This photo taken on April 6, 2021, shows a man wearing personal protective equipment walking into a makeshift ward built for COVID-19 patients at a hospital in Manila.聽 More contagious variants of the coronavirus have been blamed for the聽 surge in infections in Metro Manila and other parts of the country. (JAM STA ROSA / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Sorsogon Governor and senatorial aspirant Francis 鈥淐hiz鈥� Escudero vowed to revive the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act should he win another Senate term.
Senate Bill No. 1573, the Pandemic and was filed by the late former Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago in 2013.
聽鈥淎lam niyo, mahigit walong taon nang lumilipas, naghain ng panukalang batas si Senator Miriam Santiago na nagbibigay sana ng sapat na kahandaan para sa ating bansa kaugnay ng mga pandemya tulad nito,鈥� Escudero said during the BISErbisyong LENI program on Sunday.
(Over eight years have passed since Senator Miriam Santiago filed a bill which will give sufficiently聽 prepare the country for聽 pandemics like this.)
鈥淧ero kung naisabatas sana 鈥榶un, magbibigay ito ng kahandaan sa bansa natin na harapin anumang uri, kapareho man o kakaiba, na pandemya tulad ng COVID-19,鈥� he added.
(If that proposed bill was passed into law, we will be ready to face a pandemic like COVID-19.)
Sorsogon Gov. Francis 鈥淐hiz鈥� Escudero (INQUIRER FILES)
Escudero underscored the importance of the measure.
鈥淥po, dahil kinakailangan po 鈥榶an, hindi lamang dahil may pandemya ngayon鈥攁t sana patapos na鈥攑ero para magkaroon tayo ng sapat na kahandaan din,鈥� he said.
(Yes, because that is a necessity, not only because we are in a pandemic鈥攁nd I hope it will already end鈥攂ut also, to give us preparedness.)
Under the late Sen.聽 Santiago鈥檚 proposal, a National Health Strategy for Public Health Emergencies, Task Force on Public Emergencies, and Medical Reserve Corps shall be established.
聽The Philippines on Saturday logged an all-time high 39,004 COVID-19 cases, driving the overall case count to 3,168,379.