MANILA (UCAN): At least 34 senior Philippine government officials, along with their family members, skipped the queue for Covid-19 testing despite a shortage of testing kits in provinces and major hospitals.
Two members of the Philippines’ Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), an agency under the Department of Health (DOH), revealed a list containing the names of dozens of high-ranking government officials tested for Covid-19 on March 22, sparking public outrage.
Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, his common-law-wife and his daughter were on the list, as are senators—among them Ping Lacson, Pia Cayetano, Bong Revilla, Imee Marcos and Nancy Binay—cabinet secretaries and non-government officials.
An institute staff member posted on social media that government officials “sent their (swab) samples to the RITM with instructions to prioritise them despite DOH guidelines stating that one should not be tested if he or she is asymptomatic (not showing Covid-19 symptoms).”
The revelation followed the death of a 34-year-old cardiologist whose Covid-19 test results were delayed for four days due to a “lack of availability” of testing kits.
“We need more than 200,000 test kits in one province alone,” said a doctor who wished to remain anonymous.
“Prior to the lockdown, more than 500,000 people left Manila to go back to their respective provinces. If one of them is Covid-19 positive, how will that province respond? They do not even have test kits,” the doctor said.
“If government officials put themselves first when it comes to testing kits, even if they are not showing Covid-19 symptoms, how can we trust them with granting the president more powers?” Melanie Fajardo, a nurse, asked.
The following day saw many of the officials, including Senate president, Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III; a senator, Francisco Tolentino scrambling to clarify or apologise via various media outlets, including, PhilStar, CNNPhilippines, ABS-CBN and GMA News.
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However, senate majority leader, Juan Miguel Zubiri announced on March 16 that he had tested positive for the Covid-19 coronavirus disease. He went into voluntary isolation, Rappler.com reported.
Meanwhile, the Inquirer reported that early on March 24, that the Philippine House of Representatives adopted the Senate version of the bill, Bayanihan Act of 2020, granting Duterte special powers to access a 200 billion peso (S$29.5 billion) fund reserved for national calamities and to “temporarily take over or direct the operation of any privately owned public utility or business affecting the public interest to be used in addressing the needs of the public during the Covid-19 emergency as determined by the president.”
The bill would provide for an emergency subsidy for 18 million low-income families across the country amounting to 5,000 pesos ($753) to 8,000 pesos ($1,200) for two months. It should give public and private health workers infected by the virus a compensation of 100,000 pesos ($15,000).
Financial aid of one million pesos ($150,600) would also be extended to families of those who contracted the virus and died while on duty, effective retroactively.
Duterte could also require businesses to prioritise and accept contracts to deliver necessary materials amid the health emergency and to expedite the procurement of medical equipment.
Legal experts had raised concerns about “overly broad” powers, however, on March 23, Philippine executive secretary, Salvador Medialdea, said, “We listened to the advice … and have amended our proposal by narrowing it down and subjecting it to safeguards, in addition to what we originally proposed.”
PhilStar reported that Luis Villafuerte, deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, gave assurances that “we will make sure that the 1987 Constitution is not violated. We believe that this bill is constitutionally sound,” adding, “It (the facility) will be turned over to them (owners) after the crisis.”
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines issued revised guidelines concerning the celebration of Holy Week under strict community quarantines.
The guidelines said that people observing Masses online or on television can hold palm leaves.
“For those who follow the celebration on TV, there is no need for holy water to bless palm leaves,” it said.
