AS Covid-19 infections breached 5,000 new daily cases at the weekend, medical doctors warned the nation was edging toward a July 2020 scenario of hospital beds in short supply. This, as labor groups assailed government’s easy recourse to “militaristic” solutions to the health crisis like reimposed curfews and stricted lockdowns, while lawmakers pushed for fresh economic stimuli has businesses and workers reel anew from the clampdowns.
The Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) said in a statement on Sunday: “One year has passed since the first death due to Covid-19 was reported in the Philippines. Since then, we have endured multiple levels of lockdowns, grieved sudden deaths, and suffered financially but we persisted.” The group stressed that cases in the community are rising again with infection rates approaching those of July 2020 when the number of new cases was peaking.
“More healthcare workers are getting sick, hospital beds are again becoming less available . . . . should we gear up for another lockdown? The frontliners who haven’t fully recovered from exhaustion might struggle again to face another battle,” they added.
The group appealed to the public to do their part by staying at home.
“Continue adherence to the minimum health standards even while at home. Wash your hands. Wear your mask and face shield. Keep distance from others,” the group said.
“How do we deal with the current surge? We cannot endure another lockdown because of its dire socio-economic impact,” they added, noting that only a fraction of the priority groups have been vaccinated.
Covid cases
The Department of Health (DOH) on Sunday logged 4,899 additional cases, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 621,498.
There were 13,371 recoveries and 63 deaths that were reported.
Of the total number of cases, 7.7 percent (48,157) are active, 90.2 percent (560,512) have recovered, and 2.06 percent (12,829) have died.
Curfew not solution
On Sunday, Defend Jobs Philippines (DJP) said the reimposed unified curfew in the National Capital Region (NCR) from 10 pm to 5 am starting on Monday, lasting for two weeks, will hamper the movement of workers.
“We are dismayed to see that the present government is still dwelling on militarist lockdown and curfew solutions for almost a year now,” DJP spokesperson Christian Lloyd Magsoy said in a statement.
In anticipation of possible “violation of the labor rights” by those manning checkpoints to impose the curfew, DJP reactivated its hotline for workers: hotline number 02-85712645 and social media accounts on Facebook (Defend Jobs Philippines) and Twitter (@defendjobsPH).
Instead of the curfews, DJP urged the government to use “scientific and medical-based approach to resolve the national public health emergency, including massive Covid-19 testing, contact tracing and vaccination.”
House leaders
As the fresh spike in Covid-19 cases will undoubtedly slow down the recovery of consumer and business confidence, economist-lawmakers asked Cabinet members to be more open to the proposal providing Filipinos additional relief under the proposed Bayanihan 3.
The call was made by Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda and Marikina Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo.
“I urge the Cabinet to be more open to additional relief in this difficult period. I understand the need for fiscal prudence in economic relief. I urge economic managers to give us a number they can afford and we can work with, instead of rejecting our proposals altogether,” Salceda said.
“Lower consumer and business confidence will also slow down recovery. The quarter-on-quarter rise in unemployment from 3.8 million by the end 2020, to 4 million in January 2021 signifies that economic relief is still needed,” added the lawmaker.
Salceda said the Congress has done its job and extended relief to private hospitals, through VAT exemptions in PPEs but “they [Cabinet members] must also help our countrymen.”
With the CREATE Act, he said the Congress is also reducing the income tax of private nonprofit hospitals from 10 percent to 1 percent until 2023.
Salceda said the government must also accelerate its vaccination efforts as “this will not be over until we achieve her immunity with enough vaccinations.”
Citing information from Department of Budget and Management, Quimbo, for her part, said lawmakers are pushing for the Bayanihan 3 as the budget for Covid-19 responses in the 2021 national budget is too small to avert this magnitude of a damage.
“But it is unfortunate that Neda [National Economic and Development Authority], our national economic planner, did not support the Bayanihan 3 proposal,” said Quimbo.
“Our proposal provides P108 billion for ayuda to every Filipino, P52 billion to help subsidize wages of workers in small businesses, and another P30 billion for assistance to the unemployed,” she added. Quimbo noted the Bayanihan 3 proposal was not included in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac) priority list and the validity of the P165.5-billion Bayanihan 2 has been extended.
“Covid-19 responses in the 2021 national budget amount to less than P300 billion. This amount is less than 2 percent of GDP. This is very small relative to what our Asean neighbors’ Covid response (Singapore is at 18 percent, Thailand 12 percent, Indonesia 5 percent). Our total economic loss in 2020 amounted to P3.2 trillion,” she added.
“Too many Filipinos have lost jobs and livelihood, many are hungry. Our farmers and hog raisers need help, otherwise food inflation will continue to increase. This was not expected when the 2021 GAB was deliberated in Congress. The economic assumptions on which the 2021 GAA are based were too optimistic, as it turns out, based on the January 28 report of the PSA,” Quimbo said. Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco, Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz, Samuel P. Medenilla
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