MANILA, Philippines — Local government units (LGUs) should be consulted by the national government in deciding whether or not to ease quarantine restrictions in a bid to open up the economy, Vice President Leni Robredo said Sunday.
She made this remark after the government’s Covid-19 task force approved unified travel protocols for all LGUs, removing the mandatory Covid-19 testing.
While she supports the standardization of health protocols for travelers, Robredo expressed concern for LGUs that are trying to contain the spread of the virus.
“Okay sa akin na i-sa-standardize [ang protocols]. Okay sa akin ang standardization. Pero hindi din sa akin okay,na inalis na ang testing saka quarantine protocols,” she said in her weekly radio show.
(It’s okay with me to standardize protocols. But it’s not okay with me that they removed testing and quarantine protocols.)
“Para sa akin delikado iyon lalo pa ngayon na mataas ang cases natin… Baka maging dahilan ulit ng surge,” Robredo added.
(For me, it’s dangerous, especially now that our cases are high. It could be a cause for another surge.)
She said LGUs should have a voice in the decision-making since they will be the ones shouldering the brunt should there be a surge of Covid-19 cases in their localities.
“Para sa akin, okay to standardize pero dapat kabahagi sana ang IATF—iyong mga representatives ng mga LGUs. Dapat mayroon silang boses,” Robredo said.
(It’s okay to standardize but the representatives should be part of the decisionn making. They should have a voice.)
“Ginagawa nila ang lahat para ma-contain ang transmission sa kanya-kanyang communities tapos luluwagan natin nito. Baka mahirapan sila,” she added.
(They are doing all they can to contain the transmission in their communities, bu if the national government eases restrictions. they could face difficulties.)
Robredo said the national government should focus on its vaccination program so that the Philippine economy could further reopen, instead of easing health protocols.
“Sana pinag-aaralan nang maayos hindi lang ito parati lang tayong bubuksan ang economy. Ang pinakasusi sa pagbukas ng economy, ang bakuna, ‘di ba? Iyon ang tutukan natin,” she said.
(I hope this was studied closely, not just to open up the economy. The key to open the economy is vaccination, right? So this should be the focus.)
“Pero para kung ang purpose natin buksan ang economy tapos niluluwagan natin ang lahat na health protocols, pinoproblema natin dito ang mga LGUs, na mahihirapan sila. So sana pinapakinggan sila. Sana nakokonsulta,” she added.
(But if its purpose is to open up the economy but we are easing health protocols, this could be a problem for LGUs. So I hope they will be listened to and consulted.)
On Sunday, the number of new Covid-19 cases again breached the 2,000-mark.