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.

Source: [1]

The majority of the member of the Senate voted in favor of Bill 1418 also known as Bayanihan to Heal as One Act giving special powers to President Rodrigo Duterte to address the COVID-19 crisis in the Philippines.

Voting 19-1-0, lawmakers passed the said bill that would give Duterte at least 26 special powers.

However, only 12 senators who were at the plenary will be officially counted while the other who voted via phone call will still be on the records of the Senate.

The bill includes P200-B emergency subsidy for 18-M low-income families,

Each low-income household is expected to receive around P5,000 to P8,000 per month in the form of cash or food

“The exact amount is determined in proportion to the minimum wage of their respective region,” Senator Pia Cayetano, the main sponsor of the bill said.

The Congress also gave Duterte special powers to direct the operations of “privately-owned hospitals, medical and health facilities including passenger vessels and other establishments,” if necessary.

The President may also take over the operations of the said hospitals and establishments if they “unjustifiably refuse or signify that they are no longer capable of operating their enterprises” for COVID-19 response.

It also gives the government to hasten the procurement of items necessary in fighting the COVID-19 and goods needed by the Filipinos who were affected by the enhanced community quarantine.

They also added 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.

The bill also mandates Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to shoulder the medical expenses of the practitioners if they got hospitalized because of the virus.

Here’s the list of the senators who participated in the vote both in the plenary and also via phone call.

The government will get the funds from Government-owned and controlled corporation to ensure that the P4.1-T budget of the government for 2020 would remain “intact”

Voted Yes:

• Senate President Vicente Sotto III
• Win Gatchalian
• Richard J. Gordon
• Panfilo Lacson
• Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa
• Manny Pacquiao
• Christopher “Bong” Go
• Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan
• Ralph Recto
• Cynthia Villar
• Sonny Angara
• Joel VIllanueva
• Juan Miguel Zubiri
• Pia Cayetano
• Lito Lapid
• Grace Poe
• Bong Revilla
• Francis Tolentino
• Nancy Binay

Voted No:

• Risa Hontiveros

Did not vote:

• Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III
• Franklin Drilon
• Leila De Lima
• Imee Marcos

President Duterte is expected to sign the bill as soon as possible.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III expressed his sadness after a lone senator voted against the bill that giving President Rodrigo Duterte additional powers to address the COVID-19 crisis in the Philippines.

Bill 1418, also known as “We BAYANIHAN TO Heal As One Act” both passed the lower and the upper houses, but Sotto still couldn’t hide his frustration that one senator still voted against it despite the need already to address the COVID-19 problem.

According to the Senate records, there are 19 Senators who voted in favor of the bill, while only one voted against.

“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.

“Technically, 19 voted in favor, no abstention and I against. 12 voted on the floor,” he added.

Technically, 19 voted in favor, no abstention and I against. 12 voted on the floor. https://t.co/YgtWdNI8BN

— Tito Sotto (@sotto_tito) March 23, 2020

News reports said that the lone Senator who voted ‘no’ is Senator Risa Hontiveros, a known critic of President Rodrigo Duterte.

On her past tweets, Hontiveros already opposed the plan of giving President Duterte special powers to address the problem in the country.

She said that the government should do mass testing as soon as possible instead of giving extra powers to the President.

“We don’t need more executive powers now. We need more COVID-19 tests right now instead. #MassTestingNowPH,especially sa mga pinaka-high risk kagaya ng ating mga health workers,frontliners,elderly at immunocompromised. We need more PPEs for our frontline health workers,too!” Hontiveros said.

“We don’t need more centralization now. Instead, we need to support & complement LGU initiatives, allocate for economic safety nets for poor families, & provide more health facilities for the care of COVID-19 patients,” she added.

We don’t need more centralization now.

Instead, we need to support & complement LGU initiatives, allocate for economic safety nets for poor families, & provide more health facilities for the care of COVID-19 patients.

— risa hontiveros (@risahontiveros) March 22, 2020

“The people need real solutions w/in an overall health strategy to contain COVID-19 & protect the public’s well-being: -more funds to expand our health capacity; -more economic safety nets; &, -more testing & care for COVID-19 patients. Not more powers for the Pres.” she also said.

The people need real solutions w/in an overall health strategy to contain COVID-19 & protect the public’s well-being:
-more funds to expand our health capacity;
-more economic safety nets; &,
-more testing & care for COVID-19 patients.

Not more powers for the Pres.

— risa hontiveros (@risahontiveros) March 22, 2020

The bill approved by Congress showed that the health departments would receive additional funding from savings.

It also hastens the procurement of goods like protective gear for health workers, testing kits and medical supplies.

