Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion welcomed the Metro Manila mayors’ unanimous vote to downgrade the National Capital Region (NCR) to Alert Level 1 starting March 1, saying the National Capital Region (NCR) is ready for the much-awaited downgrade.
Concepcion made the statement after the NCR mayors proposed to deescalate the region to Alert Level 1 by March 1 from its current Alert Level 2 status.
In a statement, Concepcion said NCR is ready for the easing of restrictions.
"It is a must that we bring NCR down to Alert Level 1," he said.
"With positivity rates in the NCR now below the levels set by the WHO, the NCR is ready," he added.
The Go Negosyo founder shared data from OCTA Research showing the positivity rate in the NCR decreasing to 4.9 percent as of February 21, or below the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended five-percent levels for governments to consider reopening.
OCTA Research observed that this is the first time since December 26 and prior to the Omicron wave that the positivity rates fell below the WHO recommended levels.
It also reported that the NCR remains at very low risk, with an average daily attack rate (ADAR), or the seven-day average of new cases per 100,000, decreasing to 2.85, while the reproduction number remains stable at 0.21, or at very low levels.
The region's healthcare utilization rate, another indicator, remains very low at 25 percent.
Neighboring provinces in Calabarzon are also remaining at low-risk levels, with the Quezon Province even improving to very low-risk levels.
According to Concepcion, the easing of restrictions will be instrumental in how the country will recover and achieve a 6.5-percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate in the first quarter.
"As mobility happens, economic activity follows. We already saw how it can improve our GDP to 7.7 percent when we opened up in the fourth quarter," he said.
"If we hit the high 5’s or even 6 in the first quarter, that would be great. And with the elections in the second quarter, there will be even more activity," he added.
“We cannot allow our debt-to-GDP ratio to go beyond 60 percent, and for that to happen we have to have mobility,” he continued.
Concepcion likewise expressed optimism that alert levels may eventually be lifted altogether, saying that a state of public health emergency may no longer be necessary given there are currently no variants of concern, the country has achieved a higher vaccination rate, and healthcare utilization rates remain low.
He, however, reiterated that even with the easing of restrictions, vaccinations should continue and people should observe the minimum public health and safety protocols to prevent key indicators from going up again.