Governors ask IATF to defer alert level system implementation to November 1

FILE PHOTO League of Provinces president and Marinduque Rep. Presbitero Velasco Jr. Screengrab from House of Representatives livestream

MANILA, Philippines — The League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) on Wednesday appealed to the Interagency Task Force for the Management of Infectious Diseases (IATF) to defer the immediate implementation of alert level system in some provinces to November 1.

LPP President and Marinduque governor Presbitero Velasco Jr said the governors are apprehensive that the instantaneous implementation of the new alert level system in some provinces, which already began on Wednesday, might catch their constituents unawares, leaving little room for preparation.

“‘Yan po ‘yung medyo may agam-agam tayong mga gobernador… dahil po biglaan nga po. Kailangan po naming pag-aralan yung mga rules din diyan na nakapaloob sa alert level system. Alam niyo po na sanay na tayo diyan sa mga community quarantine system, although medyo may mga similarities naman yung iba, may pagkakaiba din naman yung iba,” he said in an interview over Teleradyo.

(That’s where the apprehension of governors are coming from, the implementation is so sudden. We still need to study the rules within the alert system. We’ve gotten used to the community quarantine system, though it has similarities and differences with the alert level system.)

“Kaya hinihiling po natin na mga November 1 na po ang effective date ng implementation, para po makagawa ng kanya-kanyang executive order ang mga local chief executive at para matignan din po kung ano yung reasonable regulations na pwede nilang i-impose,” he further said.

(That’s why we are asking to move the effective date of implementation to November 1, so the local chief executives could make their respective executive orders and so that they could look into the reasonable regulations they could impose.)

Velasco also called for wider dissemination of information about the new alert level system.

“Ang amin pong rekomendasyon, i-publish na din po sa dyaryo, yung kopya ng resolution para marami pong nakakabasa,” he said.

(We also recommend publishing IATF resolutions in newspapers so more people can read it.)

“Alam niyo po sa NCR at mga lungsod, maganda po ang pagpapakalat ng mga ganyang regulasyon, pero sa mga probinsya po lalo na po ‘yung mahina ang internet, sa mga kabundukan, kailangan pong adequate ang panahon para maipaliwanag lahat po ‘yan,” he added.

(You know, in NCR and other cities, the dissemination of new regulations is smooth, but in the provinces where there is weak internet, especially in the mountains, there needs to be adequate time to explain all of that.)

The alert level system took effect on Wednesday, October 20, and would last until October 31, but Malacañang only announced its implementation on Tuesday.

The five-tier alert level system was first implemented in Metro Manila on September 16. Metro Manila is now down to alert level 3.

Negros Oriental and Davao Occidental have been placed under alert level 4.

Alert level 3 was imposed in Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Siquijor, Davao City and Davao del Norte, while alert level 2 was implemented in Batangas, Quezon province, Lucena City, Bohol, Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, Cebu province, Davao de Oro, Davao del Sur and Davao Oriental.

EDV