Public and private health workers who will get severely infected by COVID-19 while on duty will also be entitled to receive P100,000 from the government, while P1-M will be given if the medical practitioners die from the disease.

The bill also mandated the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation to shoulder the hospitalization cost of all health workers who will contract the disease.

Senators already discussing Senate Bill 1413 also known as “We Heal As One Act” to give President Rodrigo Duterte special powers to address the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

According to the Senate version of the bill, it will give President Duterte some powers to address the problem like immediate treatment of patients from COVID-19, directing the operation of hospitals, preventing hoarding, and faster procuring of basic goods and properties that could be used as quarantine areas or temporary medical facilities.

The bill was discussed on Saturday and critics suspected that they’re pushing to give emergency powers to President Duterte, however, Senate President Vicente Sotto III denied it.

“By reason thereof, and in order to optimize the efforts of the President to carry out the tasks needed to implement the aforementioned policy, it is imperative to grant him authority subject to such limitations as hereinafter provided,” the bill read.

Here’s the list of the powers being planned to be given to President Rodrigo Duterte:

• Adopt and implement measures to prevent or minimize further transmission of the spread of COVID-19;
• Expedite the medical testing and observation of PUIs and PUMs and the immediate treatment of patients suffering from COVID-19;
• Ensure that all Local Government Units (LGUs) are acting in line with the rules, regulations by the national government’s rules and regulations of enhanced community quarantine;
• Allowing the President to direct operations of privately-owned hospitals or hotels if needed to address the COVID-19 issue and allowing the government to take over the said establishments refuse to comply.
• Continue to adopt measures against hoarding, profiteering of food, medical supply, clothing, medicines, and other necessities.
• Giving the government the most speedy way to procure goods such as protective equipment, food, medicines, alcohols, sanitizers, cleaning materials, testing kits, and other supplies or equipment as may be determined by Department of Health (DOH);
• Faster procurement of real property that could be used as temporary medical facilities;
• Faster procurement to establish or construction of temporary medical facilities;
• Ensure the availability of credit to the productive sectors of the economy especially to the countryside through measures such as but not limited, to lowering effective lending rates of interest and reserve requirements of lending institutions;
• Liberalize the grant of incentives for the manufacture or importation of critical or needed equipment or supplies to address the outbreak in the country;
• Require business to prioritize and accept contracts, subject to fair and reasonable terms, for materials and services necessary to address COVID-19;
• Regulate the limit the operation of all sectors of transportation through land, sea or air, whether private or public;
• Regulate the traffic on all roads, streets, and bridges in the country and removal of illegal constructions in public places.
• Giving alternative working arrangements to all employees and workers affected by COVID-19.
• Power to regulate the distribution and use of power, fuel, energy, and water, and ensure that there’s enough supply for the people.
• Cancellation of appropriate programs, projects or activities of agencies of the executive department, including government-owned corporations to utilize savings.
• Unutilized and unreleased balances in the special purpose fund and money from collections or receipts to be used for the purpose of the state of emergency
• Reallocate any appropriation in the 2020 budget for rehabilitation, social amelioration, and recovery if it may deem necessary to address the COVID-19 emergency.
• Move the deadlines of payment of taxes and fees.
• Undertake such other measures as may be reasonable and necessary to enable the President to carry out the declared national policy subject to the Bill of Rights and other constitutional guarantees.

The bill also required the creation of an oversight committee where the President should submit a weekly report of all the acts of the chief executive using the special powers given to him.

The act should only last for two months or longer if the outbreak still persists.

Defeated senatorial candidate and Human Rights lawyer Chel Diokno opposed the 24-hour curfew that implemented in Muntinlupa City due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Diokno on Twitter shared the news about the 24-hour curfew in Muntinlupa, saying that the said ordinance is against the constitution, saying that it violated the right of the people to move.

He also said that the authorities have no right to punish the minors violating the curfew being imposed in some places in the Philippines, citing that it against the Comprehensive Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006 also known as the “Pangilinan law”

“Siyempre nakikiusap tayong manatili lahat sa bahay, pero labag na sa Konstitusyon ang ordinansang ito. Ang “24-hour curfew” ay outright denial of the right to travel and freedom of movement,” Diokno said.

“At ayon sa Comprehensive Juvenile Justice Act, bawal patawan ng penalty ang mga minor para sa curfew violation. Dapat dalhin sila sa kanilang bahay o i-turn-over sa kanilang magulang,” he added.

