Last November 11, 2022, various news agencies in the Philippines have reported on the Public Health Emergency for Emerging and Re-emerging Disease Bill (Public Health Emergency Bill) which was submitted by the Department of Health (DOH) to the House of Representatives (House). According to the reports[efn_note]https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/851139/doh-pushes-for-passage-of-proposed-bill-on-public-health-emergencies/story/, https://mb.com.ph/2022/11/11/doh-pushes-bill-on-public-health-emergency/[/efn_note] this bill was tagged as one of the priority bills of the Marcos Administration.
Where is the text of the bill proposed by the Department of Health?
Two weeks have passed since this bill has been submitted to the House, but its full text and provisions are yet to be publicized. Our own search has revealed that there are 31 bills filed under the 19th Congress which pertains to “public health emergency” and the only ones filed in November 2022 were those related to the establishment of the Philippine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Philippine CDC)[efn_note]https://hrep-website.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/legisdocs/basic_19/HB05797.pdf[/efn_note]. Even the journalists who reported on the new bill submitted by the DOH have not mentioned the bill number. Is the DOH and the House hiding the text of this Public Health Emergency Bill?
Regardless of the provisions of this new bill, we insist that thorough hearings on the experience and COVID response of the Philippines must be conducted before the Public Health Emergency Bill is deliberated on. Otherwise, the country will repeat the disturbing mistakes of the past including the absence of scientific evidence on Covid measures imposed on the Filipino people especially the constant use of facemasks.
The Mistakes of the Past Must Not Be Repeated
The Philippines under Rodrigo Duterte ignored the scientific evidence pointing to early treatment protocols including the judicious use of Ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine with proper vitamins and nutrients and the importance of natural immunity in the fight against COVID.[efn_note]COVID-19 PANDEMIC: THE PHILIPPINE EXPERIENCE, AN OPEN LETTER TO RODRIGO R. DUTERTE President, Republic of the Philippines[/efn_note] Duterte, through the advice of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), headed by the DOH secretary, relied on a faulty diagnostic test[efn_note]CCH FOI Bombshell: DOH Admits No Evidence SARS-CoV-2 Isolated. Yet Government Locked Down Nation Due to Virus No Country Has Yet Proven to Exist.[/efn_note] and insisted on the use of draconian policies that suspended our civil liberties, instead of utilizing established science on pandemic response.
They imposed damaging lockdowns which caused the destruction of our livelihoods, and exacerbated mental health problems, as well as sexual and physical abuse in the home. They forced workers to take the experimental COVID vaccine, in violation of the Republic Act No. 11525. They have condoned the discrimination of individuals who chose not to take the experimental shots and uphold their right to self-determination. The government has closed schools, endangering the development of an entire generation of children, despite evidence showing that schools can be reopened safely even without vaccines.
Our Call
We demand that the House and/or Senate conduct a thorough review of the “effectiveness” and impacts of the Philippines’ COVID response.
We call on President Ferdinand “Bong Bong” Marcos to critically assess the provisions of the Public Health Emergency Bill to ensure that it does not codify failed policies that has already caused hardships for Filipinos. We also urge the President to be wary of the Pandemic Treaty which is being pushed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the DOH.[efn_note]Sign the Petition Refuse and Reject the WHO Powergrab That Would Lead to Global Medical Martial Law[/efn_note]
Of particular concern is the whole issue of pandemic surveillance tucked into the bill and the definitional ease of what would constitute a “public health emergency”. There is also the danger that the provisions of the proposed bill may violate the legal provision of only 6 months total for any public health emergency. (Section 105, Local Government Code).
We call on the President to ensure that different perspectives are heard in finalizing the Public Health Emergency Bill and in the creation of the bill’s implementing rules and regulations (IRR).
We also call on our fellow Filipinos to continue speaking up against the one-sided policies being pushed by the DOH and to demand the creation of alternative paradigms of health and healing which are based on authentic science and ethical guidance that upholds human dignity and respects human rights.
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