MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has expressed hesitation in extending the state of calamity in the country brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Marcos aired his reservations on Thursday after the Department of Health sought for him to keep the country under a state of calamity until the end of 2023 as its current status is set to expire on Dec. 31.
READ: DOH seeks 4th state of calamity extension
“I’m still very, very hesitant to continue the state of calamity, to extend it because again we are not in a state of calamity anymore. Technically speaking. And that is the wrong mindset to be approaching the new year with,” Marcos said in a video shared over his Instagram stories.
He noted that the government is currently exploring ways to continue granting benefits to healthcare workers in the Philippines sans the state of calamity.
Marcos’ predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, first declared a state of calamity in March 2020 through Proclamation No. 929 at the onset of the pandemic in the country. It has been renewed twice, in September that year and the same month the following year.
Months after assuming the presidency, Marcos issued Proclamation No. 57 to extend the state of calamity in the country but only until yearend.
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