Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso on Wednesday signed Executive Order (EO) No. 35, allowing all take-out and food delivery services to operate on a 24-hour basis while Metro Manila is under the General Community Quarantine (GCQ).
Restaurants and other food establishments will also be allowed to operate beyond the 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew hours, as long as they only cater to authorized persons outside of residence (APOR).
They must also operate at only 30 percent of their capacity during the GCQ, as per guidelines issued by the national government.
Physical distancing, among other health and sanitation guidelines, must also be observed.
In a statement, Domagoso said this is the city government’s way of helping Manila residents keep their jobs and Manila-based businesses survive the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) crisis.
“The City of Manila sees the need to slowly open the economy in the city, particularly in the food and restaurant industry and to balance this with the demand from the general public, which may serve as stimulus of economic growth,” the executive order read.
The Manila mayor renewed his call for the public to discipline themselves and “learn how to live” until a vaccine for COVID-19 is discovered “to help stimulate the economy.”
Domagoso also appealed to the public to support local businesses in a bid to boost the economy as well as extend help to small and local businesses.
“Kaunting pakiusap lang po (Just a small request). Let's help our local businesses. We have to protect jobs. We have to protect life and livelihood. Tangkilikin po natin ang kanilang produkto (Let us patronize their products),” he said.
“Life and livelihood must be addressed together in our fight against COVID-19,” he added.
The Bureau of Permits recently launched a #ManilaSupportLocalChallenge on social media using the said hashtag to promote different businesses, that are not limited to food, in the city.