Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 2) — Malacañang on Thursday denied that the country’s policy of wearing face shields is connected to allegations of corruption.
“Wala pong relasyon ‘yan,” Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in his regular briefing on Thursday. “Ang pagsusuot po ng face shields, nakikita naman ninyo sa ating press briefings, ay sang-ayon po sa mga opinyon ng eksperto.”
“Sa ngayon po wala [At the moment there’s none),” said Roque when asked whether officials of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) have discussed its possibility. Roque is also the IATF-EID spokesman.
He, however, acknowledged that the World Health Organization is set to issue its verdict on the issue.
“I understand that even the World Health Organization will render an expert opinion on whether or not the use of face shields is justified. So hintayin po natin ang opinyon ng WHO (let us wait for the opinion of WHO),” said the spokesman.
On Tuesday, the Department of Health clarified the remarks of Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, WHO country representative to the Philippines, on face shields.
[Translation: There’s no relation whatsoever. The wearing of face shields, as you’ve seen in our press briefings, is in conformity with the experts’ opinions.]
Roque likewise clarified that there are currently no talks within the country’s pandemic task force regarding the easing of the face shield mandate.
Abeyasinghe was quoted during an online forum on Tuesday that “face shields are being used to reduce the likelihood of infection through the eyes, and so that’s not actually (an) additional layer although it actually boosts the protection provided by poor mask wearing practices.”
The DOH said what Abeyasinghe actually meant was that the shield “may reduce the likelihood of infection” by protecting the eyes and “provide an additional layer of protection for those who are not wearing their masks properly.”
The IATF imposed the wearing of face shields on top of face masks in December last year.
