BILANG PILIPINO | Escudero wants empowerment of LGUs in COVID-19 response if elected senator

March 25, 2022 , 03:26 PM

By Clarist Zablan

(March 25, 2022) – A provincial governor seeking a comeback to the Senate on Thursday vowed to push for the empowerment of local government units (LGUs) in responding to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in case spikes in infections break out.

Sorsogon Governor Francis “Chiz” Escudero said that local governments should be given more power in responding to COVID-19 outbreaks in their communities, as they are better equipped to know the problems faced by their constituents and the best course of action for these problems.

“[Isusulong ko na] bigyan ng mas malaking kalayaan ang mga lokal na pamahalaan, dahil para sa akin, mas alam po namin ang kailangan sa aming lugar,” Escudero said on CignalTV’s One News channel’s program “The Chiefs.”

Escudero noted how his home province in Sorsogon is still under Alert Level 2 until now despite having zero COVID-19 cases, while the national capital region is at a lower alert level despite dealing with more infections.

“I-delegate na lamang sa lokal na pamahalaan ang pagpapasiya kaugnay ng lockdown, at hindi na nationwide, dahil masyado nang dumapa ang ekonomiya natin dahil dyan,” he said.

The province of Sorsogon has been reporting zero active cases of COVID-19 since Monday, based on data released by its provincial health office on social media.

Meanwhile, the national capital region still took up the largest portion of 442 new COVID-19 infections nationwide on Thursday, reporting 143 cases on the same day, according to Guido David of OCTA Research.

Based on the guidelines set by the inter-agency task force, the health department identifies the alert level of a given area. LGUs are also enjoined to enact necessary ordinances to enforce health protocols in their areas.

President Rodrigo Duterte’s COVID-19 response has been criticized by some lawmakers and concerned citizens for being too focused on imposing lockdowns rather than on testing and contact tracing. The country still ranks 50 out of 53 nations in Bloomberg’s latest global COVID-19 resilience rankings, and 85 out of 121 in Nikkei.

Escudero agreed with presidential candidate and Vice President Leonor Robredo to roll out a P100 billion stimulus package for micro, small and medium enterprises as part of the pandemic exit plan. He also promised to push for greater support for the agriculture sector

He also wanted to revive the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Bill, which was filed by the late Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago in 2013, seeking to prepare the country for public health emergencies such as COVID-19 in the future.

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