The Office of the President (OP) has not but given a concrete reply as to the Department of Health’s (DOH) proposal to increase the state of calamity within the Philippines resulting from COVID-19, DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire mentioned Wednesday.
Despite this, Vergeire reiterated that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos already expressed his hesitancy to extend the state of calamity—which ended on December 31, 2022.
“No categorical and no official response to this request for the extension of the state of calamity. But indirectly, the President already has verbalized in one of his media outings that he is very hesitant to extend the state of calamity,” Vergeire mentioned at a media discussion board.
Before the 12 months 2022 ended, Vergeire disclosed that the Health Department submitted a memorandum to the OP, recommending an extra extension of the state of calamity within the nation.
“Tayo naman ay sinagot sa isang meeting na ginawa that was held last December 23 kung saan pinadala ang mga officials ng Office of the President [We were answered in a meeting that was held last December 23 where the officials of the Office of the President were present]. We sat down with other agencies, together with the DOH. We discussed the implications and options that the government can take if and when the state of calamity will not be extended,” she mentioned.
GMA News Online already contacted the Presidential Communications Office for response on the matter nevertheless it has but to reply as of posting time.
But in December, Marcos mentioned he was not eager to extend the state of calamity, including that it was the “wrong mindset” with which to welcome the New Year.
Vergeire mentioned that with this comment from the President, the DOH already began making ready for options on the way it may proceed with the COVID-19 response even with out the state of calamity.
She mentioned the federal government can nonetheless proceed with its vaccination program as a result of vaccines with emergency use authorization (EUA) are granted a one 12 months validity after the ceasing of the state of calamity.
Alert stage system
Further, Vergeire mentioned the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) is about to satisfy on February 1 to debate the decoupling of the restrictions from the alert ranges.
“Paguusapan din ang ginawang survey ng DILG among our local governments—consultation, actually, about or regarding their capacity to implement safeguards once we decouple the restrictions,” she mentioned.
(We may even talk about the survey carried out by the DILG amongst our native governments. These are consultations truly about or concerning their capability to implement safeguards as soon as we decouple the restrictions.)
“Kasama na rin diyan ang pagpapaliwanag sa kanila kung ano ang same level of understanding kung paano natin ipapatupad kapag hindi na kasama ang restrictions doon sa ating alert level system,” she added.
(That contains explaining to them the method of implementation when the restrictions are not included in our alert stage system.)
Last 12 months, Malacañang mentioned Marcos was looking for the reclassification of restrictions which might be extra suitable with the present milder strains of the coronavirus. The President additionally mentioned the alert stage might be adjusted or improved if extra folks obtain COVID-19 vaccine booster photographs. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News
