This Week in Metro Manila (April 25 to May 1, 2020)

The enhanced community quarantine will be lifted on April 30 but several areas in Luzon will remain under the ECQ until May 15, 2020. President Rodrigo Duterte extended the lockdown or to reduce the ECQ to areas with a large number of COVID-19 cases.

Areas that will continue to be placed on ECQ until May 15 are as follows: National Capital Region, Region 3 (Central Luzon) Region 4 (CALABARZON), Pangasinan, Benguet, Mindoro, Albay, Catanduanes, Antique, Iloilo, Cebu, Davao City. The final list is still pending, so more areas might be added. [1].

Las Piñas City has joined the list of cities in Metro Manila that have enforced a temporary liquor ban during the ECQ. The Las Piñas local government announced the ordinance which prohibits distribution, delivery, sale, purchase, and consumption of any alcoholic beverages during the entire ECQ period.

Those who will be required to follow the ordinance are establishments such as restaurant bars, clubs, hotels, retail and sari-sari stores, supermarkets, and the like. A fine of PhP5,000 will be charged to any individual or establishment that will violate the ordinance. Imprisonment of not less than three months is also possible. Business establishments will also have their permits revoked or suspended once found guilty [2].

After the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) started to issue tickets to private vehicles with non-essential passengers along EDSA, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has announced the list of authorized persons outside residence (APOR) to avoid confusion [3]. APOR are people allowed to be out during the ECQ and those who are considered APOR are the following:

• Healthcare workers and their drivers

• Medical professionals

• Hospital staff (including janitorial services)

• Private caregivers

• Funeral service employees and immediate family member of the deceased

• Bank employees

• Armored vehicle crew

• Money transfer service employees

• Grocery and convenience store employees

• Public market vendors

• Pharmacists and drug store employees

• Restaurant staff and crew

• Delivery personnel of cargo

• Food and medical manufacturing employees

• Telecommunications officials and employees

• Cable and internet provider employees

• Water company employees

• Water delivery and refilling staff

• Power plant maintenance

• Petroleum tank drivers

• Gasoline attendants

• Garbage collectors

• Emergency responders (firemen, NDRRMC, DSWD, LGU team officials)

• Personnels of PNP, Arm Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and Philippine Coast Guard

• Bureau of Jail Management and Penology personnel

• National Bureau of Investigation personnel

• Personnels of Office for transportation security, Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Immigrantion, Philippine Ports Authority, and MMDA,

• Company security officers and security guards

• Barangay officials and tanods

• DOH officials

• World Health Organization and Philippine Red Cross staff

• Senators and congressmen

• Department secretaries, undersecretaries, and assistant secretaries

• Bureau directors

• Ombudsman and deputy ombudsman

• Supreme court, Court of Appeals, Court of Tax Appeals, and Sandigan Bayan justices.

• Regional, Metropolitan, City, and Municipal trial court judges and prosecutors.

• Governors

• Media personalities

People caught outside who are not classified as APOR will be issued a violation receipt.

Waze adds new features that can help making essential errands safer and easier during the pandemic. The new features are region-specific and vary in countries. In the Philippines, drivers can now see road closures and red zones. The in-app map also now includes COVID-19 medical testing centers in Manila, Baguio, Cebu, and Davao. This can be done by searching ‘COVID’ in the destination bar. Drive-thru and curbside pickup will also be indicated in the app through Waze’s partner products [4].

To prevent overcrowding, new market rules are implemented in Quezon City, Parañaque, and Muntinlupa. For instance, in Quezon City, Mayor Joy Belmonte said that market operators were instructed to observe at least a distance of 1 square meter per person. If the walkway is only 20 square meters, that means only 20 persons will be allowed to enter [5].

In Parañaque, Mayor Edwin Olivarez issued a marketing schedule advisory for residents based on the numbers on their home quarantine passes (HQP). HQPs ending in numbers 1 and 2 are not allowed on Mondays; 2 and 4 are not allowed on Tuesdays; 5 and 6 are not allowed on Thursdays; 7 and 8 are not allowed on Fridays and 9 and 0 are not allowed on Saturdays. Sunday is open to all. On Wednesdays, markets are closed to the public to give way for disinfection [6].

For Muntinlupa, those going to the Muntinlupa City Public Market (MCPM) in Alabang can only go three times a week. Barangays Tunasan, Poblacion, Putatan, and Bayanan would be allowed at MCPM on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Meanwhile, residents of Barangay Alabang, Ayala Alabang, Cupang, Buli, and Sucat would be allowed to the market on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The market would be closed on Mondays for disinfection. Only 50 people would be allowed to enter MCPM to make sure there’s enough physical distance. Masks are also required for entry.

In an advisory, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) warned the public to avoid buying face shields that were supposedly made by their Metals Industry Research and Development Center (MIRDC). Several of these face shields were posted for sale on Facebook and other online sites. The DOST-MIRDC clarified that they do not allow any seller of their face shields and that their products are mass-produced to be given free to frontliners.

DOST-MIRDC produces a total of 5,000 face shields per day with the help of their technology partners Omnifab and Megasamsotite. They are also asking for donations such as polypropylene and acetate sheets to continue their mass production [7].

Grab Philippines launched their grocery delivery services called GrabMart. GrabMart will cover grocery items such as personal care products, medicines, and grocery items from their established specialty and retail partners. Delivery time can range from 30 minutes or a couple of hours [8].

The service is currently available in select areas of Quezon City, Pasig, Manila, Mandaluyong, Makati, San Juan, Valenzuela, Parañaque, and Taguig. Payment can be done in cash but customers are also encouraged to pay through GrabPay. Delivery fee will be PhP89 to PhP149 based on the store distance, with a minimal service fee of PhP30 for all orders.

The deadline for tax payment in Makati City is extended until May 30, 2020 from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The deadline extension covers payments for business licenses, realty taxes, and other fees and charges. Penalties, interest, and surcharges will also be suspended. No additional two perfect penalties will be imposed for the months of March and April due to the ECQ extension. Real property tax payers can avail five percent discount for the second quarter until May 30 from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Payment for the first quarter is extended to the same day and time [9].

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the worst of the coronavirus is “yet ahead of us.” The WHO didn’t specify the reasons why the COVID-19 could get worse but the link is pointed at the further spread of the illness in countries with less developed health systems [10].

The announcement was made just as other countries started to ease restrictive measures such as lockdowns, quarantines, school and businesses closures, and public gathering restrictions. The WHO warned that there are parts of the virus that many people still don’t understand and preventive measures are crucial in reducing its spread.

The Eva Macapagal Super Terminal in Pier 15 has been converted into a COVID-19 care facility in Pier 15, Manila [11]. The care facility will cater to patients with mild, advanced, and severe symptoms. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said that the facility has 211 cubicles equipped with beds, portable toilets, cargo containers for showers, and open-air dining facilities. Other features include airtight doors to prevent COVID-19 aerosols from spreading. To lessen the use of personal protective equipment, nurses stations were set up with plastic barrier views of the inside. The facility was opened to contain the disease and to serve as a place where returning overseas Filipino workers can stay for a 14-day quarantine period.

Go to Yoorekka for more COVID-19 updates in Metro Manila.