President Duterte reaffirmed that the National Capital Region-plus (NCR-plus) bubble will stay under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) until April 4 only while two other areas in Luzon will be placed under the modified ECQ (MECQ).
Duterte made the statement as the Philippines reported 10,016 new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases on Monday, another record-high figure, bringing the total number of infections to 731,894.
In his weekly public address on Monday evening, President Duterte retained Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal under ECQ until April 4.
Santiago City shall be placed under MECQ from April 1 to April 30, 2021; while Quirino Province will also be under MECQ from April 1 to April 15, 2021.
For Luzon, the entire Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR); Cagayan, Isabela, and Nueva Vizcaya in Region II; and Batangas shall be placed under general community quarantine (GCQ) until April 30, 2021.
Tacloban City in the Visayas; and Iligan City, Davao City, and Lanao del Sur in Mindanao will all be under the GCQ for the entire month of April.
Meanwhile, all other areas in the country will be under the modified GCQ (MGCQ) from April 1 to April 30.
President Duterte approved placing the NCR+ bubble under the ECQ to address the alarming increase of COVID-19 cases in the country.
In an interview with ANC, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque took exception to criticisms that the Greater Manila Area was placed under ECQ due to the government's incompetence in handling the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said the Philippines went back to square one because of the virus's ability to mutate.