Heroes Hall, Malacañan Palace
March 12, 2020

In light of the increasing number of confirmed cases due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte addressed the nation to announce several measures that shall be implemented to contain and mitigate the spread of the said virus.

The announcement was made after the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) met at the Heroes Hall in Malacañan Palace.

The Resolution placed the country under Alert Level Four (4) Code Red Sublevel Two (2), meaning there are evidences of sustained community transmission beyond capacity.

“You know, we will review.  I have imposed upon the Cabinet members and the entire members of this Task Force to be present everyday.  I know that it is hard for them.  It is really an imposition.  It’s quite maybe a burden but ganun rin ang sinabi ko sa kanila,” said the President.

Also, two (2) of the precautionary measures taken were the extension of class suspension in Metro Manila until April 12, 2020 and the suspension of government work under the Executive Branch up until the same date.  Government offices under the Legislative Branch and Judicial Branch are expected to adopt the same policy.

“But for you guys who really want to improve your lot, better make use of the time to study,” he added.

Law enforcing bodies such as the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) are exempted from work suspension as they shall continue to provide assistance to government agencies and local government units (LGUs) in monitoring the situation amid the health emergency.