Leaders of the House of Representatives, led by Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, have sought a congressional probe on the supposed “inadequacies” in the government’s response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Cayetano led the filing of House Resolution No. 1096 seeking a “whole-of-government” approach in addressing the pandemic crisis, lamenting that necessary government resources were not immediately mobilized to extend urgent and appropriate assistance to the most affected sectors.
“A whole-of-governemnt approach requires that government agencies, including Congress, work across portfolio boundaries to achieve a shared goal and an integrated government response to particular issues, and aims to achieve policy coherence in order to improve effectiveness and efficiency,” said the three-page resolution.
“While the COVID-19 pandemic has been unprecedented and the efforts of different government agencies have been laudable, there are areas which could be improved in order to better serve the urgent needs of our countrymen,” it added.
Deputy Speaker and Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund “LRay" Villafuerte and House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez co-authored HR No. 1096.
Under the resolution, the House leaders stressed that part of the House’s oversight functions is to monitor the bureaucratic compliance with program objectives, determine whether agencies are properly administered, and assess conformity with the congressional perception of public interest.
“While, we commend the hard work by , and concerted efforts of, different government agencies, and many unnamed government workers who assisted the overall effort from the sidelines, to mitigate the worst effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been several reports of inadequacies in the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” they said.
The House leaders lamented the plight of more than 9,000 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who contracted COVID-19 and more than 650 OFWs who succumbed to the disease, as well as the reports of food rummaging, lack of financial aid, and apparent persistent neglect that further worsened the situation of OFWs abroad.
In the resolution, Cayetano, Villafuerte, and Romualdez also scored the supposed lack of immediate assistance to the estimated 7,000 local stranded individuals (LSIs) who were seen cramping at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex bleachers last July 24 as they waited for their transportation home.
According to reports, eight to nine LSIs tested positive for COVID-19 using rapid antibody tests.
“The LSIs were made susceptible to being infected with COVID-19 when they were gathered with lack of sufficient space considering that the number of LSIs made it impossible for the latter to observe proper social distancing, and some were even seen not wearing masks,” they said.
They also noted the poor working conditions, and the lack of protection of the country’s health workers who are on the frontline in the country’s battle against coronavirus pandemic.
“Some health workers have also complained about insufficient supply of personal protective equipment, understaffing, excessive work hours, lack of transportation, accommodation support, and stress debriefing. They also aired their grievance towards “unacceptable salary and unreasonable implementation of hazard pay” and lack of free and regular swab tests for all frontline hospital workers,” they said.
The House leaders also expressed serious concern over the increasing number of cases of COVID-19 among the frontliners.
They said as of July 2, the total number of health workers who caught the disease has reached 3, 442, while the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported 221 cases, as of July 16, and 1,761 cases, as of July 23, respectively.
The House leaders also cited the need for the chamber to look into the plight of the public transport drivers, particularly those who have yet to receive their long-overdue financial assistance from the government.
“Some jeepney drivers, who were among the most-affected sectors after several parts of the country were placed under lockdown to curb COVID-19, claimed that they did not receive any cash subsidy,” they said.