Metro Manila won’t revert to MECQ

MANILA, Philippines — Metro Manila will not revert to the stricter modified enhanced community quarantine or MECQ during the holidays, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana clarified over the weekend.

The alleged memorandum circulating on social media that Metro Manila would be placed under MECQ is fake, according to police.

Lorenzana said the National Capital Region would remain under general community quarantine until Dec. 31, denying rumors that it would shift to a stricter lockdown status.

“I would like to inform the public that the current situation in Metro Manila is manageable and does not warrant a shift to MECQ,” he said.

Lorenzana noted that the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) and mayors in Metro Manila have not recommended any shift in quarantine classification.

He urged the public to follow health protocols such as wearing of face masks and shields as well as physical distancing measures.

Lorenzana also advised the people to avoid crowded places and refrain from holding social gatherings to prevent the transmission of the virus.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is still a threat to our public health and safety. Let us not be complacent,” he said.

The IATF will meet after Christmas to discuss the quarantine classifications for January next year, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said yesterday.

Nograles said the recommendation of the IATF would be submitted to President Duterte, who is expected to make a decision before the end of the year.

“After Christmas, we will meet so we can decide on our recommendation to the President,” Nograles, co-chairman of the IATF, said. “Before January the President will have a decision. We do it month by month.”

Nograles described as fake news a memorandum stating that Metro Manila would revert to MECQ.

“That is far from the truth. You know our procedure in the IATF. We make our decisions every month,” he said.

“The localized lockdowns are implemented only in street, zone or the barangay level. These are not enforced in the regional level,” he added.

Nograles, however, said local governments could impose localized lockdowns in areas with rising cases of COVID-19.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año earlier said that any social gathering involving more than 10 people is prohibited.

Año said they would conduct random inspections and increase police visibility in malls and other public places to ensure that health protocols are complied with.

He said they would suspend the business permits of mall operators found to be non-compliant with health and safety guidelines.

Fake MECQ memo probed

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) is investigating the fake memorandum stating that Metro Manila would be placed under MECQ.

NCRPO chief Brig. Gen. Vicente Danao yesterday denied the existence of such memorandum.

“Actually, it is an unsigned memorandum. So it is not an official document. Kung meron po tayong sasabihin, it is just a recommendation from our part,” Danao said. “Definitely, yung lumabas na memo is fake news.”

He said only the IATF has the authority to decide whether a specific area would shift to quarantine classification.

Asked why the memorandum bore the NCRPO’s logo, Danao said the seal of the police force could easily be altered by anyone.

The memorandum dated Dec. 19 called for the “covert deployment” of police personnel to implement MECQ in Metro Manila.

Danao said the NCRPO would deploy additional policemen as part of heightened security to prevent crimes and possible terror threat during the holidays.

“Police officers would also ensure the people’s compliance with quarantine protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” he said. – Alexis Romero, Ralph Edwin Villanueva