Manila City mayor empowers village captains to declare lockdown

By: Cathrine Gonzales - 4 years ago

Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso on Wednesday authorized barangay captains to declare a lockdown in their respective areas subject to certain conditions.

Under Executive Order No. 12, village chairpersons may declare a lockdown in their jurisdictions if the number of active COVID-19 cases in their areas is 10 or more.

The order states that “within three hours from its issuance, the Order placing the barangay, or portion thereof, under Critical Zone Containment shall be forwarded to the City Mayor for his confirmation.”

The barangay captains should also notify their constituents and other businesses operating in their villages about the lockdown two days prior.

According to the executive order, the Manila Health Department will have to verify the existence of COVID-19 active cases before barangays could start their lockdown.

Moreno said all residents who will be placed on lockdown shall be strictly confined to their homes and prohibited from going outside their residences, except for the following:

health workers
military personnel
service workers (pharmacies, drug stores, and funeral homes), utility workers (energy, cable, internet, telecommunication companies, water, sanitation, and critical transport facilities including port operation)
essential workers (goods delivery, food delivery, banking and money services)
barangay officials (chairpersons, barangay secretary, barangay treasurers, kagawads, and executive officers)
media practitioners accredited by the Presidential Communications Operations Office and the Inter-Agency Task Force

Meanwhile, commanders of police stations covering the affected barangays are directed to deploy officers in strategic locations for the effective implementation of the lockdown, Executive Order No. 12 also states.

The City of Manila has 3,667 active COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday, March 24, including 31,383 recovered patients and 866 fatalities.