At ayon sa Comprehensive Juvenile Justice Act, bawal patawan ng penalty ang mga minor para sa curfew violation. Dapat dalhin sila sa kanilang bahay o i-turn-over sa kanilang magulang. (2/2)

— Chel Diokno (@ChelDiokno) March 21, 2020

According to the ordinance of Muntinlupa, the city shall be placed under a 24-hour curfew beginning March 20, 2020.

People caught violating the curfew would be recorded to the blotter of the Barangay and their benefits being received from the Muntinlupa City may get canceled.

If they repeated the same violation, they’re not allowed anymore to receive any relief goods from the LGUs during the whole period of the community quarantine.

Meanwhile, Atty. Ferdinand Topacio tried to argue with Diokno, citing that the government has the right to control the movement of the people during extraordinary times.

Pssst, Chel…. pic.twitter.com/jIfU9sf4DB

— YesYesYo! (@YesYesYo13) March 22, 2020

Topacio cited section 6 of the Bill of Rights, saying that movements of people should not be stopped “except in the interest of national security, public safety, or public health, as may be provided by law”.

On March 14, Diokno also reminded the public that the police and soldiers had no right to put community quarantine violators under their custody.

“Pwede ka nilang harangin at wag papasukin, na tama lang naman kung kailangan, pero hindi ka nila pwedeng arestuhin at ikulong dahil hindi naman krimen ang subukang pumasok sa Metro Manila,” Diokno said.

A businessman posted a live video, urging the netizens to remind the politicians who gave many promises last election to help their constituents affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

In a Facebook video, Franciso Leo Marcos, chairman of Marcos Group of Companies and Volunteer against Poverty foundation showed how he bought sacks of rice to feed 4,000 people despite being not obliged to do it.

“Biruin niyo po, marami po tayong politiko doon matataas na posisyon… Senador at Congressman, sandamakmak na pangako noong hindi natin kailangan, mayroon naman po na panay ang pa-picture doon, pa-picture dito, maya’t maya ay gumagawa ng mabuti at kalusugan ang kanilang inuuna,” Marcos said.

“Pero ngayon na nasa gitna na tinatawag na pandemic, bakit wala akong makita ni isa man lang sa kanila,” he added.

He said that his previous video called “Mayaman challenge” which showing him giving food and other necessities to the COVID-19 frontliners became successful and other people tried to do the same.

Because of the success of his previous challenge, he decided to do another challenge called “Politikong Maraming Pangako challenge” to knock the hearts of the politicians to help their constituents.

“Ngayon po ang china-challenge ko dito ay yung mga politikong sandamakmak ang pangako para sa ating kababayan,” he said.

“Ngayon po kayo lumabas meron po tayong epidemya,” he added.

He revealed that he’s planning to spent 300,000 pesos to buy goods to help the people affected by COVID-19.

“Baka sakali dito sa aking ginagawa ay yung mga politikong sandamakmak ang pangako ay matauhan at please lang po pag namigay kayo wala na pong picture taking na babangitin pa ang pangalan niyo,” he said.

The video already reached 3.3-M views as of writing.

Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto rejected the idea of distributing quarantine passes to his constituents as it will only defeat the purpose of the enhanced community quarantine being implemented by the national government.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, Sotto said that he already asked the Philippine National Police (PNP) for clarification and he found that securing quarantine passes doesn’t include the rules of the enhanced community quarantine.

Sotto explained that the said policy could only lead the additional waiting time and person-to-person contact as barangay officials and authorities needed to ensure that every people going outside of their homes have quarantine passes.

“We do NOT need Quarantine Passes WITHIN Pasig jurisdiction. Malinaw naman ang exemptions sa strict home quarantine. Wag na natin dagdagan ng requirements. Magiging karagdagang person-to-person contact at waiting time lang ito (imbis na makapunta ka ng mabilis sa tindahan, bumili ng pagkain, at umuwi na rin kaagad.)” Sotto said.

He also called the 1 per household quarantine pass as ‘useless’ and wanted the system in Pasig City to become as simple as possible.

“Isa pa, useless ang 1 per household quarantine pass na valid para sa buong quarantine period, dahil tatanungin pa rin naman ng pulis o brgy kung ano ang purpose nila sa paglabas ng bahay. Basta’t gawin na lang natin SIMPLE… kung hindi para sa trabaho, medikal, o para bumili ng pagkain/supplies… STAY HOME,” he added.

Sotto also posted the current condition in Barangay Rosario, Pasig City and guarded it to prevent the people from flocking the streets again.

On March 21, the said barangay in Pasig City became infamous after newspaper company Philippine Star posted photos of residents of Rosario neglecting the social distancing measures.

Quarantine passes became controversial after DILG received several reports that some Barangay officials are selling it to their constituents for 30 pesos each.