DILG asks LGUs to ramp up efforts during GCQ
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año. INQUIRER.net file photo / NOY MORCOSO
MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Interior and Local Government asked local officials to ramp up their efforts as parts of the country prepare to shift to general community quarantine (GCQ) amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said Saturday.
Metro Manila will now be under GCQ starting June 1, nearly three months after the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) was imposed.
Año said that local government units should still strictly implement health standards such as the use of face masks in public places, curfew, one-passenger rule in tricycles, and social distancing.
GCQ will mean the bigger movement of people but, Año said, the health measures are there to still prevent the further spread of the virus.
“Dapat paigtingin ng mga opisyal sa ating mga lokal na pamahalaan mula sa probinsya hanggang sa mga barangay ang kanilang mga ginagawa para masigurong ligtas ang lahat mula sa pagkalat ng sakit dahil nakasalalay sa inyo na mabawasan ang mga kaso ng COVID-19 sa inyong komunidad,” said Año.
(Local officials from the provinces to the barangays should step up in their efforts to make sure that everyone is safe from the virus because it’s in their hands to bring down the number of COVID-19 cases in their communities.)
Año added that LGUs still have the authority to impose localized lockdown protocols as long as there is concurrence with the regional Inter-Agency Task Force.
“We cannot let our guards down until the medical community finds a medicine or vaccine to cure this disease. In the meantime, we will follow our national government-enabled, local government unit-led, people-centered strategy in dealing with this crisis,” Año said
Cooperation of the local populace, however, is also asked as Año encouraged the citizens to report any failure on the part of the LGUs in implementing the health measures.
Año also encouraged LGUs to deploy law enforcement in places where crowds could gather to ensure and monitor physical distancing.
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