CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. was urged to discuss the proposed Philippine Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) Act and the full implementation of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) in his second State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 24.
ARISE People of Revelation (APOR) spokesperson Pastor Alcherie Patino, together with APOR members and other religious groups, join the Lunas Pilipinas rally at the Senate on May 22, 2023. (Contributed photo)
Pastor Alcherie Patino, spokesperson of the Arise People of Revelation (APOR), asked the President not to pass Senate Bill No. 1869 or the Philippine CDC Act that she said contains provisions that could violate human rights.
"It’s no longer a matter of health, it’s a matter of (human) rights. So, Senate Bill No. 1869 is all about rights, being a Filipino citizen," Patino said on Saturday, July 22.
Patino said people no longer have the freedom to refuse isolation under Section 13(g)(5) of Article 5 in case of public health emergencies, regardless of their health condition and religion, once the bill becomes law.
Section 20 of Article 6 will also prevent people, she said, from seeking justice, as the persons who are authorized and involved in public health emergency response shall be immune from suit and liability.
Section 11 (5)(f) of Article 4 could accordingly violate human rights as it states that law enforcement agencies can be called upon to locate any patients or persons suspected of contracting a communicable disease, she said.
Patino also said that Section 13(f) of Article 5 could curtail data privacy as it states that the National Telecommunications Commission and any telecommunications entity shall provide location information of patients or persons suspected of contracting a disease.
Instead of pushing the CDC Act, Patino said the government should focus on creating programs that would encourage parents to boost the immune systems of their children.
Patino said she was unable to feel the President’s presence unlike his predecessors and that the Chief Executive caters more to foreign leaders who can possibly help him.
"I can’t see his sincerity being our President because if there are people that he can please, that should be us. We should be the ones to be served," Patino said.
Meanwhile, the United Drivers Association (Unida) here urged Marcos to discuss the PUVMP further as many of its members are still hesitant to join a cooperative or corporation.
Unida President Joel Gabatan said commuters will be affected if there are many PUV drivers who are unable to beat the deadline for jeepney phaseout set by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board on Dec. 31, 2023.
"That’s what we wanted to know. If he would continue (for modernization) or just to rehabilitate the (jeepney)," Gabatan, the regional coordinator of the National Confederation of Transport Union in Northern Mindanao, said.