FILE PHOTO: Discussions are ongoing amid stronger calls to stop the face shield mandate in the country. INQUIRER/NIÑO JESUS ORBETA
MANILA, Philippines — Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Benhur Abalos on Monday said that mayors in the National Capital Region (NCR) support the removal of the face shield use policy except in critical areas.
In a phone interview with INQUIRER.net, Abalos said the mayors favor the proposal of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to drop the face shield requirement.
The DILG will raise the recommendation during the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases meeting on Thursday, November 11.
“Last night, we had a meeting with the mayors. It was agreed by mayors, the majority, and is now the official stand of the Metro Manila Council that we’re going to lift the face shield requirement except in critical areas like hospitals or barangay health centers or even public utility vehicles at that,” Abalos said.
“We’re going to support the position of Secretary Año which would be presented to the IATF,” he added.
READ: Año to propose removal of policy on face shield use, says DILG exec
Earlier on Monday, Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso issued an executive order lifting the wearing of face shields, except in medical facilities, in the capital city.
READ: Manila City lifts face shield requirement except in medical facilities
According to Abalos, there may have been a miscoordination as Moreno was absent during the meeting wherein they concurred to wait for the IATF’s decision.
“Halos pareho naman kami ni Mayor Isko, wala namang problema. Kaso wala kasi siya nung meeting kagabi. So, siguro it’s a matter of coordination lang. So, kasi kami hinayaan lang namin sa IATF. Baka ganu’n lang, nagkaroon ng ano sa coordination pero it’s almost the same,” he said.
(Our sentiments are almost the same with Mayor Isko. But he was not in the meeting last night. So, it may be a matter of coordination. We defer it to the IATF.)
Last week, IATF and President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesperson Harry Roque revealed that the pandemic task group is mulling the removal of the policy on face shield use as COVID-19 cases continue to decrease.