Senate President Vicente Sotto III is not satifisfied with how the Department of Health (DOH) justified its recommendation to keep the mandatory face shield policy.

On Wednesday, Sotto filed Senate Resolution No. 757 to prompt the chamber's Committee of the Whole to look into how effective face shields are in addressing the coronavirus situation in the Philippines.

The committee, which he chairs, is already conducting a hearing on the ongoing vaccination program in the country.

"Wearing face shield is not among the recommended protocol from world health experts to prevent the transmission of COVID-19," Sotto said in the resolution, citing statements and studies from the World Health Orgianization, Center for Disease Control, and American Journal of Infection Control.

"For the marginalized and poor, face shield is very costly for something that do not afford protection against the virus. Our people should rather invest in a proper mask that is scientifically proven to protect them," he added.

The DOH has submitted to the Senate its report on the basis for requiring the use of face shields -- aside from face masks -- to prevent COVID-19 transmission and infection.

"It's confirmed, even the brief sent by DOH proves no country in the world mandates the use of face shields on top of the face mask. It's either or in most countries. Other countries, mask only!" Sotto posted on Twitter Tuesday night, June 22.

It's confirmed even from DOH records, no other country mandates the use of face shields on top of masks. It's EITHER OR! SG n Taiwan, mask only!

— Tito Sotto (@sotto_tito) June 22, 2021

A briefer on the DOH report from Sotto's office cited the use of face shields in China, South Korea, Malta, United Kingdom, and Oregon in the United States, but only as optional protection against the coronavirus, or a requirement only for some workers.

The DOH also mentioned a medical study in The Lancet, which suggested that wearing face masks and eye protection cannot provide complete protection from COVID-19 but "might provide additional benefits".

Sotto, however, opined that the study did not provide an "extensive discussion" of the efficacy of face shields in containing the spread of the coronavirus and that it cited the need for further “globally collaborative and well conducted studies".

"Thus, its study is NOT CONCLUSIVE," he stressed.

A study on health workers in India also noted that while face shields may have reduced contamination of face masks or diverted movement around the face, the "unique" living circumstances of individuals could also have minimized the coronavirus transmission.

"Again, this study is not conclusive," Sotto maintained.

The Senate leader agreed that requiring the use face shields result in unnecessary expenses and discomfort.

"Sinong genius ang nambola sa gobyerno (Who was the genius who recommended this to the government)?" he said in a text message sent to reporters Wednesday, June 23.

He also raised the suspicion that some businesses may be benefitting from this policy.

"People cannot help but suspect something is wrong somewhere," he said.

Sotto earlier announced that President Duterte favored the use of face shields only in hospitals, a move opposed by members of the government's pandemic task force.

Duterte, however, later declared that face shields shall still be required both indoors and outdoors amid the emergence of the Delta variant.