Senator Grace Poe on Thursday, Sept. 9, hit the Duterte administration for the sudden reversal of its decision to place Metro Manila under the more relaxed general community quarantine (GCQ), to the detriment of businesses and the public.
"The government's quarantine flip-flopping has thrown the public and businesses into deeper confusion and frustration," Poe said in a statement.
The Interagency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease initially announced the imposition of GCQ in the capital region, while allowing granular lockdowns in local governments units, after the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) from September 8 to 30.
But on the eve of transition to GCQ, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said they would defer the plan, retaining the MECQ until September 15.
Local businesses lamented with the last-minute policy change, as some of them have already prepared for their reopening. Even local government officials were caught off guard.
Poe, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Services, pointed out that activities, health and safety, and business plans are dependent on the quarantine restrictions being imposed by the government.
"Being under one of the world's longest lockdown, our people expect the government to already have guidelines in place as it had been enforcing variations of community quarantine restrictions in the past," she said.
"Decisiveness and consistency in government policies are not only ideal in a pandemic, but critical lifelines," Poe stressed.
President Duterte was mum about his sudden decision to keep Metro Manila under MECQ.