Metro Manila mayors are divided about imposing a liquor ban in their respective cities as some still allow the sale of alcoholic beverages amid the rising cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections in the National Capital Region.
However, there are only "a few of them," Navotas City Mayor Toby Tiangco said.
Tiangco said his local government preferred to enforce a liquor ban "to join" their neighboring cities that also imposed the same.
"Ang mga katabi namin naka liquor ban na, we have to be united with them, kasi yung mga tao ganon din naman eh (united), di ba? (Our neighboring cities are already under liquor ban. So we have to be united with them, because the people are also united, right?)" he said over TeleRadyo interview Tuesday (March 16).
Navotas City shares border with Malabon City, which has already imposed ban on retail sales of alcohol until April 3.
"Dapat makiisa kami kasi doon naman bibili (yung mga residente) sa kapitbahay (na city) (We have to cooperate. Otherwise, residents will buy alcohol in nearby city)," he added.
In Navotas, Tiangco said only those selling alcohols will be apprehended. He admitted that it is hard for them to catch those drinking inside their houses.
"Kasi kung may nag-iinuman sa loob ng bahay, wala naman tayong authority para pasukin 'yung bahay (We don't have the authority to barge into a house where there is a drinking session)," he said, "Kinakatok lang sila (So we just knock at their houses)."
As the city reported an increase of 714 active cases in just one month, the mayor reminded his constituents that gathering of more than 10 people is still prohibited.
Citing data presented to them by health experts, Tiangco said the transmission of COVID-19 is now more common "among children" and "among frontliners" and inside the household. He said this only proves that the new variant is more transmissible.
"We have some medical frontliners whose positivity rate inside their household is at 100 percent," he said in Filipino.
"This is what we all Metro mayors have experienced. Even those who are taking care of themselves, nurses, doctors, are getting infected. So, you will wonder why positivity rate is higher now than before," he added.