Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 3) — Various groups, led by former Social Welfare secretary Judy Taguiwalo, asked the Supreme Court on Friday to compel authorities leading the country’s COVID-19 response to conduct mass testing.
Taguiwalo, the spokesperson of the Citizens Urgent Response to End COVID-19, and others representing different sectors of society sought for a writ of mandamus compelling the National Task Force (NTF) on COVID-19 to implement mass testing and pursue an “efficient” system of contact tracing, isolating and treating cases of the disease.
Named as respondents were Health Secretary Francisco Duque III; National Task Force on COVID-19 head Secretary Delfin Lorenzana; NTF vice-chairman Interior Secretary Eduardo Año; IATF members Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III; and Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer of the country’s COVID-19 response.
The rest of the petitioners were Joshua San Pedro, Coalition for People’s Right to Health convenor; Rey Valmores-Salinas, Bahaghari national spokesperson; Joanna Celeste Concepcion, Migrante International chairperson; Lovely Ramos, Gabriela Network of Professionals secretary; Janice Lee Monte-Hernandez, representing her minor child Via Leigh Hernandez; Debie Faigmani, Drug, Food and Allied Workers Federation-Kilusang Mayong Uno secretary-general; Mylene Cabalona, BPO Industry Employees Network president; Vladimer Quetua, Alliance of Concerned Teachers-National Capital Region president; and UP-Pantranco Driver’s Association Vice President Ernesto Lizada.
The petitioners also want the government to provide “accurate, timely, and complete data on the nation’s COVID-19 situation.” Earlier, several government officials have criticized the new case reporting system of the Department of Health, with an opposition lawmaker saying the department may be “hiding the real data” on cases. DOH has disputed the claim.
The petitioners noted that instead of using science-backed COVID-19 response, “the government has resorted to excessive and unnecessary force” such as imprisoning thousands of people for quarantine violations thereby “increasing” the chances of COVID-19 transmission in jails.
They also stressed the government has no “proactive plan or effort to increase testing capacity” and argued that the respondents “have an obligation and duty under domestic and international law to protect the right to health of every Filipino.”
Asked to react on the plea of the different organizations, IATF spokesman Harry Roque said he believes the high court will junk the petition.
Roque had repeatedly said that it would be “physically impossible” to conduct mass testing for COVID-19 in the country, which has a population of almost 100 million. He said the government pools its resources for “expanded targeted testing,” which includes asymptomatic cases or people without COVID-19 symptoms.
