4 senators want food manufacturing firms to mark their delivery vehicles

Vehicles entering NLEX form a long queue on Wednesday, March 18, 2020, on the second day of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine. INQUIRER photo / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

MANILA, Philippines — As a part of the efforts to ensure that there is enough food supply amid the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon, minority senators on Wednesday proposed that vehicles used by food manufacturers be marked with their company or brand logos.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, and Senators Risa Hontiveros, Francis Pangilinan, and Leila de Lima, said among the food manufacturers’ vehicles to be marked with their respective company logos are shuttle vehicles used in transporting their workers to and from their manufacturing plants, vans and delivery trucks of their suppliers, and delivery trucks that are used to supply sari-sari stores, groceries, supermarkets and distributor.

“The best way to counter panic-buying in these times is to show full shelves of food items,” the senators said.

“We cannot let food shortages happen because we have seen their horrible consequences in other countries. We should avert any possible food riots with careful planning and reasonable implementation,” they added.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier placed the entire Luzon under enhanced community quarantine as a part of the government’s effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Under the enhanced community quarantine, “strict home quarantine shall be implemented in all households; transportation shall be suspended; provision for food and essential services shall be regulated, and heightened presence of uniformed personnel to enforce quarantine procedures will be implemented.”

The quarantine, however, does not cover private establishments providing basic necessities related to food, medicine, banks, power, energy, water, telecommunications, among others.

Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez on Tuesday said that food delivery services are also not covered by the quarantine, thus, they should remain operational.

On Tuesday, Duterte also ordered government agencies to ensure compliance with the price control of essential goods and agriculture commodities.

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus that first emerged in China’s city of Wuhan in Hubei province in late 2019.

The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses named the novel coronavirus as SARS-CoV-2.

The virus causes mild symptoms such as fever and cough for most people but can cause serious illness such as pneumonia for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems.

Coronavirus is a family of viruses, which surfaces have a crown-like appearance. The viruses are named for the spikes on their surfaces.

Edited by JPV