The local economy will likely destroyed if Metro Manila will placed anew on the most stringent lockdown in the face of the coronavirus threat, according to Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion.

Concepcion maintained that the nation cannot afford another enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) due to its devastating impact on business activities as well as livelihood of the people.

Instead of placing National Capital Region (NCR) under GCQ, Concepcion pushed for accelerating the country's vaccination drive to boost the people's protection against the virus and help facilitate a safe reopening of the economy.

"Very clearly, I don’t think the recommendation of Senator Kiko (Pangilinan) is going to be good for all of us. We will really destroy the economy, and eventually Philippines will suffer," Concepcion said over government television Friday, July 23.

"Our foreign obligations will be challenged. Our debt rating will be challenged. Our balance sheet will be challenged," he said.

Pangilinan reportedly proposed the possibility of placing NCR back to ECQ to contain the surging cases of coronavirus. Such movement curbs, he said, could help prevent the country from enduring the fate of Indonesia, currently suffering an escalating COVID-crisis due to the highly transmissible Delta variant.

Health authorities earlier confirmed the local transmission of the Delta coronavirus variant in the Philippines with cases reaching 47. The country has already recorded more than 1.53 million cases of coronavirus, including 26,891 deaths, since the pandemic started last year.

Rather than reimpose ECQ in Metro Manila, Concepcion said the solution to the pandemic was nothing else but to "vaccinate and fast." "We have to vaccinate everybody in this country, especially NCR Plus which is the target. Iyon ang dapat nating gawin (That's what we should do)," he said.

As more vaccine supplies arrive in the country, the President's adviser also urged people to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

"Everybody has to contribute to this, I mean, as long as there are people unvaccinated, we will always be under a threat," he said.

Metro Manila has shifted to the general community quarantine (GCQ) with heightened restrictions until the end of the month as a precaution against the local transmission of the Delta coronavirus variant. Prior to the latest risk classification, the capital region was placed under the regular GCQ since July 15.

Concepcion earlier proposed the attaining micro herd immunity in malls, factories and other workplaces by vaccinating 80 percent of the workforce in these areas. He has asked the government to consider expanding the operating capacity of businesses that vaccinated the bulk of their workers.

Such proposal has earned the support of many business leaders amid efforts to revitalize economic growth.

ECQ is the most restrictive of the four levels of quarantine classifications implemented by the government to fight the coronavirus outbreak. The ECQ restrictions include strict stay-at-home rule for residents except those for going to work and getting essential goods and services, limited capacity on businesses and public transportation, travel restrictions, and ban on large gatherings.

Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal were last placed under ECQ last March when the country's cases surged past 700,000. The government previously hesitated to reimpose such strict lockdown due to concerns it would worsen unemployment and hunger incidence in the country.