The House of Representatives has started discussing the creation of a national body geared towards disease prevention and control -- one of the key appeals of President Duterte during his State-of-the-Nation Address (SoNA) last month.
Tackled by the Committee on Health chaired by Quezon Rep. Angelina Tan during a virtual hearing Wednesday were nine House bills (HB) calling for the institutionalization of a Philippine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, referred to as CDC.
These are HB Nos. 6096, 6383, 6633, 6651, 6655, 6711, 6718, 7013, and 7243.
Before the end of the hearing, Tan, author of HB No. 6633, approved the creation of a technical working group (TWG) to consolidate the bills and prepare the resulting substitute measure for approval of the committee. She designated panel vice chairman Bataan Rep. Jose Enrique Garcia III as TWG head.
"The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted some institutional weakness in our health system such as disease surveillance, contact-tracing, and testing capabilities. Unquestionably, one of our urgent priorities now should be addressing the need for an independent and dedicated central chain of command that can quickly mobilize response to the pandemic as well as to emerging infectuous diseases in the future," said Garcia, author of HB No.6651.
"Countries that have shown greater success in the fight against the disease hinged their strategy on intensive testing and early detection of outbreaks. This was possible because they have set up a government agency dedicated solely on disease prevention and monitoring," he stressed.
Duterte warned in the SONA that COVID-19 "will not only be the last pandemic."
"We need to create a National Disease Prevention and Management Authority to better respond to future outbreaks. We count on Congress’ full support,” the Chief Executive said before a joint session of House members and senators.
The majority of the bills under the topic of CDC were filed before Duterte's speech. However, all of them cited the serious threat posed by COVID-19 and similar diseases should there be no appropriate response.
Albay Rep. Joey Salceda's measure, HB No. 6096, was filed on Jan. 29 -- a full month before the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a pandemic in mid-March. Other House members soon followed suit.
Salceda said the pioneering effort in his bill is that it “introduces the concept of sudden onset health emergencies.”
"I came up with this proposal after studying international best practices, most notably those in China, Australia, and the United States. This bill, of course, contextualizes these practices in the Philippine situation," said the Bicolano who chairs the Ways and Means panel.
He said that once it is created, the CDC would likely be a separate agency supervised by the Health Emergency Coordinating Council (HECC), which is chaired by the Secretary of Health. Salceda believes that this structure ensures rapid response actions that are not hampered by bureaucratic processes.
“There are health crises where cases have the potential to escalate in numbers and scope very quickly, and where coordinated efforts at containment and treatment are required immediately. That will often include law enforcement, community management, and a whole swathe of other disciplines. Clearly, that’s not just a doctor’s specialty anymore. So, you need a more holistic public health preparedness and response framework," he noted.
“The emergencies can come from anywhere, and at any time, although their nature can be predicted, and thus prepared for. That’s why it works to have institutional muscle," added Salceda.
None of the invited resource persons from various government agencies expressed objection to the intent of the bills.
Once approved by the Health panel, the measure is expected to be fasttracked by solons and certified as urgent by Malacañang, given Duterte's pronouncements.