allowed for the meantime even if there is social distancing and the IATF listened to it. That’s why it is clear now that religious gatherings are now not allowed under general community quarantine,” Malaya said.

The undersecretary said even funeral wakes are not allowed under GCQ upon the request of the church leaders also.

Malaya also reminded the residents to make sure that their complaints are true after he personally responded to a fake news.

“I think it is better that the residents go to their barangays first and ask there instead of going to the national level when the complaint itself is not even true,” he said.

“The people should exercise their rights, they have the right to go to the barangay and inquire there as it can be addressed immediately instead of posting to social media,” he added.

The undersecretary warned barangay officials that if they did not address the complaint of their residents, it is the time when the DILG will take action.

Malaya also expressed gratitude to the people as they finally accepted the ECQ regulations as shown with the decreasing number of ECQ violators.

“The number of quarantine violators decreased… that’s why I thanked the Filipinos as they already accepted the regulations being implemented by the government,” he said.

Aside from Metro Manila, the other place in the country, which are still under ECQ due to high number of COVID-19 cases are Central Luzon, except for Aurora; Calabarzon; Pangasinan; Benguet, including Baguio City; Iloilo, including Iloilo City; Cebu, including Cebu City; Bacolod City; and Davao City. Ella Dionisio/DMS