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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider DILG suspends road clearing operations to give way to community quarantine measures

DILG suspends road clearing operations to give way to community quarantine measures

Published Mar 15, 2020 12:00 am
By Chito Chavez  Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo M. Año suspended on Sunday the 75-day road clearing operations of local government units (LGUs) nationwide to give way to the measures taken to address the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año (PCOO / MANILA BULLETIN) Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año
(PCOO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) The road clearing operations which started on Feb. 17 will resume upon the issuance of a DILG advisory. Año noted that suspending the second round of road clearing operations would ensure that local chief executives (LCEs) will be able to focus all their efforts on fighting COVID-19. He added that this is in compliance with the guidelines of the Department of Health (DOH) and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) approved by the President. The DILG chief said the Philippine National Police (PNP), particularly the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) as well as police offices in Regions 3, 4-A, 4-B, and 5, are now on full alert status after the COVID-19 alert status was raised to Code Red Sub-level 2 last Friday. In line with this, Año noted all local government officials are prohibited from traveling outside the country in the next 30 days to ensure that they are hands-on in fighting COVID in their respective localities. During the community quarantine period where a stringent social distancing measure is being implemented, Año noted that all provincial governors and mayors of highly urbanized cities as well as senators and congressmen are free to travel in and out of Metro Manila in the performance of their official functions. “Mayors of component cities and municipalities may be allowed to enter Metro Manila subject to approval of this Department on a case-to-case basis,’’Año said. The DILG said a total of 40,000 police officers are now deployed to enforce the community quarantine and set up checkpoints in Metro Manila. “We assure the public of the sufficiency of uniformed police and military officers who will man checkpoints around Metro Manila. They shall follow all lawful protocols in manning checkpoints and are advised to be courteous but firm in performing their duties,’’ he added. Año said the DILG’s scheduled activities in regional or field offices are also postponed as "we have prohibited all types of mass gatherings to regulate movement of people to prevent the spread of COVID-19." “Nonetheless, the DILG Central Office and the DILG NCR Regional Office shall continue to serve and operate through skeletal workforces and flexible work arrangements to strengthen the coordination between the Department and the LGUs as well as the Interior sector," he added.
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