Tito Sotto wants GCQ or ECQ for Metro Manila following KC Montero, over 100 others' arrest

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto wanted to either retain the general community quarantine (GCQ) or revert the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) imposed over Metro Manila because Filipinos are “hardheaded.”

“Kaya pala ang bilis ng pagtaas ng COVID sa atin. Not because there are more mass testings no but because we are so hardheaded. Nasa kalsada, nag-iinuman, nagpa-party, labas nang labas, ayaw mag-mask sa ilong... iba talaga tayo," Sotto told News5 yesterday.

Sinabi ni Sen. Vicente Sotto III na dapat ibalik ang ipinatutupad na enhanced community quarantine dahil sa pagiging "matigas ng ulo" ng mga Pilipino. pic.twitter.com/HhFCUrWSpe

— News5 AKSYON (@News5AKSYON) June 29, 2020

But according to a GMA News tweet today, Sotto said the GCQ must be retained over Metro Manila, given the behavior of the public amid the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, citing the reported flocking of some people in bars.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the GCQ must be retained over Metro Manila, given the behavior of the public amid the COVID-19 pandemic, citing the reported flocking of some people in bars. | @donamagsino pic.twitter.com/09MmzzYgnB

— GMA News (@gmanews) June 30, 2020

The veteran comedian's statements came after authorities raided a bar in Makati, arresting over a hundred people, including multimedia host KC Montero and his wife.

KC said that he and his wife went to the restaurant to have dinner last Sunday.

"That place was open before so parang feeling ko, okay. Why were they open if they're not allowed to open? Maybe that's my fault, I didn't do my research. So feeling ko, they're allowed to be open. So I went," KC said.

KC claimed that they were arrested for not observing social distancing rules, but they were forced to not observe social distancing when he and the others arrested were crammed together in a truck.

"That's like backwards social distancing. They arrest us for protecting us for social distancing, tapos force us to not social distance, and then put us... did you see the truck there? That's bad," he said.

Meanwhile, Makati City Mayor Aby Binay ordered the closure of Skye Bar following the raid. 

The city government said the bar was shut down for violating Republic Act (RA) 11332 (Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act) and the Revised Makati Revenue Code City Ordinance No. 2004-A-025.

RELATED: 'Ang Probinsyano' star KC Montero nabbed for alleged social distancing violation