NextGen Day

MANILA, Philippines – At least two senatorial candidates from the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino – Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) expressed reservations about the country’s proposed “Alert Level 0.”

Senatorial candidates John Castriciones and Rey Langit cautioned against hasty de-escalation of the alert level status, stating that the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) continues to exist.

Langit, a veteran broadcaster, stated that the proposed reduction to Alert Level 0 status is possible once a sufficient number of Filipinos are immunized against Covid-19.

“Kahit po bumababa ang mga kaso ng Covid, delikado pa rin po dahil hindi pa tapos pandemya at maaaring may bagong variant na sumulpot),” Langit said in a statement. “If we wish to declare an Alert Level 0, it is our prerogative that many of our citizens are already vaccinated.”

As of March 16, 139,454,246 doses of Covid-19 had been administered nationwide.

Around 64,838,213 Filipinos are now fully vaccinated, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. of the National Task Force Against Covid-19 said during a meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte at Malacanang Palace on Tuesday night.

Galvez added that vaccination in the pediatric sector is also gaining momentum, with nearly 11 million children and adolescents aged five to 17 already receiving their first vaccine shot.

Despite the government’s efforts to increase vaccination coverage for Covid-19, Langit lamented that many Filipinos remain unvaccinated.

“Nakakalungkot po na marami sa ating kababayan dahil maraming nasasayang na bakuna sa ating kababayan. I am saddened that many of our fellow citizens remain unvaccinated, which has resulted in vaccine spoilage. It is unfortunate that we simply allow unused vaccines to expire),” Galvez said.

Meanwhile, Castriciones stated that the country’s fight against Covid-19 will be successful only if an estimated 90 million Filipinos receive vaccinations against the dreaded disease.

He also urged the public to adhere to basic public health standards despite the continued decline in Covid-19 infections.

“Even if you receive the booster, you must still wear a face mask and follow the health protocol to ensure that we are protected from infection,” Castriciones explained. “Marami sa ating mga kababayan na bakunado na ay nagiging complacent na dahil sa pagbaba ng mga kaso ng Covid-19, kinakailangan pa rin na sundin ang mga health protocols para sa kaligtasan ng lahat (Many of us who have been vaccinated have grown compla However, we must adhere to strict health protocols in order to survive),” he added.

As of February 2022, the Philippines was ranked third in vaccination administration among ten Southeast Asian countries, eleventh among 47 Asian countries, and eighteenth among 205 countries worldwide.

Castriciones and Langit urged increased collaboration between local and national governments, as well as a stepped-up information campaign, to encourage more people to get coronavirus vaccinations.

Langit also urged vaccine-averse Filipinos to place their trust in medical professionals.

“Marami po sa ating mga health workers ang kumakayod para magpabakuna tayo. Maniwala po tayo sa kanila, maniwala tayo sa eksperto, maniwala tayo sa siyensya. We should have faith in them. We should have faith in the experts and the science that underpins vaccines),” Langit stated.

On Wednesday, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire stated that further relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions will occur only after the entire country is placed on the most lenient Alert Level 1.

Additionally, Vergeire clarified that Alert Level 0 is not yet an “official term.”

For the second half of March, Metro Manila and 47 other areas have been placed on Alert Level 1.

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