The question of whether or not National Capital Region (NCR) residents can purchase booze from stores will be left to the discretion of the individual local government units (LGUs).
Thus, bared Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benhur Abalos as he laid down on Monday, August 2 the details of how the impending reimposition of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) later this month would impact the lives of NCR or Metro Manila residents.
First, he said that a uniform, NCR-wide curfew of 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. will be imposed during the two-week ECQ period from August 6 to 20.
"Pagdating naman sa liquor ban, ito ay kaakibat ng , ito'y pinapaubaya na rin sa kanya- kanyang LGUs (When it comes to the liquor ban, which is closely tied to the curfew, we will leave that up to the respective LGUs)," Abalos said during a virtual press briefing.
"So far may mga LGUs kasi na nagsasabi na wala silang liquor ban kamukha ng Makati, Taguig, Pasig, at Las Piñas (So far, LGUs like the cities of Makati, Taguig, Pasig, and Las Piñas have said that they don't have a liquor ban)," he noted.
"Sa nakikita namin ang Valenzuela, Mandaluyong, Parañaque, Pasay, Navotas, Pateros, Quezon City at San Juan, may mga liquor ban. So pagdating sa liquor ban kanya-kanya po (On the other hand, we wee that Valenzuela, Mandaluyong, Parañaque, Pasay, Navotas, Pateros, Quezon City, and San Juan will implement a liquor ban. So when it comes to the liquor ban, it's their call)," he added.
ECQ is the strictest quarantine level, which the government uses to halt the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In this instance, the hard lockdown will be imposed as a way to somehow control the local transmission of the more dangerous Delta variant of the disease.
“in view of the ECQ, as warranted by the rising number of COVID-19 Delta Variant cases in the NCR, there is an urgent need to regulate the mobility and movement of persons while at the same time ramping up the vaccination efforts of the national government and the local government units during the said period in order to broaden population protection," read MMDA Resolution No. 21-16, Series of 2021, which provided for the eight-hour curfew.
"Authorized Persons Outside Residence (APOR), as specified by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) and individuals who will be vaccinated shall be exempted from the curfew hours provided that they present appropriate documentation to authorities, such as their quarantine passes used during previous ECQ," the MMDA further said in a statement.