Senators are calling for the abolition of the Interagency Task Force (IATF) on the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease as the new community quarantine guidelines in Metro Manila and nearby provinces resulted in confusion among the public.
Senator Imee Marcos said on Monday, March 22, that she herself is as confused over the ever-changing protocols of the national government in controlling the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Lockdowns will not solve the pandemic alone, she said. She maintained that the government should "go back" to medical and science-based interventions to respond to the health crisis.
"Nagsurrender na ko sa IATF, 'di ba pinapabuwag ko na 'yon. Kasi ano ba talagang hilong-hilo na tayo sa kanila. For me, sobra ang kanilang utak-lockdown, sobra 'yong kanilang arrest, yong pag-para sa mga tao. Kulang sa medical, sa science, sa testing, higit sa lahat, asan 'yong bakuna (I have given up on the IATF, that's why I am calling for its abolition. Because we are getting confused with their policies. For me, their lockdown mentality is too much, their arrests and cracking down on people. They lacked the medical interventions, science, testing, and most of all, where are the vaccines)?" Marcos told reporters in an online interview.
"The handling has been inept, unduly difficult for the Filipino people...Siguro naman klaro: This is a health issue, ang dapat mamuno public health experts, at immunologists, obyus ba (I think this is clear: This is a health issue that should be led by public health experts and immunologists, it should be obvious)."
She also criticized the government's new "NCR+" bubble set-up: "Ano ngayon 'yong lockdown, pareho din ng virus, may mga variant? Nakakaloka siya (What, are lockdowns like the virus now, they also have variants? That's crazy)."
Marcos said she cannot blame National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 chief implementer for the "confusing" policies.
"I know he is an officer and a gentleman he is perhaps too good a soldier, baka marami siyang masyadong bossing (but he might be having too many bosses)," she said.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III concurred with Marcos' suggestion and said the government should have considered an overhaul of the IATF "since Day 1, especially when we were already complaining about it, that there is groos incompetence in the handling."
He was referring to the resolution signed by a majority of senators who called for the resignation of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III. The Department of Health (DOH) secretary heads the IATF.
"Don't get me wrong, maraming mga DOH employees na magagaling, pero 'yong particular na handling ng COVID-19, palagay ko naligaw eh. Ligaw (there are a lot of competent DOH employees, but the handling of COVID-19 pandemic particularly seemed misplaced. Misplaced)," Sotto said in a separate online interview with reporters.
"If they contacted the medical profession as a whole...ang dami nating naririnig at nababasa na may mga sinasabi na maganda at tama, na hindi ginagawa ng IATF o ng DOH (we have read and heard several good and correct proposals that the IATF or the DOH refuses to do)."
He further lamented: "Ang problema kasi pag hindi galing sa kanila ang idea, parang hindi nila gusto. Gusto nila galing lang sa kanila, eh. Yon ang problema nila eh. Kaya 'yong mga sinasuggest natin, hindi pinapakinggan (The problem with them is when the ideas did not come from them, they do not like it. And they only want to enforce their ideas. Our suggestions only fall on deaf ears)."
"Suma-sang-ayon ako na kung ganito lang na hindi ma-handle nang matino, oo, ipa-handle na sa mga doktor (I agree that if they cannot handle it properly, yes, they should let doctors handle the matter)," Sotto said.