governance – Page 87 – Author Carlo Carrasco

COVID-19 Crisis: DTI’s latest attempt to boost business operations in areas under Alert Level 4

September 27, 2021September 23, 2021carlocarrasco

While businesses in Metro Manila’s areas under Alert Level 4 have been allowed to operate and cater to customers with specific limits for outdoors and indoors, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) continues to push forward with boosting their operations even more and it could happen soon according to a recent report published by Philippine News Agency (PNA).

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the PNA. Some parts in boldface…

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez said the agency is considering increasing the allowed operation capacity of businesses in areas that will be under Alert Level 4 next month.

This, as the pilot week of the alert level system in Metro Manila has been a “good start” and “safe”, Lopez said in an interview with CNN Philippines Wednesday.

“We consider bringing operation capacity up from 10 percent to 20 percent because it is deemed safe, and customers are highly complying (with the protocols). It makes sense to give a little more support on this protocol,” he said in mixed English and Filipino.

He added this could start by October, after the last day of Alert Level 4 status in Metro Manila.

Metro Manila is currently under the new alert level system, in which outdoor dine-in operation is allowed up to 30 percent, and 10 percent for indoor dine-in services.

Same operation capacity was also applied for personal care services.

Aside from increasing the allowed capacity in stores, Lopez said the agency is also considering reopening the gyms under Alert Level 4.

Protocols under Alert Level 4 are equivalent to the current modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) protocol.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What do you think about this latest development? Were you able to personally visit a restaurant or a personal care service joint here in Metro Manila since the start of the Alert Level 4 implementation? Has everyone in your local community been vaccinated for COVID-19?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Las Piñas City Mayor Aguilar honored again

September 27, 2021September 24, 2021carlocarrasco

A few months ago, Las Piñas City Mayor Imelda Aguilar was honored by the Regional Peace and Order Council-National Capital Region (RPOC-NCR) in recognition of her administration’s perseverance and ensuring order and safety in the city during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Very recently, Mayor Aguilar received another honor this time by Department of Labor and Employment-National Capital Region (DOLE-NCR) according to a news report by the Manila Bulletin.

What exactly is the newest honor all about? To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the Manila Bulletin report. Some parts in boldface…

Las Pinas City Mayor Imelda Aguilar was was recognized by the Department of Labor and Employment-National Capital Region (DOLE-NCR) for her leadership and humanitarian interventions to address the health and economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Atty. Sarah Mirasol, Regional Director of the DOLE-NCR, recognized Aguilar’s contribution to the global response of leaving no-one behind and extending the LGU’s arms to DOLE-NCR personnel in its COVID-19 vaccination roll- out.

The Plaque of Recognition cited Aguilar’s actions as an indication of her selflessness and dedicated service to the public driven by compassion and solidarity.

Aguilar thanked DOLE-NCR for the recognition and vowed to continue to give better services to Las Pineros.

The above report ended with Mayor Aguilar expressing her gratitude to the local constituents for their discipline and following the minimum health protocols. It should be mentioned that very recently, the City Government launched COVID-19 hotline numbers so that those with problems can access help or information. Also there are hundreds of thousands of people in the city who got vaccinated.

Any Las Piñas resident who has yet to get registered for the free COVID-19 vaccines can learn the ways (4 methods) by clicking here. Anyone who is ready and willing to register online can click bit.ly/LasPiñasVaccination

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: If you are a resident of Las Piñas City, what do you think about the latest recognition your mayor received? Do you feel delighted that Mayor Aguilar got honored again?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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COVID-19 Crisis: Muntinlupa City implements new COVID-19 Alert Levels system

September 17, 2021September 16, 2021carlocarrasco

In connection to the Alert Level 4 rules and guidelines that took effect all over Metro Manila yesterday, the City Government of Muntinlupa formally implemented the new COVID-19 Alert Levels System according to a Manila Bulletin news report.

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the Manila Bulletin report. Some parts in boldface…

Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi issued guidelines in the implementation of the new COVID-19 Alert Levels System, the new community quarantine classifications in the National Capital Region (NCR) starting Sept. 16.

Under the new classification, Metro Manila is under the General Community Quarantine (GCQ) Alert Level 4 from Sept. 16 to 30.

Fresnedi issued Executive Order No. 40 dated Sept. 15 outlining the various activities allowed and prohibited from Alert Levels 1 to 5, and the implementation of granular lockdowns in communities.

The order is based on the resolution issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the new quarantine classifications.

