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Precious resources wasted in Las Piñas

May 20, 2021 Mario Fetalino Jr. 687 views

PRECIOUS resources are wasted by the Las Piñas government in repairing thoroughfares only to be destroyed by the never-ending roadworks of Maynilad.

In case Las Piñas Mayor Imelda Aguilar is not aware of it, Maynilad is back in digging holes in the city’s newly-rebuilt roads that I believe cost millions of taxpayers’ money.

Take for example the Captain Aguilar Avenue (CAA) Road in Pulang Lupa Dos which was nicely restored recently by the local government from its sorry state. It took only several days before Maynilad defaced the key avenue.

One of the repair works, which appears to be taking all of eternity to be completed, is even located in front of the Barangay Hall which is enough reason for Maynilad to hasten the job.

But mysteriously, workers are still there fixing the hole. I don’t know the capability of the contractor tapped by Maynilad to do the project but it’s pretty apparent they are incompetent.

I hate to raise this problem amid the wonderful infrastructure undertakings being made by the local government led by Aguilar. But maybe, she has to be told that a monkey business is probably behind the mess.

I’d be happy to know how the kind mayor will act on the matter.

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Outdoor gyms are in. Zumba, said to say, is still out.

Yup, that’s the decision reached by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) which now favors outdoor and non-contact activities.

Outdoor businesses with no mass gatherings would be an emerging business model, according to Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez.

Lopez said the IATF will allow operating businesses with an outdoor setup but will not breach the protocols on mass gathering.

Even with the easing of quarantine measures in the National Capital Region Plus bubble to general community quarantine, Lopez said the current GCQ status in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal has more restrictions than the one imposed last year.

For instance, gym, dine-in services, venue for meeting exhibitions, and personal care services like facial and massage were allowed at limited operation capacity during the GCQ in the previous year.

However, the said activities are still not allowed under the heightened GCQ imposed by the IATF in NCR Plus starting May 15.

And so outdoor gyms with no contact activities will be allowed to operate.

On the other hand, he said Zumba — even if mostly done outdoors — remain prohibited because the activity could violate mass gathering protocols.

The heightened GCQ in NCR Plus also allows outdoor tourist attractions and outdoor non-contact sports.

But the IATF still prohibits entertainment, recreational activities, amusement parks, and indoor contact sports as well as personal care services that will require removal of face mask.

Meanwhile, with the gradual reopening of economic activities, Lopez said about 200,000 to 300,000 more jobs would be back in the labor market with the reimposition of GCQ in the NCR Plus.

When the NCR Plus was reverted to enhanced community quarantine, some 1.5 million jobs were lost, according to the DTI chief.

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