LGUs play a major role in containing coronavirus
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte highlighted the role of local government units (LGUs) particularly village leaders in fighting the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and asked them to work doubly hard to protect public health.
On Sunday, President Duterte granted the appeal of the country’s medical community and reimposed the stricter modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) in Metro Manila and other nearby provinces to halt the surge in COVID-19 cases.
He vowed to give health frontliners the protection and benefits they need as they fight the pandemic.
“Now, also mga barangay captains, it’s time that you really work. Isauli mo sa tao ‘yung honor na ibinibigay nila sa inyo. You work. Strictly enforce ang quarantine, lalo na ‘yung lockdown,” he told local officials. “Kasi ang Maynila dahil sa maraming tao na lumalabas, eh ‘di maraming mahawa.”
“That is why para hindi na magkahawa o mahawa man sa bahay ka na lang. It behooves upon the barangay captain, municipal mayor, to see to it that, kung maaari lang, kung posible lang that your barangay or munisipyo, city is COVID-free.”
Aside from Metro Manila, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, and Bulacan were put under the stricter MECQ from August 3 to 18. Last week, the government announced that Metro Manila would remain under the more lenient general community quarantine (GCQ) for two more weeks.
The National Capital Region has been under GCQ since June 1 as the government gradually reopens to prop up the economy in the midst of the pandemic.
As of August 2, Philippines has a total of 103,185 COVID-19 cases with 65,557 recoveries and 2,059 deaths, according to data from the Department of Health (DOH). (PND)
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