Amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, President Duterte has decided to extend the declaration of state of calamity nationwide for another year.
In his Proclamation 1021, President Duterte said his new order extends the declaration of a state of calamity from September 13, 2020 to September 12, 2021, “unless earlier lifted, or extended, as circumstance may warrant.”
He made the declaration after his Proclamation 929, which he issued last March, placing the entire country under six months of state of calamity expired last Wednesday.
The President said the extension aims to allow concerned government agencies and local government units (LGU) to continue using their supplemental budget, such as their Quick Response Fund, for their Covid-19 measures.
The measure will also allow the government to monitor and control prices of basic necessities and prime commodities during the pandemic.
“All government agencies and LGUs are enjoined to continue rendering full assistance to and cooperation with each other and mobilize the necessary resources to undertake critical, urgent, and appropriate disaster response aid and measures in a timely manner to curtail and eliminate the threat of Covid-19,” President Duterte said in his two-paged proclamation.
He also directed law-enforcement agencies and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to ensure the peace and order situation in the country during the crisis.
The President signed Proclamation 1021 on September 16, 2020, but was only released to the media on Friday.