Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles confirmed that the treatment for COVID-19 would be shoulder by the government.

During the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) press conference, Nograles said that the treatment for COVID-19 patients should be free as it already included to the “Bayanihan to Heal as One Law,”

“Kasama sa batas na pinasa ng Kongreso at pinirmahan ng Pangulo na they will be covered,” Nograles said.

Bayanihan law includes the immediate providing of “healthcare, including medical tests and treatments, to COVID-19 patients, persons under investigation or persons under monitoring,”

The law also gave President Duterte to procure testing kits faster and other goods that are used to fight COVID-19.

It also prioritized the allocation of goods and supplies to hospitals treating COVID-19 patients.

It also provides for a ₱100,000 compensation for all health workers who may contract a severe COVID-19 infection while in the line of duty. Families of those who die while fighting the pandemic will be given ₱1 million.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health already announced that they’re going to conduct 1,000 COVID-19 tests per day.

“Pag tinotal po natin lahat ng nagagawa natin for one day, average po is about 950 to 1,000 tests per day ang ginagawa sa ating ngayon,”  Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario  Vergeire said.

“Given that we already have this testing kits that have been donated to us, ito po’ng dami ng mga testing kits na ito ay maaring sufficient na para sa ating mga kababayan sa ating present time,” she added.

However, they said that they’re still cannot do mass testing as their testing kit supply is still not enough.

Former Solicitor General and defeated senatorial candidate Florin Hilbay criticized President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to ask Congress for special powers to address the COVID-19 crisis in the Philippines.

In his tweet, Hilbay said that President Duterte had all the chances to prevent the virus from entering the Philippine territory by implementing an early travel ban on Mainland China and inform all Filipinos about the possible dangers of the virus.

It can be remembered that the

“Sir, don’t make it appear as if you were powerless prior to the Special Powers Law given by Congress. You had all powers to impose a travel ban on China, inform Filipinos, & prepare all institutions of government as early as January. You had enough funds,” Hilbay said.

“YOU DIDN’T DO ANYTHING,” he added.

Sir, don't make it appear as if you were powerless prior to the Special Powers Law given by Congress.

You had all powers to impose travel ban on China, inform Filipinos, & prepare all institutions of government as early as January. You had enough funds.

YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING.

— Pilo Hilbay (@fthilbay) March 24, 2020

President Duterte, a few months ago was accused of letting the Chinese enter the country despite the outbreak happening in Wuhan and he only issued a travel ban when the World Health Organization declared the outbreak to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern

Despite his criticisms yesterday to the President, Hilbay then praised Duterte for his well-mannered speech moments before he signed the “Bayanihan to Heal as One Act,” into the law.

According to him, Duterte’s recent speech is a product of the criticisms being received by the President.

“The President’s speech last night was impressive–sumunod sa script, walang mura at yabang. It was the clearest display of the power of free speech and public criticism: narinig nya ang galit at sama ng loob ng mga tao,” Hilbay said.

“So if you think speaking out does nothing, think again,” he added.

The President's speech last night was impressive–sumunod sa script, walang mura at yabang.

It was the clearest display of the power of free speech and public criticism: narinig nya ang galit at sama ng loob ng mga tao.

So if you think speaking out does nothing, think again.

— Pilo Hilbay (@fthilbay) March 25, 2020

Hilbay is one of the known critics of the Duterte administration who questioned the first version of the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.

“Would you trust the President, or any other person for that matter, to wield this kind of power to fight #COVID19PH ?” he said on a past tweet.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, the lone member of the Senate who voted against “Bayanihan to Heal as One Act,” explained on a lengthy Facebook post why she decided to oppose it while most of her colleagues supported it.

Hontiveros questioned if the people will really receive the money being planned to allocate by the government to fight the COVID-19 crisis in the Philippines.

According to her, the measure gives the President “near-absolute control over public funds in national government agencies and even government-owned and controlled corporations,” that may be subject to abuse and corruption.

