Businesses in Aklan are pleading for the provincial government to shorten curfew hours to give them longer operating time which will help them sustain their livelihood amid the health crisis.

A resolution was passed Monday by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Aklan chapter (PCCI-Aklan), whose membership covers the whole province, except for the island of Boracay in the town of Malay, urging the restoration of the curfew hours back to 11 p.m. until 4 a.m. the next day.

With the surging cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the province, Aklan Governor Florencio Miraflores on January 16 issued Executive Order No. 3, series of 2022, setting the curfew hours from 9 p.m. until 4 a.m. effective Jan. 17, 2022.

The resolution said the new EO resulted to shorter hours affecting local entrepreneurs, balut vendors, waiters, and bartenders, among others.

It added that unlike in previous years, it looked like the government is “not keen in giving aid to the affected residents and workers”.

“To survive this Covid-19 pandemic, they need to be allowed to go to work in order to earn a living,” the resolution stated.

The business group said they could not sustain helping their workers since they are also affected by the pandemic.

“No proof has been publicly presented, particularly in Aklan, linking Covid-19 positive cases to restaurants and other eating places,” they said.

PCCI-Aklan has 46 active members providing jobs to over hundreds of workers.

As of January 23, data from the Department of Health Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH WV CHD) showed that Aklan has 1,762 active cases, 12,284 recoveries and 202 deaths.

The province is also under Alert Level 3 as per Resolution No. 156-C, series of 2022, of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases that was released on Jan. 12. (PNA)