According to the executive order and resolution, Alert Level 1 “refers to areas wherein case transmission is low and decreasing, total bed utilization rate, and intensive care unit utilization rate is low” while Alert Level 2 pertains to “areas wherein case transmission is low and decreasing, healthcare utilization is low, or case counts are low but increasing, or case counts are low and decreasing but total bed utilization rate and intensive care unit utilization rate is increasing.”

Areas to be placed under Alert Level 3 are those “wherein case counts are high and/or increasing, with total bed utilization rate and intensive care unit utilization rate at increasing utilization,” while those to be under Alert Level 4 are “areas wherein case counts are high and/or increasing, with total bed utilization rate and intensive care unit utilization rate at high utilization.”

Alert Level 5 “refers to areas wherein case counts are alarming, with total bed utilization rate and intensive care unit utilization rate at critical utilization.”

Under Alert Level 4, according to Fresnedi, the following will not be allowed outside their residence: persons below 18 years old, persons over 65 years old, persons with immunodeficiencies, comorbidities or other health risks, and pregnant women. But they are allowed to go out to obtain essential goods and services, and report for work in permitted industries and offices.

The mayor will have the sole authority to declare an area under granular lockdown, according to the executive order, and he may impose it on an entire barangay, individual house, street, block, purok or sitio, compound, subdivision, village and other gated communities.

Granular lockdown will be in effect for at least 14 days and persons under it will not be allowed to go out.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: If you are a Muntinlupa City resident, do you anticipate significant changes to happen locally? Do you think the new guidelines make sense?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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COVID-19 Crisis: Las Piñas City inoculation count now over 700,000

September 14, 2021September 13, 2021carlocarrasco

This past Sunday, the City Government of Las Piñas announced that its overall inoculation count has surpassed the 700,000 mark. Along the way, the number of patients who received their first vaccine dose surpassed 400,000 while the number of fully vaccinated patients in the city exceeded 300,000.

To be more specific, the official count as of September 11, 2021, was 709,368 in total inoculation. As for the breakdowns, 403,191 patients were vaccinated with the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine while 314,888 patients got vaccinated with the second dose.

As before, the numbers of first dose and second dose do not add up to match the declared inoculation total of 709,368. Do the math, 403,191 first dose patients plus 314,888 second dose patients equal 718,079 in all. That’s a discrepancy of 8,711. The discrepancy is around 1.23% of the September 11 grand total.

To put things in perspective, posted below is the official visual reference released by the City Government on their Facebook page on September 5, 2021 and this includes the types of patients who got vaccinated. Also notable is the count of the single-dose Janssen vaccine from Johnson & Johnson.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: If you are a resident of Las Piñas City, are there still people in your local community who have not yet been vaccinated? If you have been vaccinated within the city, would you encourage the unvaccinated members of your local community to get registered to avail of the free COVID-19 vaccines? Does the local use of the single-dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson interest you?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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COVID-19 Crisis: Guidelines on localized lockdowns in NCR ‘provisionally’ approved by IATF

September 13, 2021September 11, 2021carlocarrasco

Are you still disappointed over the extended MECQ (modified enhanced community quarantine) in Metro Manila which was the result of the recent flip-flop by the national authorities? You definitely are not alone as Marikina City’s mayor spoke out against the national government for their flip-flop and the Metro Manila mayors plus the MMDA (Metropolitan Manila Development Authority) issued a resolution urging Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to consider easing the COVID-19 guidelines for fully vaccinated people in the National Capital Region (NCR).

The current MECQ will last until September 15 and we should not be surprised to see changes happening on the 16^th as the IATF “provisionally” approved guidelines on the pilot implementation of granular lockdowns in Metro Manila according to an article published by the Philippine News Agency (PNA). Speaking of granular lockdown, take note what happened in a certain locked down residential community in Parañaque City.

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the Philippine News Agency. Some parts in boldface…

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) has “provisionally” approved the guidelines on the pilot implementation of granular lockdowns in Metro Manila, Malacañang announced on Friday.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, also acting as IATF-EID spokesperson, said the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) policy shift would only impose either the strictest enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) or the general community quarantine (GCQ) with four alert levels in Metro Manila.

“Sang-ayon po dito sa policy shift na gagawin natin, dalawa na lang ang quarantine classifications. Ito po ang ECQ na ipapataw ng IATF o ‘di naman kaya ay GCQ (Based on the policy shift that we will carry out, there will only be two quarantine classifications. These are the ECQ that will be imposed by the IATF or the GCQ),” Roque said in a virtual presser.

