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Duterte extends Philippine state of calamity for another year

Jacob Caballa
Sep 28, 2020
1 min read

VENDOR. A vendor arranges her hair behind plastic sheets to curb the spread of the coronavirus at a market in Quezon city, Philippines, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020.

President Rodrigo Duterte has extended the state of calamity in the Philippines, effective from September 13, 2020, to September 21 next year because of the COVID-19 pandemic as declared in Proclamation No. 1021.

It will be easier for the government to handle the COVID-19 crisis in the country with the help of the state of calamity by creating a quick response fund, a fund reserved for calamities that impact the country as a whole.

The proclamation allows them to control the prices of basic necessities and to provide services to those who are greatly affected by the pandemic today.

Last September 21, Duterte advised citizens to continue wearing face masks, continue obeying social distancing protocols, and wait for the vaccine.

President Duterte ordered law enforcement agencies to continue implementing safety measures “to ensure peace and order in the country”, and commanded all government agencies to take part and to cooperate with the needs of the country during the crisis.

The state of calamity that was declared on March 16 of this year ended this month but will be continuing until September 2021 as the number of coronavirus cases rises in the country each day.