Palace confused by Cebu City's ECQ appeal after deadline

Malacañang expressed confusion over Cebu City's decision to appeal its enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) status on Wednesday, noting that the period for appeals has ended.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque stated that local government units were informed of their possible quarantine statuses ahead of President Duterte’s announcement and had an opportunity to appeal before the final recommendation was made.

Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella said they would file an appeal, arguing that the recent rise in COVID-19 cases is due to delays in validating test results.

Labella claimed that despite testing around 25,000 people since March and having 3,613 confirmed cases as of June 15, their intervention efforts have led to 1,874 recoveries.