He said the localized lockdown that would be pilot-tested in Metro Manila has four levels.

The IATF-EID is still ironing out the details on the implementation of alert level 4, the strictest level, Roque said.

Roque said all areas that would be placed under an alert level system should follow the protocols that are consistent with their alert levels and issued by the National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19.

The classification of pilot areas and their alert levels will also be done weekly, unless otherwise specified, he added.

“Lahat po ng areas ay magpapatupad po ng granular lockdowns, sang-ayon po sa guidelines ng NTF. Ang pagkakaiba po nito, itong lockdowns na ito ay mas strikto (All areas will implement granular lockdowns, based on the guidelines of the NTF. The difference is these lockdowns are stricter),” Roque said.

With the implementation of stricter granular lockdowns, health and allied health professionals are the only ones who will be considered Authorized Persons Outside Residence (APOR), he said, noting that government workers in areas under localized lockdown would not be allowed to go out.

“‘Yun pong mga taong gobyerno ay hindi makakapagtrabaho kapag kayo po ay nasa ilalim ng localized lockdown. Hindi kayo pupuwedeng lumabas (Government workers will not be allowed to go out if their areas are under localized lockdown. They cannot go out),” Roque said.

He, however, assured that local government units and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) would provide assistance to households that might be affected by the implementation of granular lockdowns.

“Magbibigay na po ng ayuda ang lokal na pamahalaan at ang DSWD para po hindi na kinakailangang lumabas ng kahit na sino sa mga lugar na naka-granular lockdown (Local governments and the DSWD will give assistance so residents of areas under granular lockdown would no longer need to leave their homes),” he said.

Roque did not mention when the pilot implementation of localized lockdowns would commence.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What do you think about the new guidelines for granular lockdown? Do you believe that the plan of using 4 alert levels for GCQ will cause a lot of confusion? Do you think that the national authorities will be able to finalize and issue the new guidelines before September 15?

How many people do you personally know lost their jobs because of the most recent flip-flop by the IATF resulting the extended MECQ? Do you believe that the IATF, the Metro Manila Council and the MMDA are paying sufficient attention to economic matters like job losses and the affected employees’ loss of income?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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COVID-19 Crisis: Marikina City Mayor speaks out against national government over flip-flop related to extended MECQ for Metro Manila

September 9, 2021September 8, 2021carlocarrasco

Someone had to speak out about the unpleasant surprise that affected us Metro Manila residents and stakeholders. This is about the most recent flip-flop that the national government committed regarding quarantine control over the National Capital Region (NCR) and Marikina City Mayor Marcy Teodoro slammed the national authorities which the Manila Bulletin thankfully magnified by reporting about it.

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the Manila Bulletin news report. Some parts in boldface…

Marikina City Mayor Marcelino “Marcy” Teodoro slammed the national government on Wednesday for its last minute decision to defer placing the National Capital Region (NCR) under the General Community Quarantine (GCQ) and retained it under the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) until September 15.

“Tingin ko, hindi lang mga negosyante ang nagalit, madami ding mga mayor ang nagalit. Dapat may kahandaan talaga at hindi magdulot ng kalituhan sa ating mga kababayan yung mga ganitong pangyayari (I think not only the businessmen were angry about the decision, even the mayors were also infuriated. There should always be preparedness in these situations to avoid confusion),” Teodoro said in an interview with DZBB Wednesday morning.

“Tandaan natin, Inter-Agency Task Force ito, IATF, naririto na lahat ng departmental agencies operating at the secretary’s level kaya dapat kung may mga pahayag, dapat maging malinaw ang mga ito. Pangalawa, yung mga guidelines, yung mga implementing mechanisms nito kung papano ipapatupad ay malinaw, at hindi lang sa malinaw, kundi napapanahon dapat ang pagpapatupad (Remember, this is an inter-agency task force. All departmental agencies operating at the secretary’s level are here, that’s why all announcements should be clear. Second, all guidelines and implementing mechanisms should be clear, and not just clear, but timely as well),” he added.

Teodoro said Metro Manila mayors, as well as the IATF, held a meeting yesterday regarding the quarantine classification of Metro Manila.

