Duque’s stand on not banning entry of mainland Chinese ‘misplaced’ — Biazon

Muntinlupa Lone District Rep. Ruffy Biazon. INQUIRER.net photo / Katrina Hallare

MANILA, Philippines — Health Secretary Francisco Duque III’s reasoning behind his not being inclined—for now—to impose the ban of entry of mainland Chinese nationals amid the threat of novel coronavirus is “misplaced.”

Muntinlupa Rep. Rufino Biazon said this Thursday after Duque expressed that while temporarily banning mainland Chinese tourists from entering the country is a possibility, it should not be implemented “at this very moment.”

As Duque appeared Wednesday before the members of the lower chamber to answer questions regarding the virus, he explained that imposing a ban against mainland Chinese could have repercussions—including China questioning why the same ban is not imposed on other countries that have also reported confirmed cases of the virus.

But for Biazon, this reasoning is rather “misplaced.”

“Parang sa akin misplaced yata yung concern na yun kasi (For me, his concern is misplaced because) as health secretary, his concern is not about what another country would think because that is the concern of the foreign relations department. His concern is how to protect the health of Filipinos,” Biazon said in the sidelines of a media forum in Quezon City.

Biazon said that the case in China should not be compared with the other countries since the former had already reported hundreds of deaths due to the disease.

“I don’t think we should compare other countries na mayroong positive coronavirus patients. We can’t compare it to China to say na paano naman sila e nakuha nga nila dahil nanggaling sa China, that is the source,” the lawmaker said.

(I don’t think we should compare with other countries that have reported positive coronavirus patients. We can’t compare it with China and say ‘how about them?’ because the disease originated in China, that is the source.)

If it would be up to Biazon, he said a travel ban should be imposed on a “significant number” of mainland Chinese nationals.

“It would be logical for us to restrict travel. Kung hindi man natin kaya na 100 percent, at least let’s put a travel ban on a significant number. Bawasan natin ang ports of entry nila,” Biazon said.

(It would be logical for us to restrict travel. If we cannot implement a 100 percent ban, at least let’s put a travel ban on a significant number. Let us lessen their ports of entry.)

“As much as possible, let’s do our immediate restriction until mag-settle down kung ano na ba talaga ang hinaharap natin na threat because it is a new virus,” he added.

(As much as possible, let’s do our immediate restriction until we have settled the level of threat we are facing because it is a new virus.)

Biazon wrote a letter on January 22 addressed to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) seeking to suspend incoming flights from Wuhan City where the newly discovered strain of coronavirus was discovered.

The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) has since announced that it would indefinitely suspend direct flights going to Wuhan, China.

The virus has taken the lives of more than 130 people and infected more than 6,000 on the mainland and abroad.