Senator Grace Poe on Friday urged the Interagency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to reconsider its decision to require the use of face masks even in private vehicles.
"I ask the IATF to rethink its policy requiring occupants of a vehicle to wear anti-virus masks even if they are from the same household. This order is simply ludicrous and unrealistic," said Poe, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Services handling transportation issues.
She said the wearing of face masks should only be required for public transportation and carpooling, but not inside private vehicles carrying members of same household.
A car, she said, "is like an extension of the family's house".
"As long as there are no strangers inside it, it can be considered as their private bubble," she added.
In a joint statement on Friday, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Department of Health said it will enforce the mandatory wearing of face masks inside vehicles following the IATF's decision.
Under the rule, drivers who are traveling alone may remove their face masks. When with passengers, all should wear face masks "regardless if they are from the same household."
The DOTr, however, said it will still coordinate with concerned agencies as to how to properly implement this rule and what penalties will be imposed on violators in line with existing laws and regulations.
Poe said she will ask officials to "fully" explain this policy when the public services committee conducts its hearing on Tuesday, February 9.
The Senate public service panel, along with the Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, is set to inquire about the issues and complaints in the implementation of the Child Safety in Motor Vehicles Act, and the operations of Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Centers (PMVIC).