It’s up to the local government units (LGUs) whether to shorten the curfew hours to accommodate Simbang Gabi, said Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Monday, Oct. 19.
The secretary pointed this out amid calls from the Catholic Church for the government to allow the holding of the traditional Sambing Gabi this Christmas season by further reducing the current curfew of 5 a.m. to 3 a.m.
Guevarra assured that the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) will also be discussing this within the week.
“The matter may be taken up at the next meeting of the IATF on Thursday,” said Guevarra who is a member of the IATF.
“But in all likelihood, the lifting or shortening of curfews will be left to the discretion of the respective LGUs, except Metro Manila where LGU officials normally act in unison,” he pointed out.
On the other hand, Guevarra said that Metro Manila mayors have recently agreed to have more churchgoers.
“The increase in church capacity from 10% to 30% under GCQ was reportedly agreed upon by the Metro Manila mayors in their meeting yesterday,” he said.
Aside from this, Metro Manila mayors have also agreed to reduce the curfew hours from 12 midnight to 4 a.m.
Only Navotas City has decided to keep its curfew hours from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.