Bacoor quarantine hotels blocked by law

Office of Civil Defense (OCD) administrator Ricardo Jalad denied on Thursday the claim of Bacoor City Mayor Lani Mercado that he was blocking the opening of two quarantine hotels that had already been approved by his boss, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. Jalad explained that the delay in the implementation of her request was mainly due to a lack of funds, but the OCD was working to address the shortage of quarantine facilities in Bacoor. He said that while Lorenzana and COVID-19 task force implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. approved Mercado’s request for isolation hotels, the OCD has to follow procurement laws. He pointed out that the Commission on Audit previously cautioned against prolonged designation and use by government agencies of hotels as quarantine facilities without existing contracts. —JEANNETTE I. ANDRADE