Senators Vicente "Tito" Sotto III and Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III on Saturday admitted being worried about the government's plan to place the Philippines under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ), reminding the public to still be careful and prevent the transmission of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
"Kung magsusuper ingat naman tayong lahat ay pwede pero 'di ako masyadong ano. Medyo hindi ako -- ako ang tingin ko, opinyon ko lang naman ito -- ang tingin ko kapag siguro mga at least naka-five percent na tayo ng mga binabakunahan (If we will all be extremely careful we can ease the quarantine, but I'm not too comfortable with it. I quite don't agree with it -- I think, and this is just my opinion -- maybe we can ease the quarantine protocols when we are already vaccinating at least five percent of the population)," the Senate President said in an interview over radio DWIZ on February 20.
Some senators were supportive of placing the entire country under MGCQ, citing the need to address the recession caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.
"Sabi ko dapat face-to-face na rin ang session ng Congress, ng Senado, eh ayaw agad ng ibang mga kasama ko eh. Tapos payag sila MGCQ ang taumbayan? Huwag ganun, 'di ba (I said sessions in Congress, of the Senate, should then be face-to-face, but my colleagues still do not want it. But then they agree that the entire country should be under MGCQ? They should be like that, right)," Sotto said.
Pimentel, meanwhile, acknowledged that authorities, in recommending the shift to MGCQ, may have seen that the country's health system can accommodate and respond to the potential increase in coronavirus infections.
But he said the public should not be complacent and must continue observing minimum health protocols to avoid getting the disease. Pimentel was a COVID-19 survivor.
"Kahit na March ay MGCQ, tuloy pa rin ang mask at shield...Okay na 'yan plus physical distancing, kung 'di ganon kahalaga ang lakad huwag na lang ituloy (Even if the MGCQ starts in March, we should still wear face masks and face shields. It's okay plus physical distancing, and if the travel isn't necessary, they should not push through with it)," he said in a separate DWIZ interview.
The Interagency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases earlier recommended to put the entire country under MGCQ starting March 1, following the advice of economic managers and the vote of Metro Manila mayors as part of the efforts to boost consumer spending.
President Duterte is expected to announce his decision on the recommendation before the end of February.