THE League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) has appealed to President Rodrigo Duterte for the extension of the declaration of state of calamity until June 30, 2022 to ensure that local governments will be able to continue to mitigate the threats of the pandemic and facilitate local economic recovery.

In a September 9, 2021 letter addressed to the President, LCP national president and Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia expressed concern over the expiration of Presidential Proclamation No. 1021 on September 12, 2021, which he claimed will “cripple the ability of cities to respond to coronavirus disease (Covid-19).”

Under the state of calamity, cities have the authority to utilize Development Funds, Special Education Funds, Disaster Risk and Reduction Funds, and other local resources to respond to and eliminate the threat of Covid-19 in their localities.

“The extension of the state of calamity across the country will allow cities to implement programs that can lower the current number of cases of Covid-19, open more Covid wards and critical care units, contain the surge of the Delta variant, and could supplant the requirements of the ongoing vaccine rollout,” Leonardia said in the letter.

The LCP lauded the Office of the President in leading the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the same letter, Leonardia assured Duterte that city mayors “are committed to working closely with the President’s Office and relevant national agencies to ensure that we will overcome this pandemic soonest." (PR)