MANILA, Philippines — Rice porridge or “lugaw” and or any food products are considered essential goods and their delivery should remain unhampered, Malacañang said Wednesday.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque made the remark following a viral video showing a food delivery rider, who was on his way to deliver lugaw to a customer, being apprehended by barangay officials in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.
The female barangay personnel barred the delivery guy supposedly due to curfew hours under the ongoing implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), pointing out that lugaw was not part of essential goods.
READ: Bulacan barangay execs stop food delivery even if IATF rules allow it
“Lugaw, or any food item for that matter, is considered an essential good,” Roque said in a statement.
“Delivery of food items must remain unhampered 24/7. Huwag natin harangin sa checkpoints (Don’t bar this on checkpoints),” he added.
In a text message to INQUIRER.net, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez clarified that food deliveries are exempted from curfew hours.
“Very clear in ECQ guidelines workers, APORs (authorized persons outside of residences) and deliveries,” he said.
Under the quarantine guidelines from the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, “food preparation establishments such as commissaries, restaurants and eateries” are still allowed to operate but only “limited to take-out and delivery.”
Delivery and courier services and other similar companies are also allowed to operate at a full capacity.
Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal were placed under ECQ until April 4 in an attempt to arrest the alarming surge of COVID-19 cases.