(File photo)
MANILA – Partido Reporma standard-bearer Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson on Thursday said he sees no problem with recommendations to place the National Capital Region (NCR) in Alert Level 1 in view of the improving coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) situation in the region.
"Basta science-based eh walang problema, alam mong siyensiya ang pangunahing nasusunod dito. Kung sa paga-akala ng mga health experts natin na sapat na yun, ika nga may suporta ng siyensiya tungkol sa pagbaba ng Alert Level papuntang 1 eh, suportado natin yan (As long as it is science based, there is no problem, you know science is the one being followed and obeyed. And if our health experts think that is enough, there is scientific evidence to support the call for the lowering of alert levels leading to (Alert Level) 1, we support that," Lacson said in a radio interview.
Lacson said this will help the economy recover, noting that the country loses PHP11 billion weekly due to lockdowns or tight alert levels, based on data from the National Economic Development Authority.
This is why calls for lower alert levels are supported by the secretaries of the departments of finance, trade and industry, labor and employment, and tourism, he added.
He, however, said there should not be a "trade-off" between health and the economy.
Meanwhile, senatorial candidate and Partido Reporma's resident health expert Dr. Minguita Padilla echoed Lacson's position.
She, however, advised the public to still keep their masks on especially when going outside and mingling with other people in crowded spaces.
“Yes, I am in favor of the shift to Alert Level 1 in Metro Manila, which has already achieved beyond the target immunity level to already lessen alert levels. This immunity is from both the high vaccination rate and natural immunity from recovered infections,” Padilla said.
Both Lacson and Padilla believed it is high time for the authorities to loosen up pandemic restrictions, so businesses and other affected industries can recover, particularly the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and the education sectors.
“We need to restart the economy ASAP (as soon as possible), especially for the MSMEs that have suffered so much. It is also important to shift to the lower alert level and shift to more face-to-face classes,” said Padilla.
Padilla also renewed her appeal to those who are still spreading vaccine disinformation.
“The anti-vaccine rhetoric should stop because the goal is to vaccinate as many people as fast as possible around the Philippines so that we can shift to pandemic exit mode sooner rather than later,” she said.
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases is set to tackle the Metro Manila Council's resolution calling for the downgrade to the most relaxed alert level in its meeting later on Thursday.
Under Alert Level 1, all establishments will be allowed to operate at full capacity except in areas under granular lockdown.
Activities at full-seating capacity can also be conducted indoors as long as minimum health standards remain observed.
The NCR is under Alert Level 2 until February 28.
Empowering LGUs
Meanwhile, Lacson and his running mate Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III said public funds will go directly to local government units (LGU) for the development of projects that will benefit their constituents and communities if they win in the May 9 polls.
The tandem made this assurance on Wednesday when they visited Batangas to promote their proposed governance policies, particularly their flagship Budget Reform Advocacy for Village Empowerment (BRAVE) program.
Part of their BRAVE agenda is to augment financial support to well-thought-of LGU projects that are responsive to the needs of individuals and communities, especially in far-flung areas where the services and programs of the state are hardly felt.
One example of a good and successful local government project that the Lacson-Sotto tandem aims to expand is the EBD health card program of Batangas City, which subsidizes hospitalization fees and medical services for its underprivileged constituents.
Speaking to some 1,500 Batangueños in a socially-distanced gathering held at the Batangas City coliseum, Lacson commended such a measure that eases access to healthcare services for impoverished individuals and families in the area dubbed as the “Industrial Port City of Calabarzon.”
“Ang tanong namin kaagad sa aming sarili, kung kaya palang gawin sa Batangas City, bakit hindi natin kayang gawin sa buong Pilipinas? (The question that we asked ourselves right away was if this can be done in Batangas City, why can't we do it for the entire Philippines?)” Lacson said of the health card program.
Lacson and Sotto earlier said they also wanted to scale up the agricultural development projects implemented by their allies in Davao del Norte where the provincial government is the one that buys the crops harvested by its farmers at their own price and sells them to consumers at reasonable prices. (PNA)
