By Willem James Banaynal III

Mall operators in Metro Manila have agreed to extend their operating hours over the Christmas season as announced by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairperson Benhur Abalos, on Monday, November 1.

Malls in the National Capital Region (NCR) will extend their operating hours to 11:00 pm or until midnight instead of the usual 9:00 PM closing time. 

This was suggested in order to help the economy while addressing the increasing number of vehicles in areas such as EDSA which could lead to more traffic congestion in Metro Manila. 

Additionally, the proposal was made in order to “anticipate traffic in the future because of shopping,” as Abalos mentioned.

The MMDA chairperson also stated that specific conditions were set which mall operators must comply with, alongside the extension of mall operating hours. 

Among the specific conditions also pointed out was the limiting of sales to weekends and holidays and the shifting of deliveries to nighttime, if possible.

Meanwhile, mall operators expressed mainly two concerns with regards to the extending of their current operating hours— the curfew and the limited passenger capacity for public utility vehicles (PUVs) in NCR.

To address these, Abalos announced on Wednesday, November 3 that the mayors agreed to lift the curfew in Metro Manila starting November 4. 

Minors, however, must still comply with the curfew set by their respective local government.

Additionally, Abalos reiterated that the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) allowed public transport capacity to increase from the current 50% to 70% by November 4.

This increase in capacity will then gradually shift to 100%, as mentioned by Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque last Friday, October 29.

At present, Metro Manila is classified under Alert Level 3, with various businesses allowed to operate at a maximum of 30% indoor capacity and 50% outdoor capacity, provided that both employees and patrons are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

References

ABS-CBN News. (2021, October 29). Gov’t okays ‘gradual increase’ in PUV capacity in Metro Manila, nearby areas. ABS-CBN News. Retrieved from https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/29/21/govt-oks-increase-in-puv-capacity-in-metro-manila 

Balaoing, B. (2021, November 1). Authorities discuss possible further relaxation of curfew in Metro Manila. ABS-CBN News. Retrieved from https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/11/01/21/further-easing-of-curfew-in-metro-manila-being-discussed 

CNN Philippines Staff. (2021, November 3). No more curfew in Metro Manila starting Nov. 4. CNN Philippines. Retrieved from https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/11/3/Metro-Manila-curfew-lifted-November-4.html 

Manuel, P. (2021, October 29). IATF approves gradual passenger capacity increase in public transport starting Nov. 4. CNN Philippines. Retrieved from https://cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/10/29/IATF-gradual-passenger-capacity-increase-Nov-4.html 

Ramos, C. (2021, November 1). Mall operators OK with extended hours, no weekday ‘Sale’ — MMDA. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved from https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1508912/mall-operators-ok-with-extended-hours-no-weekday-sale-mmda Rita, J. (2021, November 1). Malls agreed to extend operating hours as NCR moves to further ease curfew — Abalos. GMA News. Retrieved from https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/metro/809155/malls-agreed-to-extend-operating-hours-as-ncr-moves-to-furtrher-ease-curfew-abalos/story/

Photo Source: REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez