GRABE ang Maynilad!

It couldn’t spare consumers from long water service interruption even during Christmas and New Year’s days.

I don’t know about the other cities but in Las Pinas, this poor service from Maynilad has been going on for years – from road diggings that cause heavy traffic to the ‘no water’ menace.

Government should do something about utility firms that are horribly performing.

They shouldn’t be in the industry if they don’t know how to do the job well.

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The rise in COVID-19 cases should not be a surprise. The holidays gave many of us liberties denied by the pandemic. The temporary freedom we enjoyed compromised minimum health and safety protocols.

To get our recovery efforts back on track, we should immediately grasp reality –the virus is still very much around and could get people sick or killed and hurt the economy.

But there are comforting reports that Omicron – the new COVID-19 variant — is not as deadly compared to the previous variants. However, it’s much more transmissible and can endanger people with comorbidities.

So senior citizens and people with conditions should be extra careful. Get them vaccinated and given the booster shot. Have them stay at home. We don’t want to lose our elders at a point when we’re starting to see light in the tunnel.

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The government is unfazed by the surge in COVID-19 cases. It said businesses are safe meaning economic recovery can be prolonged.

In fact, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)is expecting minimal impact on businesses as the National Capital Region (NCR)reverted to Alert Level 3 until January 15.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the difference in terms of allowed sectors in Alert Levels 2 and 3 is minimal and most business establishments are open but with lower operating capacity level.

The newly opened sector such as fitness centers and cinemas remain open despite Alert Level 3 being reimposed in Metro Manila last Monday.

“We think that the impact will not be significant,” Lopez said adding that very few sectors were closed.

Under Alert Level 3, establishments that are not allowed include funfairs, kid-amusement industries, karaoke bars, clubs, concert halls, casinos, horse racing, cockfighting, and other gaming establishments.

Economic activities in indoor settings are allowed to operate up to 30 percent while outdoor setting is at 50 percent.

Since NCR has over 70 percent vaccination rate, another 20 percentage points can be added to the establishment’s operating capacity and another 10 percentage points if they have the safety seal, Lopez added.

“But practically, all other MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) and service-oriented businesses including the gyms, the cinemas, etc., are still allowed today—of course, (at) lower operating capacity. So because of that, we can say that it does not have that much of an impact,” he said.

As the alert level system was raised in Metro Manila, about 100,000 to 200,000 jobs will be temporarily shed in the labor market.

Meanwhile, DTI and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) are also studying to allow again the mobility of minors especially if they are already vaccinated.

Even at Alert Level 2 when minors were allowed to go out at least before Omicron cases were confirmed as well as during the holidays, cases continued to go down and no surges were observed.

There is a “big possibility” that the surge in cases is not connected to easing the mobility for minors.

“So, it is important to review again the protocols when it comes to allowing minors, those below 18 years old especially if vaccinated. Maybe we can adjust the protocol to also allow minors because they are also a big help in our economy,” Lopez said.

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