“The President’s new powers would authorize him to now stop altogether important government projects and divert their funding to other uses, with little check and balances in place. Paano ngayon mamomonitor ng taumbayan ang paggamit ng napakalaking mga pondo na ito, at paano tayo makakasiguro na ito nga ay napupunta sa paglaban sa COVID-19? Ano ang garantiya na hindi mapupunta ang kaban ng bayan sa mga negosyante o Chinese companies na malapit sa administrasyon?” Hontiveros said.

“We cannot and should not blindly trust the use of these important funds to a government, which during this health crisis, has chosen to spend P14 billion on tourism projects, but has been unable to immediately and sufficiently deliver PPEs to our doctors, health workers, law enforcement agents, and other frontliners,” she added.

The lady Senator cited several laws that could prove that giving special powers to the President was unnecessary.

“The Executive Branch does not need special powers for it to act urgently and decisively in meeting the immediate needs of the people amid the COVID-19 outbreak. While I am grateful that my amendment for the provision of cash transfers to poor Filipino families was included in the bill, even this provision does not require the grant of new powers. Our arsenal of readily-available laws and policies, notably the Government Procurement Reform Act (RA 9184), the Price Act (RA 7582) and the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act (RA 11332), has not been fully utilized in the fight versus COVID-19.” she said.

“These laws, if partnered with a supplemental budget, already authorize the government to purchase ample personal protective equipment (PPEs), medical supplies, relief packages, and other needed items, secure that prices of basic goods will remain affordable, and impose preventive community-wide measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, among others. I know because these were part of my proposals during the start of this crisis – a crisis that the government underestimated at the beginning,” she added.

Hontiveros believes that mass COVID-19 testing, giving PPEs and hazard pay to the frontliners is already enough to solve the problem and not the special powers being given to the President.

“Hindi special powers ang sagot sa pandemic na ito, kundi political will para isulong ang mass-testing, ibigay ang PPEs at hazard pay sa mga frontliners, at ihatid ang cash assistance sa mga mahihirap na pamilya at nawalan ng kita. Bakit special powers na ang hinihingi habang hindi pa tuluyang nagamit ang kasalukuyang mandato at kapangyarihan na mayroon ang Pangulo?” she stated.

“Ang hinihingi ng publiko ay klarong programa laban sa krisis na dulot ng COVID-19. Sana ay iwasan natin ang isa pang krisis na maaring dalhin sa taumbayan ng korapsyon at pang-aabuso sa kapangyarihan ng pamahalaan.” she added.

Hontiveros vowed to “closely watch” the activities of the executive department to prevent any attempts of the President to misuse his special powers.

“These expanded powers should translate to actually help to our vulnerable sectors, such as cash assistance to poor families and hazard pay to frontliners. With these new powers at Malacañang’s command, they have no excuse to let our people down,” she said.

Yesterday, Senate President Vicente Sotto III was saddened by Hontiveros’ decision to oppose the Bayanihan Act.

“Nakakalungkot isipin na kahit kailangan tulungan ang hirap na 18M Filipinos at mga Frontline health workers, meron Pa rin nakuhang bumoto ng contra!” Sotto said.

19 senators voted in favor of the Bayanihan Act.

Nine members of the House of Representatives voted against the bill that will give President Rodrigo Duterte special powers to address the COVID-19 crisis in the country.

The lawmakers who opposed it explained that the “Bayanihan to Heal as One Act of 2020,” might give President Rodrigo Duterte too much power that could be used to corrupt the money of the people.

They are:

• Gabriela Women’s party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas
• Kabataan party-list Rep. Sarah Jane Elago
• Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate
• Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Eufemia Cullamat
• Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Ferdinand Gaite
• ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro
• Albay 1st district Rep. Edcel Lagman
• MAGDALO party-list Rep. Manuel Cabochan III
• Camarines Sur 3rd district Rep. Gabriel Bordado

According to Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate, he voted against it because the house version gave President Duterte a permission to “reprogram, reallocate, and realign from savings on other items of appropriations in the Fiscal Year 2020 GAA in the Executive Department, as may be necessary and beneficial to fund measures to address and respond to the COVID-19 emergency.”

