League of Provinces ok with MGCQ, but want power to declare lockdown if COVID-19 cases rise
By Ella Dionisio
The president of the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) on Wednesday said they favor easing restrictions to modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) but local government units (LGUs) must be allowed to place their areas under lockdown or tighten quarantine measures if COVID-19 infections increase.
“It is okay to go MGCQ as we see the policy or strategy of the government to move the economy,” Marinduque Governor Presbitero Velasco Jr said in a radio interview.
“But we should be given authority to declare lockdown or revert back to GCQ or ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) because there is a different situation per province or city,” he added.
Velasco said LGUs are having a hard time implementing health security measures in their areas because they need the approval of the IATF.
“If they want MGCQ, that is okay with the LPP but LGUs must have the right to act,” he said.
Last Monday, President Rodrigo Duterte's economic team recommended to place the entire Philippines, including Metro Manila, under MGCQ by March to further open the economy.
National Economic and Development Authority acting Director General Karl Kendrick Chua read the recommendation, which was approved by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases in last week's meeting, but yet to be acted on by the President.
"There's a need to shift to MGCQ as soon as possible for the entire Philippines starting March 1, 2021 to address rising hunger among the Filipinos," said Chua, also the acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary.
He cited that since most parts of the country went on a lockdown in March last year due to coronavirus pandemic, the income lost already reached to P1.04 trillion in 2020 or an average of about P2.8 billion daily.
However, OCTA Research said the national government must vaccinate health workers first before placing the country under MGCQ.
“We cannot make the situation worse while we have not vaccinated our frontliners. This is why we are suggesting that any attempt to loosen restrictions. The prerequisite of this is the vaccination of the frontline healthcare workers,” OCTA Research member and UP Professor Ranjit Rye said.
“Right now, it is very risky. It is contrary to sensible epidemic management to open up arbitrarily, prematurely. So while we agree with the government and we are one with the government's position to revive the economy, the conviction of OCTA Research is that mitigating further transmissions is the best way to jump start the economy and we can only do that if we start vaccinating,” Rye added. DMS
