President Rodrigo Duterte didn't mince words in officially tagging Cebu City as the country's hotspot for COVID-19.
"Bakit? Marami sa inyo (Cebuanos) hindi sumunod," he stressed out in his regular public briefing on coronavirus late Tuesday night. "Wag kayo magalit-galit sa akin... Hindi ganyan [dapat] karami yan."
According to city legal counsel Rey Gealon, there are currently 5,141 confirmed COVID-19 cases (2,259 active, including 67 city hall employees), 2,713 recoveries, and 169 deaths in the Queen City of the South.
Duterte said he didn't even have to consult the governing body to know that the citizens of Cebu City failed to comply with the strict measures.
"Yung mga Bisaya doon ang titigas talaga ng ulo, hindi mo mapasunod... Talisay was like a marketplace everyday. Nag-iinuman kayo diyan, nagsusugal, almost nonchalant of the dangers lurking around."
As such, the port capital will remain under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), while it's still general community quarantine for Metro Manila until July 15.
The president went on to compare the two regions, pointing out the "substantial compliance" in Manila: "I wouldn't say that there were no violations. There were violations, but not in a scale I saw in other places.
"Manila and its environment, maraming tao. Because sumunod sila, with few violations, we here in Manila (have) a very good chance of at least avoiding it."
This is despite Manila Mayor Isko Moreno placing 31 barangays under a 48-hour lockdown earlier today. The following areas recorded more than three positive coronavirus infections from June 15 to 29.