Senator Sotto Questions Pres. Duterte Lockdown Calling it ‘Overreaction’
Senate President Vicente Sotto III questions President Duterte’s decision to impose lockdown Metro Manila amid COVID-19 threat.
On Thursday night, March 12, 2020, President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte announces urgent measures against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in his public address. He tackles the resolutions on these anti-coronavirus measures that will be implemented in the country.
Duterte announced plans for a sweeping lockdown of the capital’s 12 million people, including a halt to domestic travel, in a bid to contain the deadly new coronavirus. He also announced a month of school closures, ban on mass gatherings and a prohibition on the entry of foreigners from places where the contagion is spreading.
Meanwhile, some senators questioned his plans and resolutions on these anti-coronavirus measures that will be implemented in the country. Senator Risa Honiveros criticize the gov’t’s messy plans and said that the public deserves more cohesive guidelines on the effort against COVID-19 threat.
Meanwhile, Senate President Sotto said on a statement that the lockdown of the National Capital Region (NCR) is going to affect economy badly. He added that inflation is also possible and it will affect the poor people living in NCR.
“NCR is the political and economic capital of the Philippines. The economy will grind to a halt as the flow of goods and people from the provinces to NCR, and vice versa, will be affected,” Sotto said in a statement.
“Preventing travel to and from Metro Manila with only 52 cases as this point is a textbook case of overreaction. This drastic measure will only result in panic and hoarding of goods,” he added.
According to him, it’s better to do mass testing of people in Metro Manila instead do a strict containment than closing down Metro Manila. Sotto ordered a lockdown in Senate yesterday after a resource person tested positive for COVID-19.
“The solution lies in more testing of the population and strict containment of heavily-affected areas… The time is not ripe for placing entire communities, cities, and provinces under lockdown. Lockdown should be the last resort,” he said.
Also read: Senate Will Continue Working Despite Suspension of Work in The Executive Branch
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