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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Romualdez supports enhanced quarantine as 'bitter pill' for the nation's survival

Romualdez supports enhanced quarantine as 'bitter pill' for the nation's survival

Published Mar 17, 2020 12:00 am
By Charissa Luci-Atienza House Majority Leader and Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez described on Tuesday (March 17) the government's imposition of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) as a "bitter pill to swallow" that is necessary for the nation's survival. Rep. Martin Romualdez (FACEBOOK / MANILA BULLETIN) Rep. Martin Romualdez (FACEBOOK / MANILA BULLETIN) The House leader expressed his full support for the decision of President Duterte to place Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon under ECQ. "Though a bitter pill to swallow, the order is needed as part of containment and mitigation efforts in our fight for survival as a nation," he said in a statement. "I enjoin our people to set aside politics in the meantime and unite for once as we seek long-lasting solutions to stop the spread of the dreaded virus in our communities. Our concern at the moment is how to keep our families safe at all cost," Romualdez said. He assured the public that both the legislative and executive are determining measures on how to cushion the impact of the ECQ on the country's social and economic landscape. "Rest assured that your representatives in Congress are in close coordination with the executive department in trying to find ways on how to minimize the economic impact and social cost of our lockdown scenario," he said. President Duterte ordered the ECQ on Monday (March 16) to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which has claimed 14 lives in the country as of Tuesday afternoon.
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