STATEMENT OF SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS ON THE GOVERNMENT'S DECISION TO PUT METRO MANILA UNDER GENERAL COMMUNITY QUARANTINE

I am very concerned with the government's move to place Metro Manila under General Community Quarantine or GCQ by June 1.

Just this Thursday, May 28, the Department of Health recorded the highest spike of COVID-19 cases at 539. This update has brought the tally of our total infections up to 15,588, most of them in the National Capital Region.

In fact, there could even be an uptick of recorded COVID-19 cases once we continue to vigorously test the thousands of repatriated overseas Filipino workers, once we meet our target of at least 20,000 tests per day, and once we verify our backlog of at least 7,000 cases.

Reading the data available to us, it seems that we have not yet flattened the curve. Instead, this easing of the lockdown may expose thousands of Metro Manila workers and residents to a new wave of community transmission that will definitely overwhelm our already-embattled health system.

However, moving forward, and even with the GCQ, we need to ensure that safety nets are in place, including more tests and personal protective equipment for workers and frontliners, work-from-home arrangement for those who are able, safe and sufficient transportation options for the public, and better support for and coordination with local government units.

Finally, I reiterate my call for the government to base its policy decisions on reliable and up-to-date data. We need to ground our policies on the real situation and we need our data to reflect a more complete picture. Doing otherwise will risk the lives of many Filipinos.