Senate President Vicente Sotto III questions President Duterte’s decision about the lockdown of Metro Manila due to the COVID-19 threat.

On March 12, 2020, the President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte announces in his nations address the precautionary measures against COVID-19. The President tackles the resolutions on this disease that will be implemented in the country.

President had announced his plans for a sweeping lockdown of the capital of 12 million people, including a halt to domestic travel, in a bid to contain the deadly new coronavirus. President Duterte also announces a month of school closures, ban on mass gatherings and a prohibition on the entry of foreigners from places where the virus contagion is spreading.

Senator Risa Honiveros criticize the governments plans. She said that the public deserves more cohesive guidelines on the effort against the novel coronavirus or the COVID-19 threat.

Also, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said on a statement that the lockdown of the National Capital Region (NCR) is going to affect the economy badly. Inflation will also affect the poor people living in NCR.

Senator Sotto said in the statement that, “NCR is the political and economic capital of the Philippines. The economy will grind to a halt as the flow of goods and people from the provinces to NCR, and vice versa will be affected,”

He added, “Preventing travel to and from Metro Manila with only 52 cases as this point is a textbook case of overreaction. This drastic measure will only result in panic and hoarding of goods,” 

According to the Senator, it’s better to do mass testing of people in Metro Manila instead do a strict containment than closing down Metro Manila.

Senator Sotto ordered a lockdown yesterday at the senate after a resource person tested positive for COVID-19.

He said, “The solution lies in more testing of the population and strict containment of heavily-affected areas… The time is not ripe for placing entire communities, cities, and provinces under lockdown. Lockdown should be the last resort,”

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