San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora lauded city residents for their cooperation as the local government continues to face the challenge brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an interview with CNN Philippines, Zamora thanked his constituents for observing the proper health and safety protocols as the city experiences one of the fastest increase in active COVID-19 cases brought about by the more contagious Omicron and Delta variants.

"I'm seeing self-regulation in San Juan. In fact, without changing the alert status, people are not going out. It just means they already know what to do. They know how to take care of themselves and they know what would get them infected. So they really are just staying home, unless they really have to go out for essential activities," Zamora said.

"We passed City Ordinance No. 1 Series of 2002, regulating the movement of those who are unvaccinated. It has been effective since Jan. 4, but we have not caught any violators since we implemented it because the vaccination rate in San Juan is at 247 percent. That is probably why we are not catching any violators because most of our people are fully vaccinated already," he added.

On Jan. 8, the LGU launched its “Sumbungan ng Bayan” hotlines where residents can report individuals and business establishments violating the city’s ordinance that restricts the mobility of unvaccinated persons.

Residents may call or text 0956-5297286 and 0961-6805514 to report business establishments and individuals who are not following the ordinance.

Zamora said the local government unit (LGU) is now focusing on giving booster shots to its residents even as it continues to ramp up its COVID-19 vaccination efforts.

Meanwhile, the LGU also extended the deadline and validity of permits and licenses of various businesses in the city to help them recover during the pandemic.

"Naiintindihan natin na karamihan sa mga business owners ay hindi po makakapagbayad on time, dahil na rin po naka-quarantine sila, dahil positive sila, dahil delikado ang paglabas ngayon sa kani-kanilang mga tahanan. Kung kayat nagbibigay tayo ng palugit sa kanila. At ganun din po ang gagawin natin para naman sa pagbabayad ng ating mga real property tax (We understand that most of our business owners cannot pay their taxes on time because they are either positive or scared of the dangers when going out of their homes during the pandemic. That's why we opted to give them an extended deadline in paying their dues. This is also what we're doing for those who are about to pay their real property taxes)," Zamora said in an interview with ABS-CBN.

Other than the extension of deadline of government dues, the LGU also postponed its flag raising ceremonies and implemented the 50 percent on-site capacity in its offices to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.