DILG, NCR mayors ready if alert level would be downgraded in November

FILE PHOTO: A father with his children aboard their bicycle crosses an almost empty road in Manila while the capital region was under a strict quarantine restriction. (AFP)

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and mayors in the National Capital Region (NCR) are prepared should Metro Manila be further downgraded from Alert Level 3 to 2 in November.

“Yes, handang-handa po ang DILG. Handang-handa din po ang ating mga mayors sa National Capital Region,” Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said during the Laging Handa briefing on Wednesday.

(Yes, the DILG and National Capital Region mayors are ready.)

He added that NCR mayors already know what the adjustments would be in terms of additional capacity in allowed establishments, among others.

Malaya noted that COVID-19 data are presenting good figures.

“Napakaganda naman po ng datos (The data are good). We have had continuous decrease sa (in the) number of cases for the past two weeks and tuloy-tuloy naman po ang ating vaccination program (our vaccination program is ongoing as well),” he said.

The undersecretary likewise assured the public that the implementation of the Alert Level 2, if approved, would be successful.

“So, a combination of the ramped-up vaccination program, the decrease in cases, and the additional deployment of personnel by the Philippine National Police and the LGUs (local government units), we ensure na magiging matagumpay po ang implementasyon kung saka-sakaling bababa tayo sa Alert Level 2 (the implementation of Alert Level 2 would be successful if we would ease the status),” Malaya said.

Currently, Metro Manila is under Alert Level 3 until October 31.

The five-tier alert level was also expanded to areas beyond Metro Manila on October 20.

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