Senatorial candidate and Sorsogon Governor Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Wednesday said the national government should leave the management of COVID-19 alert level classification to local government units (LGUs) since they are in a more better position to assess the situation on the ground.
Escudero, who is seeking a Senate comeback in the May 2022 elections, explained that this function should have been devolved a long time ago by the Department of Health (DOH) to LGUs.
Currently, it is the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) that determines the alert level classification.
“I prefer giving to the local government, municipal, city or provincial leadership the authority to determine and say what alert level should prevail over their jurisdiction,” Escudero said in an interview on CNN Philippines.
“Malamang mas alam ng mga local chief executives kung ano ang sitwasyon talaga sa nagpasya para sa amin kaugnay niyan (Local chief executives are more aware of their situation than those who decided for us),” he added.
Nevertheless, Escudero said he welcomes the downgrading of Sorsogon province to Alert Level 1, beginning March, along with Metro Manila and 36 other areas across the country. Under Alert Level 1, the IATF allows intrazonal and interzonal travel regardless of age and comorbidities.
But while the National Capital Region’s classification is based on the recommendation of the Metro Manila Council (MMC) composed of the 17 mayors, he said provinces should be treated separately from each other.
Escudero lamented that the Bicol Region had to wait for other regions to shift alert level classification when COVID-19 cases in Sorsogon is already at an all-time low while other cities and municipalities are still high.
“Sana pagdating naman sa mga probinsya, kada probinsya sana dapat ang assessment dahil hindi naman tulad ng NCR na tumawid ka lang ng kalye ay nasa San Juan ka na o tumawid ka lang ng kalye nasa Mandaluyong ka na o nasa Quezon City ka na (I hope that when it comes to provincial governments, each province should make the assessment because unlike in NCR, just crossing the street and you are already in San Juan or Mandaluyong or Quezon City),” he pointed out.
“May mekanismo naman para diyan tulad ng Metro Manila Council na binubuo ng mga mayors na puwede nilang pagpasyahan ang NCR (There are mechanisms for that, like what the Metro Manila Council, formed by mayors, is doing in the NCR),” he said.
“Kaya inuulit ko ang aking pakiusap na sana pagpasyahan ng Department of Health at IATF na i-devolve, i-delegate ang kapangyarihang ‘yan na magdetermina ng alert levels sa mga lokal na pamahalaan (That’s why I reiterate my call for the DOH and the IATF to devolve, delegate the authority to determine alert levels to local governments),” he stressed.
“Mas maraming best practices akong nakita sa mga probinsya at gayundin sa mga siyudad at munisipyo sa ating bansa na puwede pang pagbunutan ng aral ng IATF at DOH kumpara sa pilit kaming pinapasunod sa ilang kautusan na hindi naman bagay o angkop sa aming lugar (I see more provinces, and other cities and municipalities in the country doing the best practices which the DOH and the IATF can learn from, compared when they just force us to comply with regulations that is not even appropriate to our respective jurisdiction),” he pointed out.