Senator Risa Hontiveros / photo courtesy of MSN Philippines |
Senator
Risa Hontiveros recently made a remark on Friday after President Rodrigo Duterte’s
announcement to impose “community quarantine” in Metro Manila to contain
COVID-19 for a month.
According
to her, the government’s announcement was quite “messy”
in their plans and stressed that the public deserves more cohesive guidelines
on efforts to now pandemic disease that has been threatening the country.
The
lady senator said that the Filipinos deserve a government that has a “competent
leadership” to marshall the country out of the coronavirus disease 2019
(COVID-19) outbreak.
The government needs to explain clearly its guidelines on the measures imposed to contain the virus. As fears hound the public due to the pandemic crisis, she mentioned.
The government needs to explain clearly its guidelines on the measures imposed to contain the virus. As fears hound the public due to the pandemic crisis, she mentioned.
“The
Filipino people have been expecting a cohesive plan from our leaders. They
deserve and need the government to exercise competent leadership in order to
shepherd us out of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the government should
strive to express clear communication of its policies and guidelines
surrounding the containment of this pandemic,” Hontiveros said.
The announcement made some residents in Metro Manila and those in nearby provinces
confused since there are no guidelines yet on how it will be implemented.
“Tama
na ang pagiging magulo. The Filipino people have been expecting a cohesive plan
from our leaders,” the lady senator added.
“In
addition, the government should strive to express clear communication of its
policies and guidelines surrounding the containment of this pandemic,” she said.
She recommended
the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to immediately release specific guidelines
of the community quarantine before it will be implemented in Metro Manila
starting this weekend.
“There is
a lot to clarify. I urge the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of
Emerging Infectious Diseases to immediately release specific guidelines and
parameters of the community quarantine being imposed in Metro Manila,
especially its effects on the daily lives of Filipinos and of those who work
within the metro but reside elsewhere,” Hontiveros said.
She
said that the scheme will have an impact on the daily lives of Filipinos and of
those who work in the National Capital Region (NCR).
“Our
public health and local government authorities must be at the helm of this
community quarantine, subject to proper parameters and regular review, in order
to guide and assure the worried public,” she added.
“At the
same time, we must not forget those who are most vulnerable and who have the
least among us: the daily wage-earning poor and the loss of jobs that is
already following in the wake of this pandemic,” Hontiveros said.
Those who live on a daily wage must not be forgotten amid the
virus’ threats, the senator also mentioned.
She asked the National agencies involve like the Department of
Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Labor and
Employment (DOLE) to extend due assistance to the affected workers.
“I call on the Department of Social Welfare and Development and our local government units to ensure sufficient food supply through local food banks. Dapat may pagkain sa bawat hapag-kainan (There should be food on every table),” Hontiveros said.
“Likewise, I am urging the Department of Labor and Employment to
facilitate immediate cash flow to families who will lose their livelihood in
the same light due to COVID-19,” she said.
Hontiveros also emphasized the need to sufficiently protect healthcare workers with protective gear and proper compensation.
“I thank our frontline health workers
who have been working tirelessly in the name of public health and safety. You
are the real heroes and I am thankful for your service to our people,”
Hontiveros said.
“In this same line, the protection and
welfare of health workers must be prioritized. They must have ample protective
gear, compensation, and other forms of support in the conduct of their duties.”
The Philippine government has upgraded
the alert on COVID-19 from Code Red Sublevel 1 to Sublevel 2, when
the evidence of community transmission and prevalence of cases beyond what the government can manage.
The World Health Organization (WHO)
now consider COVID-19 a pandemic, as the new virus is causing sustained
outbreaks in multiple regions of the world.
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