MANILA, Philippine (Update 2, 6:13 p.m.) — The local government of Quezon City on Friday declared a state of calamity, allowing it to apportion quick response funds for the procurement and distribution of goods and services in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
This comes a day after the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases declared the highest Code Red Sublevel 2 due to sustained community transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19.
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A community quarantine will be enforced in Metro Manila between March 15 and April 14, during which all land, air and sea travel to and from the area will be restricted in order to contain the pandemic.
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said the support of all 142 barangays in their jurisdiction is necessary to contain the outbreak.
“For me, it is very important that they are empowered, that they are given all the necessary support that they need to be able to carry out this very sensitive but important task. For one to be able to carry this out, they have to have the necessary resources,” the mayor said.
She said the state of calamity would enable each barangay to access their individual quick response funds.
In his Thursday evening address, President Rodrigo Duterte affirmed that local government units can access their quick response funds once the state of calamity is declared in their respective jurisdictions.
“LGUs which have imposed community quarantine in their respective jurisdiction, upon the declaration of state of calamity, shall be allowed to access their Quick Relief Response,” the president said.
Of the 52 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Philippines, six are Quezon City residents.