A week after Metro Manila and nearby provinces reverted into modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), Metro Manila Council (MMC) chief and Paranaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez said city mayors reported fewer COVID-19 cases in their areas.
Olivarez, in an interview over CNN late Monday, said other Metro Manila cities logged fewer cases as they were able to limit movement with the enforcement of quarantine passes and implementation of checkpoints.
"Nakausap ko yung iba nating mga mayor, mula po nung na-implement at naghigpit po ang ating protocol, yun pong nililimitahan ang paglabas sa kanilang bahay, ay bumaba rin po ang cases nila (I talked to some of our mayors, they said that since the re-implementation of the MECQ and stricter protocols were implemented to limit the movement of people, their new COVID-19 cases have decreased)," Olivarez said.
"So titingnan lang po natin until end of this week, para malaman po natin yung total na resulta nitong MECQ for the next 15 days kasi one week lang po tayo. Tama po yung sinasabi ng DOH (Department of Health), na hindi pa natin makikita kung talagang MECQ will be effective o kailangan pa natin itong i-extend (We'll see until the end of this week, so that we will know the result of the MECQ for the next 15 days, because we only have one week left of MECQ. The DOH is right saying that we still have yet to see whether MECQ is really effective or if it needs to be extended)," he added.
Olivarez said Metro Manila mayors would meet before August 18 to finalize their recommendation to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).
"Sa aming pag-uusap, kailangan tayo ang supported by data, kasi lahat ng ating recommendation sa IATF ng MMC, meron po tayong data na sinusundan. Hindi pwedeng gut feel lang, kailangan supported by data yung magiging recommendation ng MMC (In our meetings, we have to be supported by data, because all of MMC's recommendation to the IATF, we follow data. We cannot just rely on our gut feel, our recommendation has to be supported by data)," he also said.
DOH on Monday reported the highest single-day increase in new COVID-19 infections at 6,958 -- 4,163 of which came from the National Capital Region (NCR), while 400 were from Laguna, 363 from Rizal, 132 from Cavite, and 178 from Bulacan – areas currently under MECQ.