“Ang masyadong malawak at hindi malinaw na kapangyarihan ay lagi’t laging bulnerable sa pagsasamantala, kahit sa panahon man ng krisis at pandemiko,” Zarate said.

Gabriela Women’s party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas and Kabataan party-list Rep. Sarah Jane Elago expressed the same thoughts with Zarate.

Addressing this concern, the bills passed in the Senate and the House limited the President’s power to realign funds to “savings” within the Executive Department.

Brosas said that the bill may give a big pork barrel to the office of the President and she also mentioned that Duterte doesn’t have clear plan on how the solve the crisis.

“Ngayon, tila naghuhugas-kamay ang gobyerno sa maling prayoridad sa badyet sa pamamagitan ng pagsesentro ng bilyun-bilyong pondo sa kamay ng Pangulo. Pero sa halip na luminis, posibleng maglangis pa ang kamay ng Pangulo dahil papalakihin ang pork barrel sa tabing ng COVID-19 response,” she said.

Elago explained her no vote, saying that she cannot trust the Duterte government from having extra powers.

“We cannot entrust this regime with overly broad and vague emergency powers that are prone to more abuse and misuse. What the people need now are emergency actions, not emergency powers,” she said.

Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Eufemia Cullamat also thinks that Duterte may abuse his powers.

“Sa kalagitnaan ng krisis pangkalusugan, hindi solusyon ang paghingi ng dagdag na kapangyarihan upang tugunan ang COVID-19,” she said.

“Serbisyong medikal, hindi aksyong militar. Check-up, hindi check point. Ayudang sosyo-ekonomiko, ngayon na,” she added.

Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Ferdinand Gaite said that he expressed his opposition against it because the President didn’t present any plan on how they’re going to handle the crisis to use the budget intended to address COVID-19.

“Ano ang mga detalyeng magbibigay na matibay na dahilan sa hinihingi ng Pangulo na pagpapalawak ng kanyang kapangyarihan. Nakakatakot na bigyan ng napakalaking kapangyarihan ang Pangulo na di malinaw kung paano ito gagamitin,” he said.

ACT Teachers, party-list Rep. France Castro mentioned possible “corruption, human rights violations, and political oppression and persecution of the government critics” on her no vote explanation.

Albay 1st district Rep. Edcel Lagman and MAGDALO party-list Rep. Manuel Cabochan III insisted that giving special powers to the President is pointless.

“The grant of additional emergency powers to the President to combat COVID-19 is unnecessary because he has express and inherent powers as Chief Executive which he has been discharging nationwide to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus,” Lagman said.

“By approving this bill, we, the Congress, are effectively passing all the work and conferring all the powers to the President as if making him a lone savior of the crisis we are facing now,” Cabochan stated.

284 lawmakers voted yes to House Bill (HB) No. 6616 on 3rd and final reading on March 24.

President Rodrigo Duterte praised the doctors who lost their lives while fighting COVID-19 while in line of duty.

Duterte in a nationally televised address said that he was saddened by the news that some doctors already died because of the virus.

He considered them heroes because of doing their job even if they already know how dangerous it is.

“I am saddened by the news that the virus has claimed the lives of our doctors along the way. Lahat po sila ay bayani,” Duterte said.

“Not only that, talagang bumilib ako, bihira akong sumasaludo ng tao, may mga doktor natin at health workers na nadisgrasya, talagang saludo ako sa inyo, wala na kayo sa mundong ito pero ganoon [kataas ang] pagtingin ko sa inyo,” he added.

Aside from the doctors, the President also expressed his gratitude to the other frontliners including health care workers, nurses, medical technologists, and other health professionals.

“Maraming maraming salamat po, asahan niyo po ang suporta ng inyong gobyerno,” the President.

As of writing, there are already four doctors who sacrificed their lives while helping COVID-19 patients to recover.

