DOH seeks extension for the country’s state of calamity due to the effects of the on going covid-19 pandemic
The Department of Health (DOH) urged President Marcos to extend the period of state of calamity in the Philippines because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic in a memo, it announced on Tuesday.
DOH OIC Undersecretary Ma. Rosario Vergeire told media that Proclamation No. 57 signed by Marcos last September is set to expire by December 31. She also cited the urgency as the bills creating the Philippine Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) "were not enacted on time."
The bill stated that the CDC is “envisioned to take the lead in addressing public health emergencies such as the recent pandemic that affected populations on a global scale.”
CDC will be the agency in charge of preventing, protecting and managing the spread of diseases and other health threats originating domestically and internationally in the country, CNN Phils. said.
"First, our Covid-19 vaccination program is anchored on the state of calamity provision of the law kaya kapag nawala 'yon baka mahirapan tayong magpatupad ng pagbabakuna natin (if that is gone we will face difficulties in our vaccination drive)," reported Philippine News Agency.
The delayed enactment of the bill will not only affect Covid-19 vaccinations but will also hinder future emergency hiring and allowance appropriation of medical frontliners.
"All of these aside from the other conditions will be affected once we cannot extend the state of calamity," Vergeire added.
Another factor that pushed the DOH to ask the president for an extension is to monitor and control prices of basic necessities and prime commodities which have been a huge issue for the past years as the country is trying to recover from the inevitable financial crisis brought by the pandemic.
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