The forceful imposition of a lockdown in Luzon was ordered by the President to put the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) dead on its tracks.

The Office of the President would like to thank the contributions of several businesses in our fight to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The Office of the President welcomes the timely issuance by its Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Commission on Audit (COA), an independent constitutional body, of Joint Circular No. 1, s. 2020.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has addressed the nation where he stressed the critical role of the local governments as partners of the National Government in implementing the guidelines and protocols it established in preventing the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the Enhanced Community Quarantine or Lockdown in the entire Luzon.

Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairperson Jose Ma. Sison is again engaged in a ranting nonsense that only high lights his perverted vision of reality as well as his insensitivity to the present grave peril that the Filipino people he professed to fight for face.

The Palace wishes to extend its utmost gratitude to our health care and service providers, law enforcement agents, as well as our people in the frontline of our country’s battle against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

In view of the imposition of the Enhanced Community Quarantine in Luzon amidst the threat of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has decided to declare a unilateral ceasefire against the Communist Party of the Philippines-the New People’s Army-the National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF), effective 00:00H of March 19, 2020 to 24:00H of April 15, 2020.

The Palace wishes to announce that Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea, by order of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, issued a Memorandum today, March 18, 2020, addressed to heads of departments, agencies, offices and instrumentalities of the government, government-owned or controlled corporations, government financial institutions and state universities and colleges, as well as local government units.

Reports reached our office on the plight of workers and employees stranded from work, as well as those health workers and those in the exempted group of the ban who could not go to their places of work on Day One of the Enhanced Community Quarantine in Luzon.

The Palace confirms that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte signed Proclamation No. 929 on March 16, 2020, declaring a state of calamity throughout the Philippines for a period of six (6) months, unless earlier lifted or extended as the circumstances may warrant.