MANILA: President Rodrigo Duterte will take a decision on whether or not to impose a “martial law-like lockdown” or extend a Luzon-wide curfew to curb the coronavirus disease outbreak, after consulting with experts this week, officials said.
In a virtual press briefing on Monday, spokesman Harry Roque said that Duterte’s decision would be based on meetings with medical experts and former secretaries of the Department of Health (DOH), and on the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
“The president wants to make the right decision ... based on finding a balance between the state’s obligation to take care of everyone’s health and the people’s right to livelihood,” Roque said.
He added that the president was looking at two options: Extending the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) or modifying it based on the geographical location or number of cases recorded per locality.
“Not all parts of the Philippines have a high number of coronavirus cases, thus the quarantine can be lifted in areas with low or no infections,” he said.
The ECQ, which took effect on March 15, was originally due to end on April 12 but was extended until April 30 following a spike in infections.
Prior to Duterte taking his final decision on the matter, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff, Gen. Felimon Santos Jr., to deploy more troops in Manila and other areas with a high number of infections.
It follows certain groups flouting the curfew last week, prompting him to order the military and police to be on standby to strictly enforce the ECQ.
“We believe there is nothing to be alarmed about this natural reaction of the AFP to prepare and deploy when it becomes necessary,” Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo, AFP spokesman, said.
Lorenza said late on Sunday that the number of infections in the remainder of April would also be a deciding factor in determining whether or not to extend the ECQ in Luzon.
“The trend of coronavirus cases appearing every day will be the final determinant. That’s why these last 11 days of April are crucial for decision-making. We should see a tapering off or downward trend to warrant partial lifting or continue with the lockdown if the trend continues,” he said.
Meanwhile, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa, said in a radio interview on Monday that they were closely coordinating with the military and awaiting formal instructions from the president on the stricter implementation of the ECQ.
Gamboa said that once the president announced a martial law-like lockdown, the police would no longer issue a warning but proceed to arrest violators.
Of the 133,000 quarantine violators arrested from March 17 to April 19, around 96,000 were warned while nearly 30,000 were charged.
Meanwhile, human rights watchdog KARAPATAN hit back at Duterte’s threat to impose the martial law-like lockdown, saying that “more draconian and militarist measures will not only fail to comprehensively address the crisis but will effectively worsen and prolong it.”
The group said they viewed the threats “as the government’s way of setting the stage for more attacks on people’s rights and civil liberties.”
