Senators back Duterte's move to extend ECQ
Published Apr 7, 2020 06:39 am
By Vanne Elaine Terrazola
Senators have supported President Duterte's decision to extend the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) being imposed in Luzon against the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III (Alvin Kasiban / MANILA BULLETIN)
Senate President Vicente Sotto III found the two-week extension of the ECQ "reasonable" to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Luzon.
"April 30 extension seems to be reasonable considering the fact that DOH has no clear projection yet of how things are evolving. Better safe than sorry!" he said in a text message Tuesday.
Senator Juan Edgardo "Sonny" likewise shared the same view, saying that this will allow the government to "catch up" on testing suspected COVID-19 cases and "gauge real public health situation."
He, however, maintained that basic needs must be delivered to the public.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros said on Twitter that she is also for the extension of the ECQ to ensure an "effective" mass testing, which the government set for April 14.
"Pero siguraduhing may sapat na suporta para sa mga kababayan nating lalo pang maaapektuhan (But we should make sure that there is enough support for our countrymen who will be most affected by the extension)," she said wrote.
Aside from the mass testing, the opposition senator said further protection must be given to health workers and other frontliners in the fight against COVID-19.
The national government, she added, should also capacitate local government units to respond to the needs of their constituents.
For Sen. Joel Villanueva, lifting the ECQ immediately will put to waste the government and the people's sacrifices in the past few weeks "as the trend indicates more cases will be recorded in the coming days."
In his statement, he said he was glad that Duterte heeded the recommendations to extend the quarantine period.
Villanueva also welcomed the government's improving testing capacity. "The sooner we detect and isolate COVID-19 patients, the faster we will be able to manage the spread of the disease," he noted.
At the same time, he reiterated his appeal to speed up the distribution of relief to poor families and vulnerable sectors of society.
Senator Francis Tolentino said the President's decision was in line with the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, which grants him special authority to resolve the COVID-19 outbreak within three months.
He stressed, on the other hand, that the government should ready mitigating measures to help the economy cope with the extended ECQ.
"We have to support the extension of the ECQ for the general welfare of society, but hand in hand with the health measures we should now prepare for an immediate economic recovery program as a pillar of societal resuscitation," the administration senator said.
The President has approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Infectious Disease (IATF) to extend the ECQ. Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles made the announcement during his virtual briefing Tuesday.
From April 12, the Luzon-wide quarantine has been extended until 11:59 p.m. of April 30.
Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III (Alvin Kasiban / MANILA BULLETIN)
Senate President Vicente Sotto III found the two-week extension of the ECQ "reasonable" to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Luzon.
"April 30 extension seems to be reasonable considering the fact that DOH has no clear projection yet of how things are evolving. Better safe than sorry!" he said in a text message Tuesday.
Senator Juan Edgardo "Sonny" likewise shared the same view, saying that this will allow the government to "catch up" on testing suspected COVID-19 cases and "gauge real public health situation."
He, however, maintained that basic needs must be delivered to the public.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros said on Twitter that she is also for the extension of the ECQ to ensure an "effective" mass testing, which the government set for April 14.
"Pero siguraduhing may sapat na suporta para sa mga kababayan nating lalo pang maaapektuhan (But we should make sure that there is enough support for our countrymen who will be most affected by the extension)," she said wrote.
Aside from the mass testing, the opposition senator said further protection must be given to health workers and other frontliners in the fight against COVID-19.
The national government, she added, should also capacitate local government units to respond to the needs of their constituents.
For Sen. Joel Villanueva, lifting the ECQ immediately will put to waste the government and the people's sacrifices in the past few weeks "as the trend indicates more cases will be recorded in the coming days."
In his statement, he said he was glad that Duterte heeded the recommendations to extend the quarantine period.
Villanueva also welcomed the government's improving testing capacity. "The sooner we detect and isolate COVID-19 patients, the faster we will be able to manage the spread of the disease," he noted.
At the same time, he reiterated his appeal to speed up the distribution of relief to poor families and vulnerable sectors of society.
Senator Francis Tolentino said the President's decision was in line with the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, which grants him special authority to resolve the COVID-19 outbreak within three months.
He stressed, on the other hand, that the government should ready mitigating measures to help the economy cope with the extended ECQ.
"We have to support the extension of the ECQ for the general welfare of society, but hand in hand with the health measures we should now prepare for an immediate economic recovery program as a pillar of societal resuscitation," the administration senator said.
The President has approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Infectious Disease (IATF) to extend the ECQ. Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles made the announcement during his virtual briefing Tuesday.
From April 12, the Luzon-wide quarantine has been extended until 11:59 p.m. of April 30.