Vico Sotto On Pandemic-Related Policies: ‘Let’s Not Make People Suffer’

Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto said on Wednesday, Aug. 4, that pandemic-related policies should not make people suffer as the Philippine National Police (PNP) announced and then took back its announcement that non-authorized persons outside residence, or non-APORs, would not be able to fetch essential workers during the two-week enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila.

On July 30, President Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to place Metro Manila under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from Aug. 6 to 20 due to the threat of the more infectious Delta variant of COVID-19.

“Buti kung normal na ang pampublikong transportasyon pero alam naman natin na ang mga jeep at bus nasa 50% pa lang ang kapasidad so ‘wag na nating pahirapan ‘yung mga tao (It’s OK if public transportation is operating at normal capacity but we all know that our jeeps and buses can only operate 50% capacity so we should not make people suffer),” Sotto said in an interview with “SaTotoo Lang” on One News.

“Mas mabuti nga dun sila sa kung saan ‘yung palagay nilang mas safe at kung ano ‘yung available sa kanila na transportasyon kung APOR naman sila (It is better to allow people to use the mode of transportation that they think is safe and is available if they are APORs),” he added.

PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar on Thursday, Aug 5, said non-APORs will already be allowed to fetch APORs, including healthcare workers, but they have to present a certificate of employment (COE) of the APOR and a copy of business permit of the employer.

Eleazar noted that the COE should have the name of the designated non-APOR driver or fetcher of the worker APOR, the make and plate number of the vehicle to be used, and the contact number of the employer.

“If we are not going to strictly implement the quarantine rules, it will certainly defeat the real purpose of the ECQ,” Eleazar said in a statement.

Citing possible abuse, Eleazar said on Wednesday they would prohibit non-APORs from fetching essential workers to and from their workplaces during the ECQ period in Metro Manila from Aug. 6 to 20.

He noted that APORs who do not know how to drive may use public transportation, which will operate at 50 percent capacity.

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) urged the PNP to review its policy prohibiting people from fetching essential workers during the ECQ implementation.

CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said preventing people from fetching APORs may cause additional burden, especially to health workers battling the recent surge in new COVID-19 cases.

While they understand the government’s move to manage the pandemic, De Guia said APORs should not be deprived access to a safe way of commuting.

“Providing mobility to APORs, while ensuring their health and safety, must always be considered in implementing policies that restrict the movement of the general public,” she said.

“Instead of causing additional burden, the government must recognize the invaluable contributions of frontline health and service workers and seek ways on how to support them in fulfilling their duties,” the human rights official added.

Liquor ban, quarantine pass, ayuda

Sotto said Pasig City will not implement a liquor ban unless the Metro Manila Council orders them to do so.

Sotto also said the city will not issue quarantine passes during the ECQ as it takes time to print and distribute new ones.

Though it’s a good idea, he explained there is not enough to print and distribute quarantine passes.

“Anyway, we have QR code pass here in Pasig and we also have the IDs. We will use those instead,” Sotto said in a mix of English and Filipino.

The mayor further said that the local government will not give financial assistance or ayuda to residents during the stricter quarantine but assured them that they will receive food packs.

Vice President Leni Robredo on Thursday urged the national government to hasten the distribution of the financial assistance allotted to poorest families who would be affected by the reimposition of ECQ in Metro Manila from Aug. 6 to 20.

“At this time, we should have no other priority but to provide immediate assistance to the families affected by the lockdown, especially those who have lost their livelihood,” she said in Filipino.

“We have implemented ECQ several times, so we expect that by now, we have already ironed out the process and system of delivery of assistance,” she added.

The government has allotted P13.1 billion to provide a one-time cash grant of P1,000 to P4,000 per qualified family in the National Capital Region.

Robredo said the government could have provided more to help families cope with the impact of the lockdown, citing billions allocated to anti-insurgency efforts.

“We recently heard about the release of billions in funds for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict,” she said.

“While we have not yet recovered from the pandemic, let us postpone it first and make sure that no Filipino goes hungry. Many need our help, especially ECQ-affected families,” she added.

The Vice President stressed the need for the government to increase the budget for financial assistance to cover the needs of affected residents, including food, utilities and rent.

She echoed the earlier statement of Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon criticizing the government for prioritizing anti-insurgency over financial assistance to poor Filipinos.

“There are 4.2 million Filipino families who experienced involuntary hunger in May and 3.7 million unemployed Filipinos in June. We need to make sure the cash grant will reach each one of them so that their difficulties would somehow be alleviated,” Robredo said.