Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV considers Vice President Leni Robredo’s “Kalayaan sa (Freedom from) COVID” plan the solution that Filipinos have been waiting for a long time from the government.
“Para sa akin, ang Kalayaan sa COVID plan ni VP Leni ay talaga namang napag-isipan at tunay na mag-a-address sa mga sugat ng bayan dahil sa COVID (For me, the Kalayaan COVID plan of VP Leni is really well thought out and it will address the wounds of our country from COVID),” Trillanes said in a Tiktok post.
The Vice President presented more details of her health platform agenda if she gets elected as president in 2022 during a press conference on Monday, Nov. 8.
Her COVID-19 response plan aims to free the Filipino people from their fear of COVID-19, hunger, and inadequate education brought about by the pandemic through a 10-point program.
Many of these points are already being implemented by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) in its pandemic relief efforts.
READ: Robredo to tap P500-B discretionary funds for ‘ambitious’ COVID response plan
Trillanes, who was present during the briefing held by Robredo, stated this is the kind of “solution” that Filipinos deserve from the current government.
However, he lamented that Filipinos instead are forced to wear a face shield that has “no scientific basis” and make do with the dolomite beach for their mental health.
The Philippines is the only country in the world with a face shield mandate, although the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases said that it is studying the possibility of lifting the requirement. Manila Mayor Isko Moreno has lifted the mandatory use of face shields except in hospitals and clinics.
The controversial Dolomite Beach, on the other hand, is a multimillion peso project by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) aimed at beautifying the Manila Bay.
READ: The shifting sands of public opinion: Dolomite beach attracts huge crowd
It is, however, met by criticisms because dolomite is not characteristic to the bay and health experts suggest it might even be bad for the health.
“Ang Kalayaan sa COVID plan ni VP Leni ay isang pasilip kung ano ang pwede natin marating kapag ang lider natin ay may malasakit at may puso para sa tunay at tapat na paglilingkod sa bayan (The Freedom from COVID plan of VP Leni gives a glance of what we can achieve if the leader has compassion and heart for genuine and honest public service),” he said.