By Joseph B.A. Marzan
Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. on Thursday asked residents to make considerations for the Christmas season amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.
The governor is set to unveil a new Executive Order that will specify protocols for the holiday season.
Iloilo province has been under MGCQ since June 1, 2020.
Defensor recently extended the MGCQ in the province until Dec. 31 via EO No. 183-F which he issued Tuesday.
Defensor said that EO No. 183-G does not amend the current version of the MGCQ EO but only specifies the allowed and prohibited activities for Christmas celebration.
This includes prohibitions on family reunions, street caroling, Christmas parties, holiday festivals, and community fireworks displays, which the governor said would already be banned under EO No. 183’s provisions on public gatherings.
The Provincial Capitol has also cancelled installation of Christmas decorations and holding of Christmas parties to discourage crowds.
Religious celebrations such as the Simbang Gabi, which traditionally runs from Dec. 16 to 24, will still be allowed, but with limits on the number of persons inside the church.
In a press conference on Thursday, the governor expressed his sentiments on Christmas celebrations, saying that as much as he would want to continue like the previous years, the pandemic has changed the situation.
He appealed to the residents to “make sacrifices” to avoid risks of exposure and transmission.
“Let me take this opportunity to make the appeal to everyone. We have to help let go of the things we have been used to in past Christmases where we gather and add exposure and add transmission. We don’t want to stop the people from celebrating Christmas but it’s different now and the problem [of COVID-19] is still here. We have to let go, hold back, and sacrifice. We need this,” Defensor said in a press conference.
He added that this would allay fears of a “second surge” and avert a return to the Modified Enhanced CQ.
He mentioned the renewed restrictions in several countries in Europe and several other provinces and cities in the Philippines as a result of relaxed rules.
“If we cannot stop ourselves, everything we worked hard for will be put to waste, because if we can sustain our numbers here in the province of Iloilo, we are ready for what? A new normal. That is what we want, that on January 1, we can see that we will be ready for a new normal. If we cannot stop ourselves in this Christmas holidays, this will all be gone. We may even return to MECQ,” the governor added.
The governor also added that this would be better for the province’s economy for the long-term.
“We just have to sustain what we are doing now, and we don’t have to add anything else. It’s better for our economy if we are in the new normal by January, instead of loosening for the economy in December but destroying everything by January,” said the governor.
