Manila refuses to raise seating capacity in churches

MANILA: The government rejected the call particularly of Catholic leaders to increase the seating capacity in all their churches to enable more of the faithful to join religious gatherings but which has been limited to just 10 per cent help contain the spread of the novel coronavirus ( COVID-19) pandemic, according to a senior Cabinet official.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases where he is a member reported the rejection as it affirmed its decision limiting to 10 per cent the seating capacity in churches.

Guevarra pointed out such policy would apply in all areas where the government has imposed the less stricter general community quarantine (GCQ) or lockdown in Metro Manila and other areas in this predominantly Catholic nation of 110 million Filipinos.

But he assured the 10 per cent seating capacity in all churches would be increased if President Duterte would shit the GCQ covering Metro Manila and other areas with effect from Oct.1 to Oct.31 to the modified GCQ.

“For now, Guevarra explained, “the IATF sticks to the existing rules on mass gatherngs including public worship in GCQ areas until the later get reclassifierd to MGCQ or modified general community quarantine.”

According to Guevarra, the IATF acted on the petition of the Reverend Douglas Badong, parochial vicar of the Catholic Church in the Quiapo district in Manila where devotees of the Black Nazarene would gather every Friday to pay homage and pray for his intercession in their requests.

In particular, Badong appealed for an increase from 10 to 30 per cent seating capacity, citing as an example the thousands of devotees who flocked outside the Quiapo church on the first Friday of October.

Badong said that as a result, health safety protocols to contain the spread of the virus like the mandatory wearing of face masks and face shields as well as observance of social distancing and the ban on mass gatherings have been violated.