Metro mayors lay down 3 recommendations to IATF on NCR lockdown

MANILA, Philippines  — Instead of deciding whether or not the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila will be extended after May 15, the region’s 17 mayors will recommend three scenarios to the government’s COVID-19 task force on the fate of the isolation period.

This was announced by Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) General Manager Jojo Garcia in an online press briefing Saturday, adding that the mayors “unanimously” voted for the recommendations during the Metro Manila Council (MMC) meeting held via teleconference.

The MMC, comprised of the Metro Manila mayors as well as other agencies, is the governing and policy-making body of the MMDA.

Garcia said that members of the MMC will present the following scenarios to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID):

• Extension of the ECQ for two more weeks, from May 16-30.
• ECQ will be lifted, and general community quarantine (GCQ) will be imposed in the entire Metro Manila
• Modified GCQ, where LGUs are allowed to impose a lockdown on a specific barangay or zone if needed.

“There is no perfect solution we have to balance economic and health issues,” Garcia said of the recommendations.

“Ipe-present [lang] namin because hindi naman MMC ang magde-decide for that eh (We’re just presenting because the MMC won’t decide for that),” Garcia said.

“Recommendatory lang kami. Ang maganda lang, maririnig yung boses ng nasa ground. Kasi ang mga mayors, sila talaga ang may kabisado dyan eh, kung ano yung nangyayari sa ground (We’re just a recommendatory body, what’s good about that is that the voices of those on the ground will be heard. The mayors know what’s happening),” he added.

Garcia added that once the IATF makes the final decision on which scenario it will choose, the MMC will respect it.

“Wala pong naging unanimous decision only unanimous suggestions (There is no unanimous decision, only unanimous suggestions),” MMDA spokesperson Celine Pialago said of the recommendations.

Metro Manila is currently under ECQ until May 15 due to rising cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

To date, the Philippines has 10,610 COVID-19 cases, with 1,842 recoveries and 704 deaths.