Tacloban traders buck lockdown

MANILA, Philippines — Mayor Alfred Romualdez said he would implement an“intensified restriction” on business and economic activities *starting tomorrow. 

PCCI president Eugene Tan said a lockdown would be counterproductive, noting that Tacloban is the center of commerce and industry in Eastern Visayas.

“We in the business sector are opposed to a lockdown because eventually this will not solve the problem of COVID-19. What we can do instead is social distancing... Unnecessary gatherings… should be stopped,” Tan said.

He said the delivery of basic goods and services would be hampered during a lockdown.

“If we have no goods and services, chaos will follow and we will have a bigger problem on peace and order,” Tan said, citing their experience during Supertyphoon Yolanda. 

LT Group donates alcohol, masks

Meanwhile, Lucio Tan’s LT Group Inc. said it donated 400 four-liter bottles of ethyl alcohol, which is part of the 20,000 liters it committed to the Department of Health, for distribution to various government medical facilities, under its disaster-relief program ”Help Flows.”

The group also turned over 73,000 bottles of distilled drinking water and 2,000 pieces of N95 face masks. 

It is preparing 20,000 four-liter bottles and 240,000 375-milliliter bottles of ethyl alcohol and 350,000 bottles of distilled water for its employees, local government units and other frontline agencies like the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines.  

Help Flows is supported by LT Group member firms Asia Brewery Inc., Eton Properties Philippines Inc., PMFTC Inc.’s Embrace CSR program, Tanduay Distillers Inc., Philippine National Bank and Philippine Airlines.