Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 4) – As the rise in COVID-19 cases continues unabated, the Senate is reacting by implementing stricter health protocols, and with one of the lawmakers renewing the call to abolish the inter-agency task force apparently ineffective in streamlining the country’s health crisis response.
Senate Secretary Renato Bantug, Jr. confirmed to CNN Philippines on Thursday that starting August 8, guests and visitors will be required to present negative results of their antigen test taken within the last 24 hours before they can be allowed to enter the Senate. He said the chamber is also planning to release a list of accredited laboratories.
“If it is ‘bring your own result,’ then we don’t really target a real picture of how legitimate the certificate is,” Bantug said in a phone interview. “We don’t suspect naman the guests and visitors to do that (falsify document) but just to keep that from happening.”
At present, those entering the Senate building in Pasay City only need to show proof of vaccination.
Bantug said Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri gave orders to amend the guidelines Wednesday night, after it was disclosed during the plenary session that Senator Alan Peter Cayetano tested positive for COVID-19 via an antigen test.
Cayetano skipped Wednesday’s session but was present at the plenary hall days prior.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said there’s no need to return to a hybrid setup where senators are allowed to attend hearings and sessions online even if they are not sick. But he said he will suggest limiting the number of guests who are entering the Senate.
“We just have to live with Covid. But Senate should limit the visitors to those who really have important matters to bring to the senators,” Pimentel told CNN Philippines in a text message.
‘Dissolve IATF’
With the rising number of infections nationwide, Pimentel said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), the policy-making body in the government’s pandemic response, “should be dissolved.”
“Let DOH (Department of Health) monitor Covid cases. That would actually lead to quicker reaction time as the DOH Team for Covid would be smaller and more manageable than an inter-agency task force,” he added.
A number of experts and lawmakers previously called for the abolition of the IATF saying it has not been effective in addressing the pandemic, but then President Rodrigo Duterte refused to do so.
The country logged 24,100 new infections from July 25 to 31 – a 24% increase from the previous week’s tally.
