Several legislators have backed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s recent order allowing the voluntary use of masks indoors.

House Committee on Appropriations chairperson Elizaldy Co said the lifting of some mask mandates indoors is quite "justified."

Co claimed that with the continuing reopening of the economy and lifting of Covid restrictions, he expects gross domestic product or GDP to further improve in the last two quarters of 2022.

Quezon 3rd District Rep. Reynan Arrogancia cited the reduction in Covid-19 transmission despite the detection of new variants.

Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, on the other hand, continued for ramped up vaccination to complement the new mask mandate of Marcos.

Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco on Tuesday announced that the President intends to make masking indoors voluntary through a forthcoming order.

Businessman Joey Concepcion, on the other hand, said the "problem now is not so much Covid but ensuring the survival of the economy."

"There are several factors that are making the case for the lifting of the protocols, and I believe that the timing is just right," he said in a statement, Thursday.

DoH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said Covid-19 cases may reach 18,000 towards November and December, with the lower limit of 2,500.

"The strong dollar is attracting visitors who stand to get more for their dollar. The other countries know this and they are aware of how important it is to show visitors that they have already moved on from Covid," according to Concepcion.

As for lifting the physical distancing rules, he said that doesn't make sense at this point, explaining that limiting capacities can hinder attempts by businesses to achieve enough revenue, especially during the holiday season when economic activity is expected to be at its peak.

"The numbers from the large corporations in terms of profitability are going down, so you can just imagine what the micro, small and medium enterprises are going through right now," Concepcion said.