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No final decision yet on allowing minors to go to malls —Año
By ANNA FELICIA BAJO,GMA NewsInterior Secretary Eduardo Año on Wednesday said there is no final decision yet on allowing minors to visit malls amid the general community quarantine in the National Capital Region.
In an interview on Unang Balita, Año noted that Metro Manila mayors are still debating on the matter. He said the mayors would still have a discussion with the Philippine Pediatric Society as well as other health experts before coming up with a resolution.
"Noong Sunday nga lumabas 'yung proposal nila. Ang sabi natin, gawin ninyo ang inyong resolution at ordinansa kasi ang mga LGU talaga ang mayroong responsibilidad diyan. Sa ngayon nagsasagawa pa sila ng pulong dahil hati kasi ang mayors ng Metro Manila at kailangan isa lang ang stand nila," Año said.
"Ang update natin makikipag-meeting pa sila sa Philippine Pediatric Society para magkaroon sila ng discussion. Based doon sa kanilang consensus, ang sabi nila hindi pa sila handa dahil Christmas, puwede 'yang 'di matuloy. At kung sabihin naman nila na pupuwede ganitong edad, papayagan natin, accompanied by guardians or parents, we can adopt it," he added.
At a press briefing, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) general manager Jojo Garcia said the NCR mayors agreed to seek advice from experts during a meeting on Tuesday night.
“Nag-decide kagabi ang mga mayor natin na we will wait for the opinion of the experts. Sabi nga nila: [Kung] payagan natin 'yan, at magkaroon ng surge ang sisihin mayors,” Garcia said.
“Hindi naman mga doktor 'yang mga mayor natin. They're just the decision maker kaya lang based on facts—ano ang masasabi ng mga doktor,” he added.
On Monday night, Año said minors could already visit malls
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In a radio interview on Tuesday, National Capital Region Police Office acting chief Police Brigadier General Vicente Danao, however, said minors are still prohibited to go outside, especially in GCQ areas.
Año said he agrees with Danao, saying that it is really better if the number of people going outside amid the pandemic is controlled.
"Tama naman 'yung sinabi ni General Danao. Hangga't maaari kung mababawasan natin 'yung taong lalabas, okay naman 'yun. Ito namang ating mga pahayag ay base sa posisyon ng mga mayors noong nakaraang Linggo," Año said.
Joint Task Force COVID Shield commander Police Lieutenant General Cesar Hawthorne Binag earlier said police are already preparing in case minors will really be allowed to go to malls.
The Philippines’ COVID-19 cases increased to 432,925 on Tuesday, the Department of Health reported.
Of this number, 398,782 have recovered while 8,418 died.
The areas with the highest number of new infections were Ilocos Norte with 84, Manila City with 61, Quezon province with 55, Laguna with 50, and Negros Occidental with 47. —KG/KBK, GMA News