The doctor casualties of the coronavirus pandemic are identified as anesthesiologist Gregorio Macasaet III of Manila Doctors Hospital, cardiologist Israel Bactol from the Philippine Heart Center, oncologist Rose Pulido of the San Juan de Dios Hospital and cardiologist Raul Jara of the Philippine Heart Center.

Duterte made the said statements before he signed the “Bayanihan to Heal as One Act” which gave him more powers to address the COVID-19 crisis in the Philippines.

The act includes the “Special Risk Allowance” for health workers.

According to the bill public and private health workers who will get infected by COVID-19 while on duty will be entitled to receive P100,000 from the government, while medical practitioners who lost their lives because of the virus will be given P1-M each.

A resident of Quezon City slammed their LGU after he saw how the relief goods were transported using a truck allegedly being used to collect garbage in Barangay Pasong Tamo.

Netizen Carol Claudio expressed disgust after seeing that relief goods were treated like garbage and asked why the government didn’t respect the food they’re giving to their constituents.

“Kapag nakita nyo po sila, wag kayong magkakamaling maglabas ng basura. Hindi po sila mangongolekta, magdedeliver po sila ng relief goods!! Hindi man lang ninyo iginalang ang kasagraduhan ng mga pagkain. Mga bastos!!” Claudio said.

The photo was shared by hundreds of netizens who also criticized QC Mayor Joy Belmonte for letting a dirty truck transport food.

“Wala man lang ba matino sasakyan QC? or nakurakot na pambili? kawawa namn QC,” netizen Maria Pacis said.

“Grabe naman ang QC LGU! Napaka unsafe, unhealthy, way below quality standard. Ano akala sa mga tao…basura?” netizen Mars Mendoza remarked.

However, Pasong Tamo Captain Emmanuel “Banjo” Pilar clarified that the truck on the viral photo is not a garbage truck, but a utility vehicle.

“Bilang paglilinaw, nais namin ipahahayag sa publiko na ang ginamit na truck sa paghahakot ng relief goods para sa mga residente ng Barangay Pasong Tamo, Qc. ay isang Cargo/Utiliy Truck na ginagamit sa maraming pangangailangan ng barangay lalo na sa oras ng kalamidad. Maraming salamat po!” Pilar said.

The Quezon City government is facing a PR nightmare after netizens focused on criticizing Mayor Joy Belmonte and her colleagues.

One of Belmonte’s critics, veteran journalist Jay Sonza even asked Belmonte to “vanish” to save Quezon City and described the latter as an immature.

He also called Belmonte “disgrace to mankind” because of being incompetent in handling the COVID-19 crisis in her city.

Marikina City government announced that already set up their own molecular laboratory to hasten the testing of their residents for COVID-19.

However, the Department of Health (DOH) is still not letting the testing center to operate as their facilities are still being reviewed by the agency.

Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro expressed their disappointment with the decision of DOH and urged them to allow their laboratory to operate as soon as possible because they’re planning to do their own mass testing to his constituents.

According to him, many people especially the poor are not being tested because they cannot afford to get tested in private hospitals.

“It should be a partnership. This is a whole-of-government approach kung saan nagtutulong-tulong ang lokal at national. Kung ano ang kakulangan sa national ay pinupunan ng mga lokal na pamahalaan,” he said in a statement.

“We should make these test kits commercially available for all. We should be able to ensure that testing is ‘democratized’… lalo do’n sa mga mahihirap na hindi kaya magpatingin sa mga pribadong ospital.” he added.

Teodoro said that their residents from Pasig City and other places in Rizal are also welcome to use the laboratory.

“Rizal, nearby cities, puwede. We are targeting 3-4 additional cities na magbebenefit dito sa Marikina Testing Center.” he said.

Meanwhile, Amang Rodriguez Medical Center (ARMMC) Director Dr. Imelda Mateo told reporters that DOH has already begun inspecting the testing center.

“We will make sure that when the testing center becomes operational, it is safe and its processes are efficient,” she said.

