Año: Quezon City doing good in COVID-19 response

MANILA, Philippines — Interior Secretary Eduardo Año sees no reason for his department to take over the Quezon City government’s fight against COVID-19, as recommended by four members of the House of Representatives.

Año said yesterday he is satisfied with the local government unit (LGU)’s COVID-19 response under the leadership of Mayor Joy Belmonte.

“The Quezon City LGU is doing good in its COVID response compared to other LGUs nationwide,” he told The STAR in a Viber message.

According to Año, Quezon City is now at the low-risk category as COVID-19’s growth rate in the city has slowed down based on the latest data from the Department of Health (DOH).

He also lauded the local government for its COVID-19 vaccination drive wherein at least 1.76 million residents and workers in the city have been fully vaccinated and more than 1.84 million have received at least one dose.

“Despite having the largest population in the NCR (National Capital Region), vaccination rate is also very high,” Año said.

The OCTA Research Group, in its latest report, said COVID-19 cases in Quezon City from Oct. 26 to Nov. 1 went down to 190, lower by about seven percent compared to 204 cases the previous week.

The research group said the incidence rate or average daily attack rate in the city is 5.97 per 100,000 per day, which is considered moderate. It added hospital bed and intensive care unit occupancy rates are also at low levels of 42 percent and 50 percent, respectively.

Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Michael Defensor, who is Belmonte’s opponent in the mayoralty race, together with Quezon City Reps. Anthony Peter Crisologo, Precious Hipolito-Castelo and Allan Benedict Reyes, on Monday urged the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to assume full control of the city’s fight to suppress COVID-19, citing the supposed poor crisis leadership of the local government.

In response, Año said he has yet to hear the reasons or basis of the lawmakers in calling for the DILG to take over Quezon City’s COVID-19 response.