Abalos reiterates Metro mayors’ 2-week ECQ proposal, says it’s ideal
A two-week Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) is what the Metro Manila mayors want as a response to the Delta variant threat, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benhur Abalos stressed in a virtual press briefing Thursday, July 29.
“Lahat nakapirma, lahat kami (All of us signed it),” Abalos said while holding a resolution signed by himself and the 17 Metro mayors that are part of the Metro Manila Council or MMC.
The resolution was the product of an emergency meeting between Abalos and local chief executives Wednesday, July 28, wherein they practically endorsed the reimposition of an ECQ –the strictest lockdown possible – over the National Capital Region (NCR).
“ECQ talaga, 'yun ang decision namin. ECQ talaga ang gusto namin if the funds of the national government will allow it (ECQ is what we decided on. ECQ is what we really want if the funds of the national government allow it),” he said.
Abalos said in statement late Wednesday night that the NCR mayors were ready for a two-week ECQ for as long as the national government can provide aid via the Social Amelioration Program (SAP). This is essential since the ECQ would severely hamper NCR residents' ability to work.
On Thursday, July 29, Malacañang said the government cannot meet the condition of Metro Manila mayors to have cash assistance or “ayuda” if NCR shifts to ECQ.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a press briefing that the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases would meet to discuss the recommendation of the Metro Manila mayors but also addressed the elephant in the room.
“Ang sabi nila okay magECQ sa kanila basta may ayuda. Ang issue po, meron ba ho talaga tayong maibibigay na ayuda (They said they were fine going to ECQ as long as there will be cash aid. But the issue, do we have money for that)?” he said.
“Complete closure of the economy, mawawalan ng trabaho, and ang katotohanan po hindi ko po alam kung meron tayong pang-ayuda para sa another malawakang lockdown (people are bound to lose jobs and the reality is I don't know if we have enough funds for cash aid for another extensive lockdown),” he added.
Abalos said the mayors further suggested that ramped up vaccinations must be conducted during the proposed two-week ECQ.
During President Duterte's pre-recorded public briefing late Wednesday night, the chief executive approved the imposition of a General Community Quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions in NCR until August 15. Obviously, this isn't as stringent as an ECQ.
“Kung hindi kaya (If SAP is not possible), we are proposing several restrictions... lagyan mo pa ng restrictions [yung GCQ with heightened restrictions] (let's add more restrictions to the GCQ with heightened restrictions),” Abalos said.
He said he will meet with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) at 2 p.m. Thursday to discuss the possible additional restrictions.
He said they would “brainstorm” during the meeting, although he mentioned that reviewing the capacities of establishments like restaurants would be important.
Abalos began the Thursday press briefing by saying that coronavirus disease (COVID19) cases in several areas in the metropolis have doubled or even tripled in the past few days. He didn't specify these places.
He reiterated that the proper mindset should be to treat these cases as all due to the Delta variant, which he said was 60 percent more transmissible than the other variants of COVID-19.
“Ideal is magkaroon ng ECQ for two weeks (What’s ideal is to have an ECQ for two weeks),” said Abalos, who is himself a COVID-19 survivor.
He said the basis for the GCQ with heightened restrictions was laid down last week.
"'Yan po napag-usapan last week pa, kahapon [Wednesday] lang na-implement... Between those days, ang dami nang nangyari (We discussed that last week, it was only implemented yesterday... Between those days, a lot has happened already)," he said.
Abalos said he made a presentation about the mayors' ECQ proposal during President Duterte's public briefing on Zoom, but apparently none of it came through in the actual broadcast since he was accidently muted.
97 more Delta variant cases
The stricter quarantine restriction is in response to the fast-spreading Delta variant.
On Thursday, the Department of Health (DOH) reported 97 new cases of Delta variant in the country.
Of the 97 new cases, 88 were local infections, six were returning overseas Filipinos (ROF), and three are being verified if they are local or ROF cases, the DOH said.
The DOH said that of the six ROFs, “two were from seafarers of MT Clyde and Barge Claudia, currently anchored off in Albay, and four were from crew members of MV Vega that arrived from Indonesia.”
The DOH, however, did not provide the locations of the detected local cases.
Meanwhile, former Vice President Jejomar Binay assailed the DOH for what he described as knee-jerk reaction of its leadership in opposing independent experts.
“Why not meet and discuss instead? Akala ko ba (I thought) whole-of-nation approach in fighting COVID? Bakit parang ayaw ng DOH na makinig sa ibang sector (Why is it that the DOH doesn’t want to listen to other sectors)?
“The Delta variant has the potential to bring our country to its knees. This is why everyone is concerned and putting forward possible courses of action to stop it from spreading. But we do not see any urgency in the actions of the DOH leadership. They seem to be oblivious to the fact that by their inaction, they are again putting in danger the lives of doctors, nurses, and other medical frontliners. They seem to be treating lightly the untold sufferings that an outbreak of Delta may bring to the people,” Binay said in a statement.
“The DOH leadership is saying we don’t need to worry. They are ready. The last time they said that was last year, when the first cases of COVID were officially confirmed. Look where we are now,” he added. (With a report from Analou de Vera)