Isko: No guarantee of crowd control in Divisoria

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno on Wednesday admitted that the city government cannot guarantee managing the overcrowding in Divisoria which is seeing an influx of shoppers because of the holiday season.

In an interview over DZMM, Moreno noted that Divisoria is a source of cheap products not only for residents of Manila but also people from the provinces.

“Hindi ko kayo mabibigyan ng garantiya na hindi mag-o-overcrowd ang Divisioria, puntahan ng mga mamimili hindi lamang ng Batang Maynila, hindi lang taga Metro Manila, including ‘yung Northern, Central at Southern Luzon,” Moreno said.

People are flocking to the shopping mecca ignoring the threat of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

“Kasi ‘yan sentro ng distributorship, maraming namimili para ibenta rin sa kani-kanilang mga probinsya o lugar. Talagang bilihan ngayong Pasko,” Moreno explained.

The mayor, however, assured that Recto and Juan Luna will remain off limits to vendors.

“As I promised you, ang Recto mananatiling walang obstruction, at Juan Luna. Ang Soler, Ilaya, Tabora, Carmen Planas, El Cano, Sto. Cristo, we will continue to manage the influx of the people, we will put order in our own little way and we will repeat our effort na maglagay ng COVID martial, and additional enforcement unit para magpaalala. We will continue to remind the people to really care for themselves and practice nila ang self-discipline,” he added.

According to Moreno, people who cannot avoid going to Divisoria should strictly practice wearing masks and face shields and bring alcohol for disinfection.

“I-practice ang physical distancing. Kapag lesser ang interaction, it will be better. It is not a guarantee but with high probability of you not getting infected even though in a busy area. Lagi po nating isasaisip na kapag pumunta tayo ng Divisoria ngayon ay talagang maraming tao, kailangang meron kayong pagpaplano,” he said.

p: wjg