After Vice President Leni Robredo delivered a quick public address where she listed concrete plans for handling the pandemic, Senator Risa Hontiveros also presented an alternative “roadmap to recovery” from the pandemic during her privilege speech in the Senate today.
Laying out her suggestions that tackle responses that the government should make towards both health and economic concerns, the senator commented that the reimposition of a lockdown will not be effective unless it comes along with a strong health response.
Hontiveros also shared her action plan to the public through an infographic that shows a simple and easy-to-understand outline with her main points. In her roadmap, the senator focused on two essential points: Health and economic response.
“Malinaw na pumalpak ang plano ng gobyerno sa nakaraang lockdown. Huwag nating hayaang masayang ulit ang dalawang linggong pagbabalik MECQ. Huwag na nating sayangin ang sakripisyo ng mga Pilipino,” wrote the senator in a follow-up tweet to the infographic.
“Kaya ng Pilipino magtiis, dapat kaya ng pamahalaang mamahala,” she added.
The Balik-Trabahong Ligtas Act mentioned by the senator was filed on April 27 this year. Also known as Senate Bill No. 1441, it is authored by Hontiveros and seeks to mandate life insurance and additional health insurance coverage for all workers in both public and private sectors who are required to physically attend to their jobs during a public health emergency.
It also seeks to require workplaces, in coordination with the government, that have 50 or more workers to provide free diagnostic testing for their workers.
After delivering her privilege speech, Hontiveros was interjected by senators Manny Pacquiao and Francis Tolentino. Pacquiao stated that it is unfair to chastise President Duterte for the country’s state during a health crisis.
Meanwhile, Tolentino said that the President made many excellent points regarding plans on the health and economic impact of the pandemic during his State of the Nation Address and weekly televised public addresses.
As a response, Hontiveros said, “Ultimately what matters is not what the President said or did not say, but results in terms of the implementation of plans to address the pandemic.”
Header photo by Joan Bondoc for Inquirer.net
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