NCR+ bubble is no lockdown, Palace insists

MANILA, Philippines — With businesses allowed to operate despite some restrictions, Malacañang maintained that placing the National Capital Region (NCR) and the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal inside a bubble for two weeks is not a form of lockdown.

“The economy is open. When we talk of lockdowns in ECQ and MECQ, the economy is closed wherein the people are directed to stay at home,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said.

Roque added that the NCR Plus bubble was necessary to stem rising COVID-19 cases, thanking the public’s cooperation that led to relatively few apprehensions.?Meanwhile, National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF) chief Implementer and vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. assured the public that majority of the population will be vaccinated by year-end, allowing the economy to safely re-open.

Unhampered financial services

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) yesterday assured the public that there will be unhampered financial services despite additional mobility restrictions in the NCR Plus bubble.

“The BSP, together with the banking industry, stands ready to ensure the safe and smooth functioning of the banking system,” the central bank said in a statement.

The BSP also said that personnel from its mission-critical departments and support units would continue to report on-site while alternative work arrangements were implemented at the Manila head office and the Security Plant Complex in Quezon City until March 31.

CAB warning

In an advisory, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) warned leisure charter operators not to let non-essential passengers leave the travel bubble covering Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

CAB executive director Carmelo Arcilla said airlines would be penalized if a “non-essential” individual would be able to travel.

Earlier, the CAB instructed all airlines to ensure that departing, arriving and transiting passengers from areas covered by the travel bubble are traveling for non-leisure purposes only until April 4.

In response, budget carriers Cebu Pacific and Cebgo decided to cancel several domestic flights from March 25 to April 4. These include Manila flights to Boracay (Caticlan), Coron (Busuanga), Legazpi, Cagayan de Oro, Cauayan, Cebu, Pagadian, Ozamiz, Iloilo, Puerto Princesa, Kalibo, Naga and Virac.

Meanwhile, Bohol Gov. Arthur Yap is pushing for “bubble tourism” with other countries to revive economic activity in his province.

“Give us the opportunity to explore bilateral air arrangements with

the help of the national government, with the Department of Tourism (DOT) and Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Bohol is not the Philippines. Bohol is not the NCR,” he said.

Since December 2020, Yap said Bohol only had 3,959 tourists, way below the daily average of 30,000 visitors before the pandemic hit last year. – Alexis Romero, Richmond Mercurio, Rudy Santos, Lawrence Agcaoili, Emmanuel Tupas