Bacolod mayor wants to slide from GCQ to MGCQ

By Dolly Yasa

 

BACOLOD City – Mayor Evelio Leonardia said he will appeal for the de-escalation of the quarantine status of this city from General Community Quarantine (GCQ) to the more permissive Modified Community Quarantine (MGCQ).

Leonardia’s appeal follows the declaration of President Rodrigo Duterte in a pre-recorded address that was aired Tuesday that Bacolod City and Iloilo City will remain under GCQ until Nov 30, 2020.

Apart from Bacolod and Iloilo, the National Capital Region, Batangas Tacloban, Iligan and Lanao del Sur will also remain under GCQ.

In a statement, Leonardia said he coursed his appeal through the regional inter-agency task force in COVID-19 headed by Department of Interior and Local Government regional director Juan Jovian Ingeniero.

“Last night, I personally called DILG regional director Jovi Ingeniero, regional IATF chairman, to reiterate our appeal to de-escalate the quarantine status of Bacolod City from GCQ to MGCQ, given the major inroads we’ve made during the last weeks,” the mayor said.

“I also pointed out to him that NIATF chief implementer MGen. Melquiades Feliciano now considers our COVID situation ‘stable’.”

Leonardia said Ingeniero assured him that he will favorably endorse his request for the de-escalation from GCQ to MGCQ.

“We eagerly wait for the final decision of the NIATF soon,” Leonardia said.

Data from the Department of Health-6 regional office indicated that as of Oct 26, Bacolod City logged 16 new COVID cases, Negros Occidental with 50, Iloilo province with 66, Iloilo City with 42 and Capiz with 10.