Belmonte welcomes decision to keep NCR under GCQ

MANILA, Philippines — Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte yesterday welcomed the decision of President Duterte to keep Metro Manila under general community quarantine (GCQ) until the rollout of vaccines.

“To say I was relieved at President Duterte’s statement yesterday is an understatement; I am extremely happy,” Belmonte said.

“We laud the President for his wisdom and for placing the health and welfare of the Filipino people above anything else,” she added.

Belmonte was one of the eight Metro Manila mayors who voted to keep the region under GCQ, but they were outvoted by nine colleagues who wanted lesser restrictions by March.

She said the city government was prepared had the President followed the recommendation to shift to MGCQ.

“We’ve already anticipated what to do, ramping up contact tracing, testing, and early detection,” said the mayor.

Belmonte said the city will continue to ensure the strict enforcement of safety and health protocols to prevent the spread of the virus.

As for the opening of cinemas, she reiterated her call for the national government to look at reopening other sectors that would bring higher economic impact but with lesser risk.

She earlier said that reopening cinemas will not address the economic problems of the country, noting that even cinema operators were apprehensive about opening their theaters.