Shortening curfew for Simbang Gabi likely left to LGUs —Guevarra

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Monday said the shortening of curfews will likely be for local government units (LGU) to decide, following the appeal of a Catholic church official to adjust curfew hours during Simbang Gabi.

Manila Bishop Broderick Pabillo reportedly suggested that curfew be shortened from the current 5 a.m. to 3 a.m. to allow more masses to be held during the traditional nine-day dawn masses leading up to Christmas Eve.

"The matter may be taken up at the next meeting of the IATF on Thursday," said Guevarra, a member of the COVID-19 policy-making inter-agency task force.

"But in all likelihood, the lifting or shortening of curfews will be left to the discretion of the respective LGUs, except Metro Manila where LGU officials normally act in unison," he said in a message to reporters.

Last week, President Rodrigo Duterte's Cabinet urged local executives to shorten curfew hours — 12 midnight to 4 a.m. — to help the country's pandemic-hit economy recover.

The Cabinet has also approved recommendations to gradually expand the age group allowed to go out of their homes and implement a one-seat-apart policy in public transportation.

Philippine health authorities have recorded more than 356,000 COVID-19 cases in the country as of Sunday. Most of the patients, over 310,000, have been tagged as recoveries, while 6,652 have succumbed to the disease.—AOL, GMA News