DILG Sec Año says PH on track in curbing COVID-19 spread

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año stated that the Philippines is on track in curbing the spread of COVID-19, noting that an increase in positive cases was expected due to enhanced testing capacity.

The current positivity rate is between five to six percent, with a target of reaching three percent or even one percent, and this percentage has been decreasing from a high of almost 20 percent in March.

Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) head Vivencio "Vince" Dizon emphasized that the decreasing positivity rate, not the rising number of cases, is the key indicator of success in controlling the disease.

While most regions are under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) indicating a return to normalcy, the government is concerned about the alarming rise in COVID-19 cases in Cebu City.

Año asserted that the Philippines is performing well compared to other nations, citing Singapore's higher case rate per capita and stating that the country's deaths continue to decline, except in Cebu.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque rejected a World Health Organization (WHO) report that the Philippines had the fastest rise in COVID-19 cases in the Western Pacific region, arguing that comparisons should be made on a per population basis.

Año attributed the successful containment to the enforcement of quarantine protocols, estimating that without them, the country could have faced millions of infections and a high death toll.