Former Vice President Jejomar Binay on Thursday urged the national government to carefully study the plan to enforce a nationwide granular lockdown, saying not all local government units have sufficient resources.
“The national government should thoroughly study its plan to implement granular lockdowns nationwide. It is easy to do in Metro Manila, but this will be an additional problem for local governments that lack resources,” said Binay.
Binay said LGUs in the National Capital Region have the resources to enforce granular lockdowns. He added NCR areas can do contact tracing and testing of all residents in the affected areas and they have resources to provide food and other basic needs of affected residents.
“But outside Metro Manila, and with few exceptions, local governments do not have enough resources to enforce granular lockdowns,” he said.
Binay said whatever resources the local governments may have had prior to the pandemic, especially fourth and fifth class municipalities, have either been stretched thinly or depleted because of re-channeling funds to meet the medical needs of constituents and extending aid to the needy since last year.
“And they don’t get any help from the national government,” he said.
Binay explained in granular lockdown, both the local and national government will share provide food and other essential needs of residents. “Will the same thing happen outside Metro Manila? What if the LGU lacked funds for assistance?”
He also said no advance notice is given before a street, a compound, or a condominium is locked down.
“Is the national government ready to immediately provide food and other basic needs for the entire 14-day lockdown period? Baka naman tirik na ang mata ng mga residente sa gutom, wala pa rin ang ayuda mula sa national,” he said.
The former vice president said earlier local executives in Metro Manila will efficiently manage the imposition of granular lockdowns to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Binay said the good thing about the granular lockdown system is “that it is not the national government that is implementing it but the mayors of Metro Manila.”
He said local government officials know the situation on the ground better than those in the national government.
The national government had imposed Alert Level 4 and granular lockdowns in Metro Manila to further prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus disease.
Under Level 4, outdoor or alfresco dine-in services in restaurants are allowed to operate at 30% capacity, regardless of customers’ vaccination status while indoor dine-in services may be allowed at 10 percent capacity, only for fully vaccinated individuals.
Personal care services limited to barbershops, hair spas, nail spas, and beauty salons are allowed to operate at 30%, if these services are conducted outdoors, regardless of customers’ vaccination status while indoor services are at 10 percent capacity, only for fully vaccinated persons.
