ROBINSON NIÑAL/ PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

President Rodrigo Duterte has placed Metro Manila under general community quarantine (GCQ) from Nov. 1 to 30.

The following areas will also be under a month-long GCQ:

  • Batangas
  • Iloilo City
  • Bacolod City
  • Tacloban City
  • Iligan City
  • Lanao del Sur

Duterte said most leaders of local government units wanted to make the quarantine classifications permanent after seeing a decline in Covid-19 infections in their jurisdictions.

“Ang gusto ng mga mayor karamihan, gusto nila magpa — make it permanent because they have seen the — the goodness of the result na it has considerably lowered the number of people who are infected with the microbe (Covid-19 is a viral disease.- ed). So gusto nila ito. Palagay ko naman sa inyo man rin itong kapakanan,” he said.

The president said quarantine restrictions were imposed for the safety of the public.

“We are not here to make your life miserable or sad. We are here to make your life comfortable and to make you happy. Wala kaming ibang ano dito,” Duterte said.

The country has recorded 371,630 coronavirus cases as of Oct. 26. John Ezekiel J. Hirro