“Hanggang kahapon nung magmeeting kami ng umaga, nagsimula ang meeting ng alas nueve ng umaga hanggang alas dose, ala una, eh hinihingi nga namin yung malinaw na guidelines, pero wala pang maibigay sa amin. May naibigay na draft, pero hindi pirmado (Yesterday, we had a meeting that started at 9 a.m. and lasted until 12 or 1 p.m. We were asking for the clear guidelines. However, they did not give us any. They just provided us with a draft, and it was not even signed),” Teodoro said.

“Tapos, after two hours, eh nabalitaan namin na nagkaroon ng meeting ng mga alas tres ng hapon na nag emergency meeting ang IATF at hindi na nakausap muli ang mayors buhat noon (After two hours, we found out that the IATF held an emergency meeting at three in the afternoon, but the mayors were left out),” he added.

Teodoro said all the mayors were asking for are clear guidelines for the GCQ with granular lockdown system’s implementation because a lot of preparation are needed for it, especially in terms of manpower and logistics.

“Narinig nalang namin yung pahayag sa media na (extended na ang MECQ) (We just heard the announcement in the media that the MECQ was extended),” Teodoro said.

Wow! The details in the above excerpt are quite revealing! The Metro Manila mayors met with the IATF and the latter provided the local government heads an unsigned draft in response to the request for guidelines. Then the IATF had an emergency meeting leaving the mayors out. Something seems fishy and the Mayor of Marikina City had the courage to reveal publicly what exactly happened.

For the newcomers reading this, Metro Manila was supposed to revert back to general community quarantine (GCQ) as announced by the national authorities and then the flip-flop happened shortly after. As I mentioned before, businesses and their employees in the food-and-beverage sector as well as those in the personal care services sector have been negatively affected by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) itself does not make life easier for them. And then there is the lack of an explanation from the national authorities about the flip-flop.

Already one local business was reported by CNN Philippines to have been affected negatively by the national authorities’ flip-flop. I encourage you to read the news article.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction about Marikina City Mayor Teodoro’s slamming of the government over the flip-flop? Do you think the IATF is working hard right now to prepare for the next announcement on community quarantine in Metro Manila? Are the members of your local community ready for a potential granular lockdown like what happened in Parañaque City?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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COVID-19 Crisis: Metro Manila under GCQ from September 8 to September 30, 2021

September 7, 2021September 6, 2021carlocarrasco

Finally, residents and businesses of National Capital Region (NCR) will experience relief and added liberty as the national authorities declared that starting September 8 until September 30, Metro Manila will revert back to general community quarantine (GCQ) according to a report by the Manila Bulletin. It should be noted that August 2021 was full of restrictions for Metro Manila such as the sudden enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the prohibition on outdoor exercise and the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) (which saw an extension) due to the rise of COVID-19 cases. These same restrictions also resulted damaged to the national economy in the form of increased unemployment and further business hardship which prompted the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to make a proposal with economic recovery in mind.

Very recently, granular lockdown action happened around the NCR and such forms of restrictions look like will become the new normal for communities with infections.

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the Manila Bulletin news report. Some parts in boldface…

After enduring a month of strict lockdown, Metro Manila will shift back to a general community quarantine (GCQ) although it will also serve as the pilot area for the implementation of granular lockdowns starting Sept. 8 until the end of the month.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque made the statement on Monday, Sept. 6, or a day before the expiration of the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) status of the National Capital Region (NCR).

In his press briefing on Monday, Roque announced that Metro Manila will be placed under the more lax GCQ beginning Sept. 8. He also confirmed reports that granular lockdowns will be implemented in the region as a new tact against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Roque said limited dine-in services and religious gatherings will be allowed again in Metro Manila once it shifts to GCQ.

Granular lockdown

However, Roque said details about the granular lockdown were still being finalized and will be announced before Sept. 8.

He explained that it will be the governors and mayors who will decide on the granular lockdowns. The Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases can reverse the decision of the local chief executives, he said.

The Palace official explained that the granular lockdown should cover the smallest area as possible.

“The granular lockdown does not have to be an entire barangay. It can be a street, it can be a house, it can be a community. It should be as granular as we can,” he said.

According to Roque, the government shifted to granular lockdowns because the number of COVID-19 cases did not seem to go down despite the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ)–the strictest quarantine level possible.

“Ang tingin ng mga eksperto, mas epektibo po kung tayo po talaga ay magpapatupad ng systematic at scientific granular lockdowns (Exprets think that the implementation of systematic and granular lockdowns will be more effective),” he said.

