Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said he was in favor of placing Metro Manila under the less stringent modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) by June 16.
However, Lorenzana said it was up to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to make an official recommendation to President Rodrigo Duterte based on Metro Manila’s infection rate.
“Personally, gusto ko nang luwagan itong Metro Manila, maging MGCQ pero depende pa rin iyan sa magiging rekomendasyon ng task force kung ano ang mangyayari sa Metro Manila,” he said on Friday’s Laging Handa briefing.
The IATF will meet with Duterte on June 15, where the president is expected to announce the new quarantine classifications.
Lorenzana said recommendations of the country’s health department were the key elements in IATF’s decision-making process.
He added that the government was closely monitoring Metro Manila and Cebu, as the two areas have the highest number of infections in the country.
On Saturday, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire debunked posts circulating in social media that Metro Manila, Laguna and Cebu would shift back to the stricter enhanced community quarantine.
“Wala pa ho tayong nailalabas na IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force) recommendation ukol sa ating June 15 na decision. So lahat po ng lumalabas sa ngayon wala pa ho `yang basehan, hintayin na lang ho nating makapagbigay impormasyon sa atin ang Office of the President pagkatapos magbigay ng IATF recommendation sa Lunes, June 15,” Vergeire said. John Ezekiel J. Hirro