Gov’t must be cautious about lifting alert levels prematurely —Magalong

Benjamin Magalong

MANILA, Philippines — Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong on Wednesday cautioned the government against lifting alert levels too soon because some people are deliberately reducing COVID-19 testing “to make their position look better than it appears amid the elections.”

“Alam mo, magandang panukala pero we have to be cautious about it because we might be opening too early,” said Magalong in an interview over DZBB.

(You know, it’s a good proposal but we have to be cautious about it because we might be opening too early.)

“And besides marami pa ring nandaraya pagdating sa testing. Ibinababa yung testing para lang magmukang maganda yung sitwasyon nila, lalung lalo na ngayong eleksyon dinadaya talaga,” he added.

(Besides, many still cheat when it comes to testing. It is being lowered just to make their situation look good, especially in light of the upcoming election. There’s a lot of cheating.)

Apart from this, Magalong also said that the national government should consider that there is no longer contact tracing.

“At the same time wala ng contact tracing na ginagawa just to present na maganda yung situation when in fact sa ilalim ng lamesa kumukulo na tapos bigla bigla na lang tataas ang pressure ng steam sasabog saka na lang malalaman antaas na ng kaso nila,” said Magalong.

(At the same time, no contact tracing is done, so it appears that everything is fine when it is boiling under the table. Once the steam pressure goes up, then we’ll know what the actual caseload is.)

“Ganun ang nangyari nung delta (that’s what happened during the delta variant),” he further noted.

The mayor, however, clarified that he is in favor of removing the quarantine alert level system but insisted on waiting for the experts to give that advice.

Magalong also said that he is currently on his fourth day in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19.

As COVID-19 infections decreased, talks about developing a COVID-19 “exit plan,” which includes removing alert level systems, began.

Malacañang, however, earlier clarified that it is not yet time to remove the alert level system in the country in preparation for the time COVID-19 becomes endemic.

READ: Palace: Not yet time to scrap COVID-19 alert level system

The country on Wednesday registered 7,661 new COVID-19 cases nationwide, driving the overall caseload to 3,577,298.

READ: PH posts 7,661 additional COVID-19 cases

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