Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano
MANILA -- Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Friday expressed support for President Rodrigo Duterte's directive to impose a temporary travel ban on visitors from Wuhan City, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak, and the entire Hubei province in China.
“Nakakasigurado tayo na para sa Pangulo, ang kalusugan ng mga Pilipino ang pinakamahalaga. Kaya naman suportado po natin ang kanyang direktiba tungkol sa ‘travel ban’ sa mga taong nagmumula sa apektadong probinsya sa China (I assure you that the health of Filipinos is the primary concern of our President. That’s why I fully support his directive regarding the ‘travel ban’ on travelers coming from the affected province in China),” Cayetano said.
“Again, I urge the public to practice good hygiene and to heed the advice of our health professionals. We have to face this challenge as one people, as one country with faith in ourselves and in the Almighty God. We Pray as One. We Heal as One,” he added.
The health department on Thursday confirmed that a female Chinese national is the Philippines’ first case of 2019-nCoV, which originated in Wuhan City in China.
The 38-year-old woman from Wuhan China, who arrived in the Philippines on January 21, was asymptomatic or displaying no symptoms of the newly-discovered strain of the virus.
Apart from the Philippines, the virus that began spreading in China also affects other countries like Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Sri Lanka, and Australia.
Cayetano said the House of Representatives is studying Albay Rep. Joey Salceda’s proposal to create a Disease Prevention and Control Center in the Philippines.
He said the chamber would also seek to increase the funding for health research, and improve the capacity of health facilities, especially in the rural areas.
The Speaker called on the Department of Health (DOH) to use their available funds to implement the necessary contingency measures to ensure that all medical facilities and hospitals are equipped and ready to attend to the needs of the Filipinos.
“We also encourage our local government units to support the DOH in reporting suspected cases of a novel coronavirus in your communities,” he said.
“We are confident that all of the concerned government units are working together to prevent the spread of the virus to avoid the worsening of the situation,” he added.
Meanwhile, House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez commended President Duterte for making a “very smart decision” to effectively strategize government’s campaign against the spread of the 2019-nCoV.
“Our DOH officials were guided by international standards in recommending to the President the temporary travel ban on Chinese nationals from Hubei province and other nCoV-hit areas in China,” Romualdez said.
Romualdez said the House leadership is prepared to support the logistical requirement that the DOH may need to combat the novel coronavirus.
He also urged the public to stop spreading false information and hate campaigns against Chinese people.
“Please work for the common good of everyone. Avoid sowing panic... Let’s pray for the good health and immediate recovery of those who have been affected,” Romualdez said. (PNA)
