The mayors of Metro Manila did not come up with a recommendation as to whether the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the region should be extended or not.
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benhur Abalos on Wednesday said the mayors decided to leave the decision to the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Metro Manila, the center of Philippine commerce, is under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), the strictest lockdown, until Aug. 20.
Abalos said the mayors, despite “know[ing] what is happening on the ground, felt it was best to “leave the decision to the wisdom and judgment of the IATF.”
“This is a very sensitive and critical matter right now. We do not want to have any wrong decision,” Abalos said in a virtual presser.
Palace spokesman Harry Roque earlier said it was a tough decision to impose ECQ in the capital region because of limited funds.
There are more than 13 million people residing in Metro Manila.
Cash aid in ECQ areas amounts to P1,000 per individual or a maximum of P4,000 per family.
The Department of Health has recorded cases of the highly infectious Delta variant of Covid-19 in all Metro Manila cities. John Ezekiel J. Hirro