By Jel Santos
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Saturday night (June 13) clarified that the meeting held by the 17 Metro Manila mayors earlier in the day was not an official Metro Manila Council (MMC) meeting tackling the recommendation on the new quarantine status of the National Capital Region (NCR).
Earlier, there were reports that the MMC held a meeting to tackle what quarantine status they would recommend to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), as the general ccommunity quarantine (GCQ) of Metro Manila and other areas is set to end on June 15.
“ was only regarding some of the projects in the metropolis such as the EDSA Bus Loop and bike lane, and not regarding the quarantine status,” MMDA said.
Days before the expiration of previous quarantine periods, the mayors of the metropolis deliberated what quarantine classification they would recommend to IATF, taking into consideration the COVID-19 condition in their respective cities.
In past media briefings, MMDA General Manager Jose Arturo Garcia repeatedly stressed the importance of getting the feedback of mayors as they know the situation on the ground.
On the other hand, the MMDA neither confirmed nor denied whether the MMC had discussed their recommendation on the current quarantine status, especially as DOH data shows that the majority of confirmed COVID-19 cases are in the National Capital Region.
The MMC, comprising the metropolis' 17 mayors, is the governing and policy-making body of the MMDA. (JEL SANTOS)###