Caloocan City Mayor Oca Malapitan is in favor of Metro Manila’s shift to Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) from ECQ on condition that the stay-at-home policy for people who are not allowed to go out will be strictly imposed.
As the national government is set to announce the new quarantine status for August 21 onwards, Malapitan said he wants a less strict lockdown "if only we can only implement rules that no people will be allowed to get out of their homes."
"Whenever I roam around, I would call out those outside their houses because for them, it seems we're not under ECQ," Malapitan said in Filipino in a DZBB interview Thursday.
"So I'm calling on everyone, if they have nothing to do outside, it's better to stay at home," he added.
According to the mayor, Caloocan City hospitals and quarantine facilities continue to admit patients, which means the city can still handle new COVID-19 cases although the region is experiencing a surge.
Amid claims that some medical workers are planning to resign due to stalled benefits, Malapitan said the city still has enough health workers because "no one is resigning."