Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Benhur Abalos said he and the mayors of the National Capital Region (NCR) will discuss the possible extension of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) period in the metropolis this coming week.
Abalos made this revelation in an interview over DZBB radio on Sunday, Aug. 15.
"Martes or Miyerkules mag-uusap po kami, marami kang babalansehin diyan (We will talk either Tuesday or Wednesday, you have to balance a lot of things there)," said Abalos, who is the concurrent chair of the Metro Manila Council (MMC).
He said the factors that need to be considered in such talks are the number of those who will have no work as a result of the possible ECQ extension, the hospitalization rate for coroanvirus disease (COVID-19) cases, and the number of vaccinated persons in Metro Manila.
"Kasi kung mag-i-ECQ ka, ayuda nanaman yan eh (Another round of ECQ means another round of cash aid)," he pointed out.
Abalos reiterated in the interview that the mayor-members of MMC have yet to come to an agreement on whether or not to extend the imposition of ECQ, contrary to a news report over the weekend.
"Hindi pa po nag-uusap tungkol doon, pag-uusapan pa lang po (We haven't talked about that yet, but we will)," he noted.
The report quoted MMC chair, Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez as saying that the local chief executives have agreed during a meeting to extend the ECQ up to Aug. 30. Abalos has denied this, saying that Olivarez was just misquoted.
The current ECQ--the strictest quarantine level possible--will supposedly end on Aug. 20. It began last Aug. 6.
It was imposed as a way to control the spread of the more dangerous Delta variant of COVID-19.