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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider 'Duterte's high rating puts more pressure on DoH to perform'

'Duterte's high rating puts more pressure on DoH to perform'

Published Oct 7, 2020 04:38 pm

A House leader believes that President Duterte's 91 percent approval rating this September will translate to more pressure on the Department of Health (DoH) to perform better amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte
(SIMEON CELI / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN)

"Yes, it puts additional pressure on them (DoH) to perform," said Tarlac Rep. Victor Yap, chairman of the Committee on Information and Communications Technology.

The lofty approval rating -- supplied by independent pollster Pulse Asia -- has been framed by media as a positive response from the public as far as government intervention on the pandemic is concerned. Yap noted that its now up to the DoH to help maintain the positive outlook.

"The strain on the DoH now is to give the country a data profile of those infected and how many really are severe and critical," said the former provincial governor.

Incidentally, the House Information and Communications Technology held virtual hearings as early as April in a bid to help national agencies determine which is the best way to conduct contact-tracing among positive cases. The Health department took part in these hearings.

According to Yap, the Executive's medium and long-term economic strategies in response to the public health emergency will only become successful if they are implemented alongside a solid medical infrastructure, and that's where the Secretary Francisco Duque III-led agency comes in.

"The DoH has that overlying responsibility of balancing risk and medical capacities across the country in different situations, making (Malacañang's) quiet yet solid economic movements happen," he said.

The Tarlac solon said he hopes the DoH "can trust the local governments more" when it comes to controlling COVID transmission rate, but at the same noted that a clear policy on transmission must still follow.

"The new paradigm that we will live in because of this COVID is it life-threatening to a significant portion of society, but it is key for us to adapt," Yap stressed.

The Pulse Asia Survey was carried out from Sept. 14 and 20 with some 1,200 Filipino adults as respondents.

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