Happening today, July 27, 2020 (Monday), 4:00 p.m. at Batasan Complex.
This year, it’s President Duterte’s 5th SONA.
What are your expectations this year?
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If his nightly talkshow is any indication… Very, very, very, very low.
Will just wait for the summary - for sure another waste of time - and probably more confusing to watch it Live, because he cannot speak well anymore (kahit magbabasa na lang ng script) and you will always have to read between the lines kuno and understand the jokes and pagka-“Bisaya”
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I just want him to admit all of the government’s failures. Oh well, that can only happen in my dream.
and his senseless narrative will end with profanities yet again sabay hihirit ng JOKE ONLY!
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Puwede bang last SONA na niya iyan? 
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23 minutes lang pero mas matino pa kesa sa lagpas isa’t kalahating oras ng pagka-inutil at pang-aalipusta.
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Found this in one of my groups. The SONA never addressed these. The letter below is the REAL State of the Nation:
Other doctors are signing this letter. And I fully agree with it (TERT)
July 31, 2020
SECRETARY CARLITO GALVEZ, JR.
Chief Implementer
National Taskforce (NTF) COVID-19
and
SECRETARY FRANCISCO DUQUE III
Secretary
Department of Health
Re: Medical Community calls for return to Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ)
in Mega Manila from Aug. 1 to 15 to recalibrate strategies against COVID-19
Dear Secretary Galvez and Secretary Duque:
The Philippine healthcare system is already overwhelmed, and the healthcare workers are united in sounding a distress signal to the nation. On July 30, the Department of Health reported 3,954 new cases of COVID-19 positive Filipinos. We have seen the trend of number of infections rising consistently and this, among other scenarios, prompt us to act now and act fast. Yesterday, the Local Government of Manila announced the temporary closure of the Ospital ng Maynila citing the increasing number of confirmed COVID-19 cases among their hospital workers. The Dr. Fabella Memorial Hospital also announced that it will be closed for five days because of their need to decongest due to the overwhelming number of patients being admitted. Our healthcare workers are getting sick as they take care of patients, responding to the call of duty while battling the fear and anxiety COVID-19 brings. Our healthcare workers are burnt out. Many are resigning and a lot more are discouraged with the seemingly endless number of patients getting admitted in the hospitals.
We are in a losing battle against COVID-19, and we need to come up with a consolidated plan. Hence, we, as frontliners dedicated to win the battle against COVID-19, call on our government to put Mega Manila back to Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) for a period of two weeks, from August 1 to 15.
In the proposed two-week ECQ in Mega Manila we recommend that the following problems be addressed urgently:
-
Hospital workforce deficiency – Hospitals in NCR are getting overwhelmed by the alarming increase of COVID-19 cases these past weeks. The workforce is effectively reduced because of the need for intermittent quarantine of personnel, and isolation of many who have fallen ill. In addition, many have resigned because of fear, fatigue, and poor working conditions. Facilities have had to close because of these problems.
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Failure of case finding and isolation – RT-PCR is now being denied patients with symptoms. LGUs that do test continue to insist on use of rapid antibody tests to identify cases of COVID-19, sending home patients with symptoms who test negative. This may be responsible for the surge of cases we are now experiencing, because rapid tests miss more than half of people with active, contagious illness. In addition, patients with disease confirmed by RT PCR are being turned away from isolation centers and forced to isolate in homes where this is not even possible.
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Failure of contact tracing and quarantine– Contact tracing is failing misertably. DOH and IATF guidance exists but LGU compliance is optional. The guidelines must be cascaded to our community leaders, health officers and local authorities and strictly enforced. A whole of society approach must be implemented, integrating use of non-uniformed personnel and volunteers.
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Transportation safety – This problem cannot be addressed by long term infrastructure plans. We need quick solutions with long term effects such as immediate implementation of service contracting, pop-up bicycle lanes and pedestrlan lanes. We need this now, not next year because people need to get to work but have no safe transport options.
We need the Department of Health and Department of Transportation to issue clear advisories both to transport providers and the commuting public on physical distancing, sufficient provisions for disinfectants or disinfection protocols, wearing of face shields and masks, and guidance on improving ventilation and air exchange (opening of windows).
- Workplace safety – workplace safety is assured in many high income settings, but there is clear failure for people with lower income. Employees and laborers are required by LGUs and their companies to have rapid antibody tests, despite international agreement that this test is is not recommended for work clearance, and can lead to missed cases and local outbreaks. To make matters worse, employees and laborers, already suffering from the lockdown, are asked to shoulder the costs.
We need the Department of Health, Department of Trade and Industry, and Department of Labor and Employment to issue clear advisories both to building managers and companies and the working public on physical distancing, sufficient provisions for disinfectants or disinfection protocols, wearing of face shields and masks, and guidance on improving ventilation and air exchange (opening of windows).
- Public compliance with self-protection – The progressive lifting of quarantine has sent a public message that the pandemic is getting better. It is not. The progressive decline in compliance will push us to the brink to become the next New York City, where COVID-19 patients die at home or in stretchers, unable to find vacancies. The first line of defense is the public, so people need to bereminded that we need to use masks and face shields, wash hands and practice social distancing – now more than ever.
In relation to this, we also ask your good offices to reconsider the pronouncement of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) regarding the approval to reopen businesses such as gyms, fitness centers, tutorial services, review centers, internet cafes, pet grooming services, drive-in cinemas previously closed due to the community quarantine starting August 1.
We understand that imposing an enhanced community quarantine is a complex decision. Though health may be just one dimension, let us remember that we need healthy people to reinvigorate our economy. The current crisis necessitates putting prime importance on effective solutions addressing the health problems at hand. These proposed solutions can have far-reaching effects once implemented. The health sector cannot hold the line for much longer. Our health care workers should not bear the burden of deciding who lives and who dies. If the health system collapses, it is ultimately the poor that is most affected.
In the end, winning the war against COVID-19 relies heavily on being able to keep our health system capacitated to address the needs of all Filipinos. We hope that our government considers this plea.
Thank you.
Sincerely yours,
Dr. Timothy Elbert Del Rosario Tan
Ophthalmologist
Lic. No. 0066198
P.S. to our retired generals please remember
- HCWs are not soldiers.
- We want to save as many as possible.
- The new wave is larger than before and still growing.
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Simply put the government can’t afford another ECQ.
They could if they handled the first one properly. But syempre hindi.
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the true state of the nation…
