THE Department of Health (DOH) has recommended the extension of the state of calamity in the Philippines to the Office of the President (OP) to ensure that the pandemic response will continue.
DOH officer-in-charge Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire has expressed worries that if the the state of calamity would not be extended, “We will be losing the different strategies that we are doing.”
“We hope that the CDC law is passed and enacted,” Vergeire said in a news briefing, noting that the state of calamity due to Covid-19 is set to expire on December 31, 2022. Vergeire was referring to the creation of the Center for Disease Prevention and Control in the country.
Vergeire said that a memo has been submitted after the CDC bill was “not enacted on time.” she said.
“We are just waiting for the official response of the Office of the President,” she said.
Former President Rodrigo Duterte declared a six-month nationwide state of calamity due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
When President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assumed office in June, he extended the calamity period to December 31.