President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

(noun) signed(verb) an(determiner) executive order (Noun)

making(verb) the(conjunction) wearing(verb) of(preposition) face masks(noun) outdoors(adverb)
optional(adjective), Malacañang(noun) announced(verb) Monday. (noun)

In(preposition) a(conjunction) press briefing(noun), Press Secretary Trixie Cruz Angeles(noun) said(verb)
Executive Order No. 3, (noun) which(conjunction) has(verb) been(verb) published(verb) in(preposition)
the(determiner) Official Gazette, (noun) “shall(verb) take(verb) effect(noun) immediately.” (adverb)

On(reposition) Sept. 7, (noun) the Inter-Agency Task Force(noun) recommended(verb) the(conjunction)

voluntary(adjective) use(noun) of(preposition) face mask(noun) outdoors, (adverb) which(conjunction)
was(verb) then(adverb) verbally(adverb) approved(verb) by(preposition) the(conjunction) president.
(noun)

Angeles(noun) said(verb) Marcos(noun) favored(verb) the(conjunction) recommendation(noun) since

(preposition)the(conjunction) country(noun) is(verb) only(adverb) 6% away(adverb) from(preposition)
the(determiner) wall(noun) of(preposition) immunity(noun), wherein(adverb) at(preposition)
least(adjective) 80% of(preposition) the(conjunction) eligible(adjective) population(noun) has(verb)
received(verb) their(pronoun) first(adjective) booster shot. (noun)

However, (adverb) the(conjunction) order(noun) noted(verb) that(preposition) “not(adverb) fully-

vaccinated(adjective) individuals, (noun) senior citizens, (noun) and(conjunction)
immunocompromised(adjective) individuals(noun) are(verb) highly(adverb) encouraged(verb) to
wear(verb) their(pronoun) masks(noun), and(conjunction) physical(adjective) distancing(verb) will(verb)
be(verb) observed(verb) at(preposition) all(conjunction) times(noun).”

Face masks(noun) should(verb) still(adverb) be(verb) worn(adjective) when(adverb) indoors(noun),

inside(preposition) public transportation(noun), and(conjunction) in(preposition) outdoor(adjective)
settings(noun) where(adverb) physical(adjective) distancing(verb) cannot(verb) be(verb)
maintained(verb), the(conjunction) order(noun) noted(verb).

Angeles(noun) said(verb) local governments(noun) will(verb) be(verb) tasked(verb) to set(verb)

the(conjunction) standards(noun) for(preposition) the(conjunction) implementation(noun)
of(preposition) the(determiner) order(noun), which(conjunction) includes(verb) what(pronoun)
can(verb) be(verb) considered(verb) as(preposition) an(determiner) open(adjective) space(noun),
and(conjunction) what(pronoun) is(verb) deemed(verb) good(adjective) ventilation(noun),
among(preposition) others(noun).

The(conjunction) new(adjective) policy(noun) will(verb) be(verb) done(verb) in(preposition)

phase(noun) so(adverb) that(preposition) feedbacks(adjectives) can(verb) still(adverb) be
submitted(verb) on whether(preposition) or(conjunction) not(adverb) this(conjunction) works(verb),
and(conjunction) how(adverb) to make(verb) it(pronoun) more efficient(adjective) “so(adverb)
that(preposition) hopefully(adverb) by(preposition) the(conjunction) end of the year(noun)
we(pronoun) might be(verb) able to(adjective) be voluntarily(adverb) masked(verb) indoors(noun)
as(preposition) well(adverb),” the(conjunction) official(noun) said(verb).

While(preposition) the(conjunction) Department of Health (DOH)(noun) has yet(adverb) to see(verb) the

end(noun) of(preposition) the(conjunction) COVID-19 pandemic(noun) as(preposition) cases(noun)
decline(noun), Health Officer-in-Charge Ma. Rosario Vergeire(noun) said(verb) the(conjunction)
department(noun) supports(verb) the optional(adjective) use(noun) of(preposition) face mask(noun).

“We(pronoun) cannot say(verb) that(preposition) we(pronoun) are looking(verb) at the(conjunction)

end(noun) of(preposition) the(conjunction) pandemic(noun) already(adverb) as of(preposition) this
time(noun), because(preposition) the state(noun) of(preposition) endemicity(adjective) would
require(verb) that(preposition) there is(verb) high population(noun) immunity(noun) which(conjunction)
we do(verb) not(adverb) have(verb) right(noun) now(adverb),” she(noun) said(verb) in(preposition)
a(conjunction) House budget hearing(noun).

Vergeire(noun) noted(verb) they(pronoun) agree(verb) with(preposition) the(conjunction)

adjusted(verb) face mask policy(noun), but(conjunction) it(pronoun) should not be allowed(verb) for the
vulnerable population, or when in public transportation, and in areas with poor ventilation.

San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora said he supports the optional use of face masks.

In an interview with CNN Philippines’ Balitaan on Tuesday, Zamora said the local government will amend
its face mask policy that penalizes citizens not wearing masks when outdoors.

The new policy is not seen to affect San Juan’s number of COVID-19 infections given the high vaccination
and booster rates in the city, the mayor noted.

Zamora said 245% of the city’s residents have completed their primary COVID-19 doses, 101% have
received their first booster shot, while 13% have received their second booster shot.

Local active COVID-19 cases have been ranging from 60 to 70 infections, he added.

Meanwhile, infectious diseases expert Dr. Rontgene Solante said the effect of the voluntary use of face
masks has to be monitored, adding that the challenge is how to effectively communicate to people that
voluntary mask wearing can only be done in open and non-crowded areas.

"Dapat hindi natin makikita na [We must not see that] it's beginning to send complacency towards the
pandemic," he told News Night.

Solante said despite easing the mask rule, the risk for the vulnerable population remains.

"The other gray area there is that if you are a healthy individual and you're taking your face mask off,
and you're going back to your household and you have vulnerable people in that household, then that
puts them at risk," he said.

Solante stressed that extra care must be taken as the holidays approach and gatherings are expected.

"We need to be cautious about planning gatherings... It is still important to be cautious. Do not go to
gatherings if you are high risk or are part of the vulnerable population, if you don't have the first or the
second booster, particularly the elderly and the immunocompromised, and particularly the
unvaccinated," he said.