Sotto blasts IATF: Set aside pride, listen to health and crisis experts

Senate President Vicente Sotto III File photo / Joseph Vidal of Senate PRIB

MANILA, Philippines — Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Monday said government officials leading the Philippines’ pandemic response are in “dire need” of help from crisis managers and health experts in controlling the “worsening” situation of the health crisis in the country.

“There is nothing wrong if IATF will be aided or led by crisis managers and health experts,” Sotto said in a statement on Monday, as the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) had been enforced anew in Metro Manila and four nearby provinces.

“These people in the inner circle have been sitting in their high chairs for more than a year now. Their voices dominate discussions on how to address the COVID-19 crisis, and they boom louder when their strategies are criticized. Higit pang lumalakas ang ingay na kanilang ginagawa sa tuwing may mga health experts na nagbibigay ng kanilang mga opinyon na kontra sa kanilang posisyon,” he added.

(This noise becomes much louder every time health experts give their opinion which contradicts their position.)

He said IATF officials should “set aside their pride” and start listening to health experts, who have been proposing “logical stopgap measures.”

Sotto said such suggestions from health experts have been “easily brushed off as impractical or, even worse, as ridiculous by the ‘inner circle’ in-charge of setting up policies and strategies in the country’s war against the pandemic.”

“Mas maganda sana na pakinggan din ng ating pamahalaan ang kanilang mga sinasabi. Wala namang masama kung magkakaroon ang gobyerno ng maraming choices. Isantabi na sana muna nila ang kanilang mga pride at isipin ang makabubuti sa sambayanan,” he said.

(It would be better if our government listens to their suggestions. There’s nothing wrong with having options. They should set aside their pride and think about the welfare of the common good.)

“Isang taon na tayong naka-community quarantine, isang taon ng nagtitiwala ang mga tao sa desisyon ng iilan. Nakadepende ang lahat sa mga programa na ipinapatupad ng IATF, majority naman ng LGUs at Pilipino sumusunod,” the senator lamented.

(We have been under a community quarantine for a year, the public has been trusting the decision of some officials for a year. Measures to address the pandemic have been dependent on the programs being implemented by the IATF, majority of LGUs and Filipinos are compliant.)

“Ang tanong? Bakit ganito tayo ulit? Saan nagkulang?  Mas lalo pa ngang lumala ang sitwasyon ngayon, mas marami ang may sakit, bagsak pa rin ang ating ekonomiya, at lalong dumami ang mga walang trabaho. We need to do more and act fast,” he added.

(The question that begs to be asked is why are we back to square one? Where are the gaps? The situation has gotten worse, more people are getting seek, the economy is down, more people are losing their jobs. We need to do more and act fast.)

According to Sotto, edifying the IATF could drive the government to a better direction in managing the pandemic.

“The government needs to come up with more elevated and effective response programs to address the pandemic, not bandaid solutions that have so far failed to plug the rising number of infections in the country. There is nothing wrong if IATF will be aided or led by crisis managers and health experts,” he said.

Earlier, some senators have called for a revamp of the IATF amid the surge of COVID-19 cases in the country.

On Sunday, the Philippines logged 9,475 new COVID-19 infections, pushing the country’s total to 721,892 cases. Of this number, 105,568 cases remain active.

JPV