RITM chief stays, says Duque
MANILA, Philippines (Update 2 11:07 a.m., March 23) — The director of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) is staying, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Monday morning.
“Dr. (Celia) Carlos will remain. I corrected that already,” Duque said in a phone interview.
The health chief was reacting to the Department Order 2020-1011, a copy of which made rounds in social media on Sunday, supposedly appointing Health Assistant Secretary Nestor Santiago as officer-in-charge of RITM.
"The circulating issuance...is an erroneous draft of the document which was inadvertently posted but immediately taken down," the Department of Health (DOH) said in a separate statement.
RITM houses the country’s lone testing center for coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) in Muntinlupa, and many speculated that the order assigning Santiago as OIC, which essentially meant Carlos being booted out, was because Carlos refused to prioritize VIP patients in testing.
Duque, for his part, said a new department order will be issued to formalize Santiago's appointment to assist Carlos on improving the Philippines' testing capabilities.
“He (Santiago) is really put there as an oversight... His job is to help Dr. Carlos to expand the number of testing centers,” Duque clarified.
Senators, local officials and other public servants are being criticized for using their position to get personal access to COVID-19 testing even if they do not have symptoms of the disease, a strict qualification DOH has implemented in other patients.
Earlier, Duque justified the testing for officials, saying they are qualified under looser directions for testing that allow persons under investigation, even asymptomatic, to get tested. Rules had been revised late February as supply of testing kits get stretched from the number of PUIs.
After around 100,000 donated testing kits from China, South Korea and Brunei finally arrived over the weekend, the government is set to open five new testing centers across the archipelago this week to accelerate COVID-19 diagnosis.
Photo shows members of the Philippine National Police deployed in Manila amid COVID-19 threat. The STAR/Edd Gumban
President Rodrigo Duterte on March 16, 2020 declares an enhanced community quarantine over all of mainland Luzon, an expansion of an earlier general community quarantine over the National Capital Region.
The entire National Capital Region—16 cities and a municipality—is under community quarantine from March 15 to April 14, which means the enforcement of social distancing measures like letting fewer people on public transportation, reduced store hours, and the possibiity of curfews.
According to a memorandum issued by the Palace on Saturday, March 14, the quarantine means that "movement of people shall be limited to accessing basic necessities and work; and uniformed personnel and quarantine officers shall be present at border points."
Travel restrictions in and out of the capital will also be implemented.
A labor group says another lockdown will never resolve rising COVID-19 cases in the Philippines after the government announced that Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan and Rizal are placed under the enhanced community quarantine starting Monday.
“The Duterte government seems to be deliberate in focusing its efforts in imposing quarantine and lockdown measures instead of addressing the rising cases of COVID-19 and the worsening state of the pandemic through medical solutions and scientific approach,” says Defend Jobs Philippines.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque says the implementation of enhanced community quarantine is meant to slow down the increase of COVID-19 cases, so hospitals and health workers will not be overwhelmed.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque announces that Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan and Rizal are placed under enhanced community quarantine starting Monday, March 29.
Tuguegarao City will be placed under enhanced community quarantine from January 20 to 29 due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the city.
Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba approved the request of Tuguegarao Mayor Jefferson Soriano to place the city under ECQ for 10 days.
According to the Cagayan Provincial Information Office, the city currently has 246 active cases.
BREAKING NEWS | ENERO 19, 2021 RIATF INAPRUBAHAN NA ANG PAGSASAILALIM SA TUGUEGARAO CITY SA 10-ARAW NA...
Posted by Cagayan Provincial Information Office on Tuesday, 19 January 2021
Batangas, one of the provinces hardest hit by the novel coronavirus, has reported no new cases of the disease for two consecutive days.
The provincial DOH Office says the number of COVID-19 cases in the province stood at 91 with no new cases as of Wednesday afternoon.
Lipa City has the most cases with 26, followed by Batangas City (21) and Nasugbu (11).
Tanauan City has the fourth most cases with eight, followed by Bauan (5) and Alitagtag (3). Cuenca and Sto. Tomas City had two cases each, while the municipalities of Calaca, Lemery, Lian, Lobo, Mabini, Mataas na Kahoy, Padre Garcia, San Jose, San Juan, San Pascual and Taal had one case each, respectively. — The Filipino Connection
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