POSTPONED. Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia (left) and Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella, national president, and chairman, respectively, of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), during the recent joint Armed Forces of the Philippines-Philippine National Police command conference in Malacañang. The LCP announces on Tuesday (March 10, 2020) the postponement of its National Executive Board meeting in Manila scheduled on Wednesday due to public safety and health concerns brought by the coronavirus disease 2019. (Covid-19). (File photo courtesy of Bacolod City PIO)
BACOLOD CITY – The League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) has postponed anew its National Executive Board (NEB) meeting in Manila on Wednesday - this time amid the public safety and health concerns brought by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia, LCP national president, said the shelving of the assembly, set to be held at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza, was decided after consultation of the LCP officials with President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañang on Monday night.
The meeting with the Chief Executive was attended by LCP national chairman, Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella, and Santa Rosa, Laguna Mayor Arlene Arcillas, the regional representative.
“It is with regrets that we have to announce the postponement of our NEB meeting scheduled March 11,” Leonardia said in a statement on Tuesday night.
The Bacolod mayor said he and his fellow local chief executives have been looking forward to the LCP assembly after it was first postponed in January due to the Taal Volcano eruption.
“However, the matter of reassuring our constituents with our presence and attention is of paramount concern amid the public anxiety over Covid-19,” he added.
The original schedule on January 15 did not push through as days before, Taal erupted and the volcano’s status was raised to Alert Level 4 with an imminent hazardous eruption.
Some 80 city mayors have initially confirmed attendance, but Leonardia said on Monday that some of the mayors have decided to cancel due to the Covid-19 threat.
Last month, Leonardia also canceled his trip to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates for the 10th Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF10) amid the Covid-19 fears.
He was supposed to attend the WUF10 from February 8 to 13 in his capacity as the LCP national president but decided not to go although he has already obtained a foreign travel authority from Secretary Eduardo Año of the Department of the Interior and Local Government. (PNA)