Marikina City partnered with Manila Health Tek, Inc. a biotechnology private company in Manila.

They already procured 3,000 COVID-19 testing kits from the company.

The Marikina City government also assured that their doctors will be knowledgable enough to conduct a COVID-19 test as they’re going to train by scientist and doctors of Manila Health Tek to operate the laboratory.

Teodoro in a recent radio interview that they’re waiting for the final report from DOH.

The Mayor added that they decided to build their own testing center after they saw how many people are lining up in government-owned hospitals like Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) to get tested.

A veteran journalist slammed Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, calling her immature, shallow-minded, and also a “disgrace to mankind” amid criticisms being received by the latter on social media.

Jay Sonza wrote a lengthy open letter to Belmonte to call out the Mayor for the alleged mistakes she did while handling the COVID-19 crisis in her city.

Sonza mentioned that thousands of eco-bags produced by the Quezon City Government were named after their beloved Mayor. At the same time, the only contents of those bags are soap, alcohol, and facemask.

He criticized how Belmonte let three COVID-19 positive patients go home even though they could infect others despite being asymptomatic.

The journalist also doesn’t like how Belmonte argued with her critics.

He believes that Quezon City might be in danger and became the next Wuhan and Italy because of Belmonte’s immature behavior and shallow understanding of the COVID-19.

Here’s what Sonza wrote to Belmonte

“Mayor Belmonte
Quezon City, Philippines

Dear Ms. Joy,

As mayor of QC you have done your utmost best to implement the containment measures in the community quarantine of the government.

While you admitted that you do not fully understand the enhanced community quarantine order for the mitigation of Covid19, you did what you thought was the best you can.
On both occasions, you called several media conferences to tell the people of QC and the entire world that you do not have a full grasp of your role in the CQ and ECQ.
You printed 500k to 1M ecobag with your name on it and put in a piece of soap, a bottle of alcohol, a face mask.

Then you followed it with a random sampling of food distribution, with matching rehearsals on how to hand it to a recipient, all caught on still and video camera and broadcast on mainstream and new media.

You went to a supposed house of a Covid19 positive after declaring Barangay Tandang Sora, the place I call home since 1986, as an “extreme” ECQ area.

After 44 residents, tested positive, with 3 patients needing urgent hospitalization, you boldly decided to send them home because according to you, they can’t be accommodated in the more than 30 hospitals and other medical facilities in QC.

When your constituents started complaining about how poor and bad you have led the city in this interesting times, you chided them, and called them ingrate.

Ms. Joy, your immature behavior, your high class attitude, your very shallow understanding of the global pandemic, your inability to handle crisis of this magnitude led us, people of QC to believe that you simply have what it takes to lead us to perdition.

Your leadership as mayor of this premier city, the national government center, the medical hub of the Republic, will certainly make QC another Wuhan and Italy in the fight against Covid19.

Mayor Belmonte, I am not asking you to resign or take a forced leave of absence so that crisis management expert can better handle the situation.

Ngunit, kung may natitira pang kahihiyan sa mukha mo, kung may nalalabi pang respeto sa alaala ng mga naunang matitinong alkalde ng QC tulad nina Tomas Morato, Adelina Rodriguez at Ismael Mathay Jr., if you care enough for us, your constituents, please do yourself a favor, vanish if you must.

You simply can’t handle the heat in the kitchen. You have a poor comprehension. You do not have crisis management ability. And you just don’t have a true and sincere heart for the less fortunate.

You are a disgrace to mankind and humanity Ms. Joy Belmonte.

May God have mercy on your soul.

Jay Sonza
Tandang Sora, Quezon City
Philippines”

The post of Sonza already received 11,000 shares as of writing.

While Mayors Vico Sotto, Isko Moreno, and other public officials are being praised on social media, Belmonte experienced the opposite.

She was accused of being incompetent and several netizens made her a meme material.

Belmonte also told her critics that they’re not obliged to accept any benefits from the city government which made the netizens more furious.

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