National Unity Party (NUP) President and Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte is prodding local government unit (LGU) executives to "step up to the plate" and ensure the "effective implementation" of Malacañang’s Executive Order (EO) No.3.

Issued by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. EO No.3 provides for the optional use of face masks in open spaces.

A former three-term governor, Villafuerte called on the LGU officials to render full assistance to and cooperation to the Interagency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) in enforcing the Palace directive.

"I appeal to them to step up to the plate and work on the effective implementation of EO No.3, especially now when they have been given the discretion by Malacañang in the implementation of this new policy on voluntary mask-wearing in open and non-crowded outdoor places in their respective areas of jurisdiction,” he said.

“In low-risk areas where an uptick in infections occur after the LGU officials there are allowed to lift the mandatory use of face masks, it’s up for these concerned local executives to answer to the national government for the higher caseload and to deal with the bigger containment and treatment requirements,” noted the Bicolano.

Villafuerte issued this statement in response to the President’s issuance on Monday, Sept. 12 of EO 3 making face mask use optional in open and non-crowded outdoor settings, while encouraging senior citizens and persons with underlying illnesses to keep their masks on outdoors.

As the EO bared, 72 million persons in the country are fully vaccinated, but only 18 million of them have had their booster shots.

When asked in a press briefing how the optional policy will be implemented nationwide, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said LGUs have “some discretion...to establish minimum standards” on what will be considered as safe outdoor places. “Normally, things like that are determined by the local government," she said.

Villafuerte said the policy on letting LGUs decide where to make mask-wearing optional in their localities jibes with his suggestion last week that LGUs be given more leeway, considering that they are the ones in charge of dealing with Covid-19 in their respective constituencies.

The Palace edict required the continuous wearing of masks in indoor private or public establishments, including in land, air and sea public transportation.

Villafuerte also supported Malacañang’s decision to extend possibly until December 31 the public health emergency first declared by then-President Rodrigo Duterte in March 2020 and that was set to expire last Monday.

He agreed with the Palace that the extension was only for the purpose of prolonging the emergency use authority (EUA) for medicine purchases, and, as announced by Cruz-Angeles, for “preserving the benefits under it such as but not limited to the indemnification, emergency procurement, special risk allowance for healthcare workers".