Manila Mayor Isko Moreno hopes for the reopening of business under modified community quarantine as after the city has used up PHP2 billion of its budget to subsidize affected residents from coronavirus disease (COVID-19), GMA News reported.
In an interview with ’24 Oras,’ the mayor said that the only way for them to be sustainable as a government is if business operations are resumed.
“The only way for us to be sustainable as government, kailangan tumatakbo ng negosyo. Dahil sa negosyo nagkakaroon ng trabaho at nagkakaroon ng income ang gobyerno at ang income na ito ay patuloy na gagamitin para labanan itong krisis natin na kinakaharap,” GMA News quoted him as saying.
The mayor added that the PHP2 billion they have spent is still separate from the PHP1.4 billion allotted to the national government’s social amelioration program as well as the PHP292 million used to combat the disease.
The mayor hopes to be shifted to modified enhanced community quarantine from May 16 to 31 to restart the economy.
