In response to the letter of appeal from the Philippine Automotive Dealers Association (PADA) to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) partial reopening of their dealer network, the DTI turned it down, citing that this would counter the objective of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). The ECQ was extended by the Palace during President Duterte’s weekly live updates regarding the pandemic.
In a letter addressed to Willy Tee Ten, president of PADA, DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez pointed out that the Memorandum Circular (MC) 20-08 detailing the list of priorities and exemptions does not include the automotive sector. “This is mainly due to the urgent need to limit the movement of people to stop the spread of Covid-19, which is the essence of having an ECQ,” he said. “If ever there would be exemptions, it must be limited to these very essential products that the people cannot live without,” added Lopez.
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