Paranaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez, also the chairman of the Metro Manila Council (MMC), said quarantine passes will not be implemented during the two weeks of unified curfew hour from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. starting Monday, March 15.
(Photo by Ted ALJIBE / AFP / MANILA BULLETIN)
Olivarez, during the Laging Handa Brieifing, said the Metro Mayors all agreed to strictly implement curfew hours for only two weeks to cushion the impact on the economy.
He said the MMC agreed that the implementation of a unified curfew in the 16 cities and one municipality of the National Capital region (NCR) for two weeks is also to stop loiterers from going around, thus increasing the chances of spreading the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
All local government units (LGU) in the NCR has three days to issue an executive order on the implementation of the curfew hours that was unanimously agreed upon during the MMC meeting on Thursday (March 11).
Olivarez said each LGU has existing ordinances in so far as the implementation of curfew hours in their area of jurisdiction is concerned and it depends on the mayor how they will sanction the violators.
He said the MMC also agreed to deploy more policemen to help barangay officials in the implementation of the curfew hours.
The MMC chairman said more policemen will be deployed in Metro street to show residents that they are serious in apprehending violators especially now that two new variants of COVID-19 -- the UK and South African -- have been detected in pocket areas of Metro Manila.