BINATIKOS ng grupong Makabayan si Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte sa panibagong paglalatag ng Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) sa Metro Manila at mga karatig na probinsiya.
Ayon kay ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro walang ibang alam na solusyon ang pamahalaang Duterte kundi ang lockdown.
“Wala na bang ibang alam na solusyon kundi lockdown?” tanong ni Castro.
“Despite trillions of loaned funds supposedly for the pandemic response and the longest lockdown in the world, the Duterte administration was again forced to place their so-called NCR plus under the strictest lockdown more than a year since the pandemic hit the country,” ani Castro.
“Ito ba ang pa-birthday ng pangulong Duterte sa kaniyang mamamayan? Araw-araw na record high CoVid cases, over-capacity na (mga) medical at health facilities, napakababang testing rates, palpak na contact tracing, halos limang milyong Filipino na walang trabaho, walang ayudang maibigay ang gobyerno at napakabagal na pagbabakuna sa mamamayan. Pagkalipas ng mahigit isang taon, walang ipinagbago sa pandemic response ang administrasyong Duterte. Nananatiling palpak at pahirap sa mamamayan,” mariing pahayag ni Castro.
Aniya, medical ang solusyon sa CoVid-19 at hindi ang ‘lockdown’ sa mamamayan na naghahanapbuhay.
“The people are demanding medical solutions and social amelioration programs. The Makabayan bloc already proposed P100 daily economic relief and P10,000 aid for workers affected by the lockdowns. It is high time that the Duterte administration heed the demands of the people,” aniya.
“Imposing a lockdown without ramping up CoVid testing, without efficient contact tracing, having limited health facilities that can cater to patients and a slow vaccination roll-out will not solve the worsening health crisis in our country,” dagdag niya.
Dagdag ni Castro, “Darami lang ulit ang pinapahirapan ng administrasyong ito dahil sa mga palpak na polisiyang hindi tinutugunan ang mga batayang hakbang para akmang malutas o makontrol ang pagkalat ng CoVid-19.”
“Teachers and students dread another lockdown and the worsening health crisis in the country because the longer it takes for the Duterte administration to address its failed pandemic response, the longer it will take for the safe back-to-school of our learners and teachers.
“This lockdown and the record high number of daily new cases means dimmer prospects for back to face-to-face classes and improved blended learning. It is the Duterte administration’s failed pandemic response that is keeping our youth from safely returning to face-to-face classes,” ani Castro hinggil sa pag-aaral ng mga kabataang estudyante.
“Ang matagal na panawagan ng mamamayan ay solusyong medikal, hindi militarismo at pasismo. Mas scientific na mga hakbangin at hindi ang mga kulang sa pag-aaral na polisiya at panuntunan na madalas na inilalabas ng IATF,” mariing puna ng mambabatas.
Dagdag niya, “pagtibayin ang health system ng bansa kasama ang epidemiology and disease programs at R&D program para sa kasalukuyang pandemya at mga pandemyang darating. Sapat at maagap na ayuda para sa mga sektor na apektado ng pandemya.”
“Unless the government change its tactics with how it deals with the CoVid-19 pandemic, the longer the people will have to suffer the hardships caused by the Duterte administration’s failed response to this serious health and economic crisis,” pahayag ni Castro. (GERRY BALDO)