Some NCR mayors weigh in on Duterte’s call to ban under-12s from malls

Three Metro Manila mayors on Tuesday expressed their opinions on President Rodrigo Duterte's call to local government units (LGUs) to consider passing ordinances that would restrict children below 12 years old from going to malls to avoid COVID-19 exposure.

Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno said that mall operators should be the ones given directives, and not have the public—particularly the children or their guardians—penalized for going out.

“Pwede naman gawin na ipagbawal at guide yung mga mall na wala [nang] pataw na parusa sa tao. Hirap na ang tao sa mga panahon na ito kaya hindi na siguro dapat dagdag pa ang parusa sa kanila. Dapat yung mall operators na lang ang bigyan ng directives,” he said.

(We can prohibit [the children] and guide the malls without having to punish the public. The people are already struggling so much these days so I think they need not be punished for this. The mall operators are the ones that need to be given directives.)

Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi also said in a short statement that he is “not in favor [that] minor ages 5 below should be discouraged to go to malls.”

On the other hand, San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora explained that he will await the decision of the meeting of the technical working group (TWG) composed of Metro Manila health officials with DOH regional director Dra. Gloria Balboa and expert pediatricians regarding this matter.

“I will wait for the result of their meeting and listen to their recommendations so we will be well guided as to what actions to take. I am sure that this will be discussed very soon by the Metro Manila Council for us to have a unified policy regarding this matter,” he said.

According to Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Benhur Abalos, the TWG will then present its recommendation to the mayors for their approval possibly on Wednesday.

In his Talk to the People on Monday, Duterte also appealed to parents to restrict their children from going out as unvaccinated kids have "no defense mechanism" against the virus. This followed a report on the two-year-old boy who tested positive in an antigen test after visiting a mall.

“Alam kong kayong mga magulang, gustong gusto ninyong ipasyal ang mga anak ninyo. Pero isipin ninyo kung maliliit pa ang mga anak ninyo at hindi pa bakunado. Do not expose them to the virus. Wala pa silang dipensa, hindi katulad ng mga bakunado na,” Duterte said.

(I know you parents want your children to get out again. However, if they are still small and unvaccinated, do not expose them to the virus. They don’t have defense against the virus unlike the vaccinated ones.)

Metro Manila is currently under Alert Level 2 until November 30, which allows minors in leisure places as long as they are accompanied by fully vaccinated adults or guardians.

In this alert level status, indoor establishments such as malls can operate at 50% capacity with an additional 10% capacity if they have a safety seal. For outdoor establishments, 70% is allowed.

Other Metro Manila mayors have yet to respond regarding this matter. — BM, GMA News