Metro Manila mayors have recommended a new type of quarantine phase called “flexible modified enhanced community quarantine.”
In an interview with GMA’s “Unang Balita” on April 28, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chair Benhur Abalos said that the members of the Metro Manila Council discussed this in a previous meeting, citing the need to balance public health and the local economy.
“Ang napagkasunduan ng mga alkalde ay parang flexible MECQ. Ang tawag lang nito MECQ with additional business openings. Starting po sa May 1, adjusted na po ang curfew. Hindi na po 8 p.m., 10 p.m. na. Iiklian na po ito. From 10:00 pm to 4:00 am,” Abalos said.
The suggested rules for this new quarantine phase, however, are not yet finalized.
So far, Abalos said here are the mayors’ proposed rules for the flexible MECQ in the National Capital Region:
- More types of businesses will resume operations, including those in construction activities and personal hygiene services
- Border control will remain
- Health protocols will be enforced
The MMC’s recommendations will still be tackled in the next meeting of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), before it will be up for President Rodrigo Duterte’s approval.
Metro Manila and surrounding provinces Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal or the Greater Manila Area are currently under MECQ until April 30.
In May 2020, Palace introduced the different quarantine classifications that the government initially planned to implement until the country is ready to shift to the “new normal.”
These are:
- ECQ
- Modified ECQ
- GCQ
- Modified GCQ
- New normal
How the public reacted
While not yet final, some Filipinos criticized the purpose of introducing a new quarantine phase, saying that the government is only confusing the public more.
“I don’t get the point of shifting to a flexible MECQ when MECQ, as defined by the IATF, is already the transition from ECQ to GCQ and the line between MECQ and GCQ has become thinner than before. Make it simple, executives. Extend MECQ or shift to GCQ,” one user said.
“They just resorted to playing with words nowadays. In reality, there’s not much difference really,” another user wrote.
Some users also perceived that the quarantine shifts do not improve the country’s COVID-19 situation.
“Pano ba titigil mutation ng variants dito eh mismong quarantine classification nagmu-mutate,” another user commented.
“Remember when 4,000 daily cases was sufficient to call for an MECQ, but yet no significant COVID infra improvement? Now that we have reached 6,000 to 9,000 new cases/day from a peak of 12,000 to 15,000 per day, it’s okay to loosen restrictions without significant COVID infra improvement…again?” another user said.
Some Filipinos, meanwhile, aired their sentiments against the proposed flexible MECQ in the form of funny memes and gifs.
Others made witty remarks on the term “flexible.”
Mamaya na… 🤪 may bagong variant pala #FlexibleMECQ pic.twitter.com/tkUoTfZAQH
— GMARainbow (@AltrGMARainbow) April 28, 2021
✨Flexible MECQ✨ pic.twitter.com/Xr1uzY2kzd
— jeroh (@jehiyastro) April 28, 2021
Twitter user @_QuePasaChica_ even made witty suggestions for quarantine names in the future.
“Now don’t fret, guys. There are many more letters in the alphabet that they can choose from to add to the already confused populace,” the user wrote.
Now don’t fret, guys. There are many more letters in the alphabet that they can choose from to add to the already confused populace.
ECQ
GCQ
MECQ
FMECQ
SFMECQ (Slightly Flexible)
MFMECQ (Moderately Flexible)
SMFECQ (Slightly Moderately Flexible)
TEHOCQ (To Each His Own) https://t.co/P0enFVj11Z— TRAIN WRECK (@_QuePasaChica_) April 28, 2021
“Well, I think it’s a shortcut for Metro Manila, Bulacan, Rizal Cavite ‘no, so, that we wouldn’t have to repeat the provinces again,” he added.
RELATED: Greater Manila vs ‘NCR Plus’: Questions as gov’t labels areas under GCQ ‘bubble’