We have the Lord to thank for the Metro Manila GCQ. So much economic damage has been done already and it is high time for businesses and the affected employees to move forward and lead the way for economic recovery. It is also high time for the faithful to be allowed to worship the Lord on-site at church facilities as it is a fact that online worship is very limiting (especially when Zoom is used as a digital platform). When it comes to public health, people of Metro Manila should have more freedom and time to exercise outside of their homes to gain fitness and strengthen their immune system which itself is crucial during this pandemic.

Of course, each and every individual has a personal responsibility to properly follow health protocols (social distancing, using sanitizers, contact tracing and more) whenever he or she enters a church to worship the Lord, or enter a restaurant or a personal care service provider to be served, or visiting random places outdoors. Each of us has a role to be taken seriously to stay safe, be safe and avoid getting infected while moving around in public to fulfill our respective objectives.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: Does the new GCQ announcement for Metro Manila surprise you in relation to the daily high numbers of new COVID-19 infections?

If you are a Metro Manila resident, do you trust your mayor or the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) when it comes to making big, sweeping decisions that affect you and your family? Have you prayed to the Lord to enlighten all the government and community leaders so that they can do their jobs better and rightfully?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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COVID-19 Crisis: Over 6,000 violators apprehended in Muntinlupa City for the month of August 2021

September 3, 2021September 2, 2021carlocarrasco

For the month of August 2021, over six thousand people who violated quarantine rules and local ordinances in Muntinlupa City were apprehended according to a news report by the Manila Bulletin. Officially the city count of the said violators is 6,639. Do the math, that’s an average of over 214.16 violators per day for the month that had the last enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) that followed (click here and here) and the restrictions on outdoor exercise (click here, here and here) in effect over the National Capital Region (NCR).

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Manila Bulletin’s report. Some parts in bold face…

The Muntinlupa police caught more than 6,000 people in August for violating city ordinances on quarantine rules.

A report presented Wednesday by the Muntinlupa police headed by Col. Melecio Buslig showed that 6,639 people in Muntinlupa were apprehended for violating the curfew and not wearing face masks and face shields.

Of the total, 1,059 persons were fined and 5,580 individuals were given warnings for the violations.

By violation, not wearing of face shields topped the list with 3,039 (46 percent) followed by curfew with 1,879 (28 percent) and not wearing of face masks with 1,721 (26 percent).

In the first week of August, curfew in Metro Manila was from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. and it was extended from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. starting Aug. 6 when the National Capital Region was placed under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

The eight-hour curfew is still in effect in Metro Manila since the region was placed under the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) from Aug. 21.

According to the Muntinlupa police, 1,879 people were caught violating the curfew hours in August consisting of 621 (33 percent) who were fined and 1,258 (67 percent) who were warned.

Among barangays in Muntinlupa, Tunasan had the highest number of curfew violators with 520 followed by Poblacion, 268; Alabang, 267; Putatan, 253; Bayanan, 252; Cupang, 121; Sucat, 114; Buli, 54; and Ayala Alabang, 30.

A total of 1,721 people were apprehended for not wearing face masks consisting of 438 (25 percent) who were fined and 1,283 (75 percent) who were given warnings.

Alabang topped in the number of face mask violators caught with 349 followed by Tunasan, 321; Poblacion, 292; Bayanan, 205; Cupang, 160; Putatan, 126; Sucat, 121; Ayala Alabang, 76; and Buli, 71.

The above report ended stating that Barangay Ayala Alabang had the highest number of face shield violations with 769 counted.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to the news story? Do you believe that Muntinlupa residents still have a long way to go before understanding the rules and following them?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Las Piñas City mayor expresses immense gratitude to those who sent messages of condolence

September 2, 2021September 1, 2021carlocarrasco

It has been a few weeks since former Las Piñas City mayor Vergel “Nene” Aguilar passed away at age 74. Naturally, people in the city got emotional over his death and at the same time, memories of his legacy of leadership and service came back. Not only did Las Piñas City win awards or got recognized for excellence during his time as mayor from 1995 to 2004 and 2007 to 2016, the Friendship Route was established which changed the dynamics of local traffic flow. The late Aguilar was also one of the first local chief executives in the nation to introduce free basic and secondary education.

This past weekend, incumbent Las Piñas City mayor Imelda Aguilar issued a message of gratitude to all those who expressed their love and condolences for her late husband.

To put things in perspective, posted below is the said message that was published via the city’s official Facebook page.

