Senators to Duterte: "If ECQ is necessary, so be it."
If there is an emerging consensus among scientists and health experts on going into a pre-emptive lockdown, the Duterte government should listen and act decisively, senators said on Wednesday.
"First, government should listen to scientists, the ones who matter. Join them in making the prescription. Just be mindful that if lockdown is the cure, then like any medicine, an overdose can be lethal," Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said.
Recto, however, said the government should make sure to provide assistance, financial or otherwise, to ensure that the people can survive another lockdown.
"It is all about the right dosage and duration. It should go with ayuda (financial assistance), which is a good painkiller," Recto stressed.
"Kahit naman anong gamot (Any medicine) must be partnered with good nutrition. Lockdown without food aid is like taking meds on an empty stomach," he added.
But Recto acknowledge the ways and the means of how these benefits will reach the most vulnerable would be a challenge.
"But government must be seen extending a helping hand. It cannot put up checkpoints without setting up safety nets," he said.
"And whatever they decide upon, it should be explained to the public in a clear manner. The President should address the nation—primetime, not late night, frank, brief, inspiring, straight to the point, rallying the country to the good fight that must be won," he emphasized.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros agreed with the proposal saying she too would understand if imposing an ECQ again would be necessary considering the limited capacities and resources to deal with a full scale surge.
"If ECQ is necessary, then so be it," Hontiveros said.
Hontiveros reiterated her call for the government to ramp up its COVID-19 vaccination, testing and contact tracing which until now, is sorely lacking.
"We are still not testing and tracing enough, and testing kits remain prohibitively expensive for most Filipinos. The national positivity rate is still 2 to 3 times what (the) WHO (World Health Organization) recommends...I can only share the anxiety," she said.
"I am frightened by the images of the Delta variant’s onslaught in India and Indonesia. I urge the government to be ready with the necessary safety nets, even as an early lockdown is contemplated," she further said.
During a press briefing, OCTA Research has said that the Delta variant is a game chamger that needs hard intervention, warning that a "catastrophic" surge would be detrimental to the economy.