Velasco: Lifting face shield use rule a ‘practicable, sensible’ health policy

FILE PHOTO: Speaker of the House of Representatives, Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco. Photo from the Office of Cong. Velasco

MANILA, Philippines — Speaker Lord Allan Velasco on Tuesday said the government should apply “practicable and sensible health and safety guidelines” amid eased community quarantine levels as he called anew for the removal of the policy requiring the use of face shield.

The top leader of the House of Representatives pointed out that the more relaxed quarantine classifications make the use of face shields useless.

“These directives become moot anyway the moment we allow shoppers to dine-in at restaurants, where people will take their face shields and masks off when eating,” Velasco stressed.

“This is not to say that all protocols should be scrapped; all we’re saying is that we should be applying practicable and sensible health and safety guidelines by now in dealing with the pandemic,” he added.

Velasco also cited the burden caused by face shields in the pockets of ordinary Filipinos.

“The cost of a face shield of about P20 to P50 is already a substantial amount equivalent to the cost of a meal for our indigent population, and mandatory requirement of the same takes away money for food from these families,” he said.

He even underscored the environmental cost of discarded face shields.

“Most face shields out in the market are disposable, and they all add to the already worsening garbage problem in the country—not to mention these plastics’ long-term effect on our environment,” Velasco said.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) is yet to decide on whether to keep or remove the mandatory use of face shields. But at least two local governments have already issued their respective directives lifting its required use.

READ: Davao City order on optional use of face shields also flagged ‘null, ‘void’

However, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque declared the local executive orders on face shield use “null and void.”

READ: Palace says Manila LGU’s order to drop the face shield mandate ‘null and void’

Still, Manila City Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso insisted on his directive even telling Malacañang to bring its opposition to his executive order before the court.

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