MANILA, Philippines—Senator Risa Hontiveros mocked the Inter-Agency Task Force-National Task Force for yet another convoluted quarantine protocol placed in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces to curb the increasing cases of COVID-19 in the regions.
According to the opposition senator, the task force has no clear plans to tackle the spread and has essentially focused on another lockdown that has seen no follow-up in the previous year.
“Kung anu-anong acronym para sa lockdown ang naiisip ng IATF-NTF, pero wala pa rin silang plano para sulitin ang ‘GCQ *[General Community Quarantine] bubble,’” said Hontiveros in a statement Wednesday.
(The IATF-NTF have come up with so many acronyms for the lockdown but they still don’t have any plans for the GCQ bubble.)
She said she hasn’t heard anything about the increase in mass testing, better contact tracing, or building more isolation centers which are in full capacity right now.
“Kung walang testing, walang tracing, isolation at treatment na magaganap. On top of that, wala pa ring bakuna. Iyang galing ng pag-execute ng lima na yan lang naman ang paraan para makabangon tayo sa pandemya,” she added.
(If there’s no testing, no tracing, then only isolation and treatment are being done. On top of that, there’s no vaccine yet. The proper execution of those five things is the way to get up from this pandemic.)
Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal have been placed under the “NCR plus” qualification and were essentially put under lockdown from March 22 to April 4.
Residents in those areas cannot cross borders and are allowed only to stay within their respective regions.
Hontiveros went on to say that the Philippines’ worsening situation during the pandemic could be due to the IATF-NTF’s “gross mismanagement.”
The Philippines is the only nation in the Southeast Asian Region witnessing an increase in COVID-19 outbreaks, with infections breaking the 8,000 mark on Monday, at 8,019 to be exact.
“Kung ito na yung best and brightest, literally and figuratively, patay tayong lahat. Mukhang kailangang mag-reflect nang maayos ng IATF-NTF,” said Hontiveros. “Klaro naman that we would not be where we are today, if not for their gross mismanagement. Ika nga, kung hindi mo kilala ang sarili mo at hindi mo kilala yung kalaban mo, matatalo ka sa bawat gyera. IATF: Your enemy is not the Senators, it is the virus. Iyan yung labanan ninyo.”
(If this team is the best and brightest, literally and figuratively, then we’re all dead. It seems that the IATF-NTF should reflect. it’s clear that we would not be where we are today, if not for their gross mismanagement. As they say, if you don’t know yourself then you won’t know the enemy. You’ll lose in every war. IATF, you’re enemy is not the senator, it is the virus. That’s what you have to fight.)
“Instead of celebrating its mediocre accomplishments, the IATF-NTF should imagine itself in the shoes of the everyday Filipino. Let’s see if it would still have the audacity to call itself the best and brightest then.”