In this October 27, 2022 article for the Philippine News Agency, Ma. Teresa Montemayor reports on the latest statement from the Department of Health (DOH) following the plan to lift mask mandates in the Philippines.

According to DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire, discontinuing the wearing of masks could lead to as many as 18,000 cases towards the end of November and December this year.

Editor’s Note: We continue to wonder why the DOH still holds on to the myth that masks have helped stop infection. Were they able to find new studies that debunked decades-long research on mask-wearing? [See Will the real WHO please stand up? Also, read new research showing that masks do not work Study shows 90% of particles can pass through cloth masks making them useless for preventing COVID transmission, Finland study shows vaccines, universal masking, useless against Delta variant, Danish mask study now published: Masks do not reduce SARS-CoV-2 infection].

Why would the DOH continue its fear-based narrative when the national data is already debunking its statements? Are they trying to destroy their credibility? Or do they really think that Filipinos are stupid?

There is nothing in our COVID data that shows that COVID cases are going to increase. COVID positivity rate is down in the National Capital Region. Also, a huge majority of new cases are either asymptomatic or mild. Of the very few COVID deaths recorded in the country, most are incidental.

It is clear: the COVID emergency is real, but the DOH does not want to let go of the new-found power it has held for the past two years. The question we should now be asking is: why? Why is the health agency deliberately creating misinformation? Why does it want Filipinos to continue being afraid? Do they not want us to return to our pre-pandemic lives?

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