By Modesto P. Sa-onoy
The proposed Bacolod City curfew from 8:00 o’clock in the evening to 4:00 o’clock in the morning is another slash in the neck of the proverbial goose that lays the golden eggs. The goose, the business sector, is already bleeding and is now on the verge of giving up but is still struggling to survive. An eight-hour curfew that is being planned will be another slash on its throat.
The goose is the economic activity of the city. Its continued operation creates the means for people, businessmen and customers alike, to survive under the present crisis. The plan of the city government to reduce the working and business hours means a reduction of work not just the actual 8-hour curfew but at least two hours more.
Frank Carbon, chief executive officer of Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry is right when he said they are apprehensive that the 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew schedule might result in zero-night business activity.
How so? Carbon explained: “What sustains most of these businesses now are its groceries and food sections. Good business traffic among these establishments is between 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. when most employees have gone out from their workplaces.”
Carbon was reacting to the Executive Order issued July 31 by Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia extending the Modified General Community Quarantine in the city until August 15. But there is more. The EO “advocates for consideration of the Sangguniang Panlungsod that the daily curfew shall be set from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.”
In this case, Carbon said, most business establishments are likely to “stop operation” by 6 p.m. to give time for cleaning and closing the stores.
We might add, for the employees to rush home before being stranded as passenger jeeps will start to get off the street by 7:30 in the evening.
According to Carbon, if the mayor intends to limit the movement of the people, the curfew hours can be reverted back to its existing schedule of 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. instead of adjusting it to 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. He pointed out that in Metro Manila which is under General Community Quarantine, a higher category of restrictions, most businesses are allowed to operate until 10 p.m.
“Longer curfew hours would further hurt night businesses like restaurants whose operations have already been affected due to some restrictions as part of health protocols.” These businesses that operated from 5 p.m. onwards, comprise about 30 to 40 percent of the entire business landscape in the city.
In the event the curfew is expanded to start at 8 p.m., it would be foolish to open the restaurant at 5 p.m. That would be suicidal.
Carbon recalled that in a previous discussion with Councilor Archie Baribar, who authored the curfew ordinance, the councilor said his committee will recommend a curfew starting 10 p.m. if under a GCQ and 11 p.m. for MGCQ. “We are okay with it as we are still slowly opening up,” Carbon said.
Leonardia however said, the 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew is only a proposal and until the Sangguniang Panlungsod acts on this, the curfew will stay at 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.
He added that exemptions will be made for public emergencies, fire and ambulance services, those working night shifts in private establishments, media practitioners, and those city government and police officials and employees whose work may extend to within the curfew period by reason of the current state of public emergency.
The social media last Friday evening reacted negatively to the plan and because of the suddenness and lack of clearness of the report, some business establishments closed early on Saturday evening due to “confusions” on the implementation of the new curfew hours. There appears to be a communications failure. People are nervous because of the dire effect of a shortened work time. All they had worked hard to recover would be for naught.
The bigger question is what benefit will be gained by shortening the working hours that had not been achieved by the present curfew? Would killing businesses further serve a better purpose? Or are city officials infected by panic psychosis, unable to handle the rise in infections?
They should check on the conclusions of the latest world-wide study that lockdowns don’t really work except kill the economy and increase depression cases.
