If he wins a Senate seat in the May 2020 elections, Sorsogon Gov. Francis “Chiz” Escudero plans to revive the late Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago’s Pandemic and All-Hazard Preparedness Act which will boost the country’s capacity to respond to any pandemic.
Senate Bill No. 1573 was filed by Santiago in 2013 to strengthen the capacities of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and the surveillance disease section of the Department of Health (DOH).
“Sa gayun ay maging handa tayo at mauna tayo pagdating sa kaalaman at paghahanda kung may darating man na susunod pa na pandemya (In this case, we will be ready and at the forefront when it comes to the knowledge and preparedness if there’s a next pandemic),” Escudero said on Vice President Leni Robredo’s Sunday radio show over dzXL.
Escudero is a guest candidate in Robredo’s senatorial slate. He is also a guest candidate of presidential aspirants Senators Manny Pacquiao and Panfilo Lacson.
“Alam niyo, mahigit walong taon nang lumilipas, naghain ng panukalang batas si Senator Miriam Santiago na nagbibigay sana ng sapat na kahandaan para sa ating bansa kaugnay ng pandemya tulad nito (Over eight years have passed since Senator Miriam Santiago filed a bill which will give sufficiently prepare the country for a pandemic like this),” he added.
Santiago, a close friend of Escudero’s wife, actress Heart Evangelista, died in September 2016 due to lung cancer.
READ: 'Political prophet' Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago remembered
If that bill was passed into law, the former senator and now Sorsogon governor added that the country would have been more prepared against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the proposal, the country will establish and fund a National Health Strategy for Public Health Emergencies, Task Force on Public Emergencies, and Medical Reserve Corps, which Escudero believed would have been beneficial in responding to the current pandemic.
The country is currently in the midst of an outbreak due to the Omicron variant. On Saturday, Jan. 15, the Philippines logged 39,004 new cases with a positivity rate of 47.1 percent.