*An official message from Mayor Imelda Aguilar.*

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: If you are a resident of Las Piñas City during the time of Vergel “Nene” Aguilar was mayor, what do you best remember him for? Were you able to see him in person many times? Was there a time you attended a meeting with him at his office at City Hall?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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COVID-19 Crisis: Trade Secretary Lopez proposes allowing vaccinated people to dine in food-and-beverage joints, and enter personal care service joints during MECQ

September 1, 2021August 31, 2021carlocarrasco

Nothing changes the fact that the restrictions imposed on businesses as a result of lockdown or the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) or the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) caused damage on the national economy in the forms of rising unemployment, added business hardship and the loss of income for the affected employees as the national authorities struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic. The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) declared that the nation’s economy would lose at least P150 billion per week in relation to Metro Manila and other areas being placed under the most restrictive quarantine measure while the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) announced that the economy should be reopened to prevent any more economic damage. ECOP already stated that lockdown is no remedy.

For the newcomers reading this, under ECQ and MECQ, dining inside food-and-beverage joints and availing of indoor services of personal care service businesses are forbidden. Restaurants, coffee shops and related food-and-beverage joints are limited to take-out and deliveries. Very recently, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon Lopez has a proposal to help the food-and-beverage joints and personal care service providers and literally give more breathing room to consumers who have already been vaccinated. Take note that already the government announced that more than 50 million new COVID-19 vaccines will come into the country in September and October.

To put things into perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the Manila Times report. Some parts in boldface…

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez is proposing to allow vaccinated people to dine-in in restaurants and enter personal care services establishments in areas under stricter quarantine measures.

In a Viber message to reporters, Lopez said this will help spur employment in those sectors.

“Same MECQ (modified enhanced community quarantine) but [I] am pushing for allowing vaccinated to [be] allowed only in these restricted sectors like dine-in and personal care. Because we are saying that in these restricted sectors, those who are vaccinated are safer. So, we don’t expect an increase in severe critical (cases) and should not worsen ICU (intensive care unit) cases,” Lopez told reporters in a Viber message.

“We pity the dine-in workers. About one million jobs and P1.5 billion revenues gone per week in the National Capital Region (NCR),” he added.

Lopez said that on top of these, 200,000 jobs in the personal care services sector in NCR were also affected.

“For other sectors, no need for distinguishing because both the vaccinated and unvaccinated are allowed. For example, both vaccinated and unvaccinated are allowed to go to malls or ride public transport,” he said.

“Again to clarify, [vaccinated should be allowed] only in restricted sectors during lockdowns like dine-in, personal care services, and meetings, incentives, conferencing, exhibitions. If it’s not locked down, all vaccine status should be allowed subject to operating capacity,” he added.

Lopez, however, clarified that these should be allowed to operate at a maximum of 20- percent capacity.

“We believe in the vaccine. So, we should believe in the vaccinated. This should also serve as an incentive to those who are vaccinated and to encourage vaccination. With this, we help bring back jobs, open up these sectors,” said Lopez.

He said that once approved, this will be part of the new Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) guidelines.

Metro Manila and other Covid-19 critical areas were earlier placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) until August 20.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) disclosed that the two-week ECQ will cost the Philippine economy P120 billion and aggravate poverty.

In relation to the details emphasized by Trade Secretary Lopez, the affected businesses within the restricted sectors can be relieved economically and already there are millions of vaccinated consumers available in Metro Manila to come in and support these businesses even though the maximum capacity is fixed at 20% under MECQ. The unemployed and the under-employed impacted by the ECQ/MECQ will finally get the opportunities to be hired and be able to earn much-needed income. That being said, it is a must that we pray in supporting Lopez’s proposal to get approved so that our nation as whole can recover better and that MECQ won’t be too damaging for businesses and workers anymore.

Speaking of the National Capital Region (NCR), pay close attention as to how Metropolitan Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Benhur Abalos and the members of the Metro Manila Council (MMC) will perceive and react to Lopez’s proposal of allowing food-and-beverage joints and personal care businesses to cater to vaccinated customers at limited capacity during MECQ. Take note that during the last ECQ, it was the MMDA and MMC who approved the restriction on outdoor exercise while businesses and their employees kept losing! Think about how these Metro Manila authorities think. That being said, it is essential to pray to our Lord to enlighten and guide all the government officials so they can do their jobs better and correctly.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: Do you agree with Trade Secretary Lopez’s proposal to help the affected businesses during MECQ? If you are still unvaccinated, does this recent development encourage you at all to get vaccinated? If you are an owner of a food-and-beverage joint or a personal care services joint, what do you think about Lopez’s proposal in helping you and your employees?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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