SENATOR Nancy Binay recently expressed her concern on the lack of funds allocated for cash aid and contact tracing in the proposed P5.024-trillion outlay for 2022.

“Ang mindset when the budget was made, there would still be COVID next year. Bakit walang nagtanong sa DILG? Bakit walang budget for contact tracing?” asked Binay.

During the hearing of the Senate Committee on Finance, Binay said the Department of Interior and Local Government should have given more focus on contact tracing efforts as a means to effectively stop further spread of the COVID-19 virus.

“We understand the challenges, but there’s a mounting necessity to scale up our contact tracing capacities. Napaka-crucial ng contact tracing is especially as infections of new Covid variants keep rising. Yung 2022 budget mismo hindi compliant sa Covid response,” she added.

According to Binay, Covid has always been a public health concern, and contract tracing is a critical tool to control the spread of community infections.

“I personally cannot accept that the DILG and DOH have no systematic plans or even the slightest effort to kickstart or scale up contract tracing,” the senator said.

“Wala bang nakaisip sa kanila na importanteng elemento yun at kailangan bigyan ng allocation? Kaya di nakapagtataka kung bakit after more than a year, pagdating sa testing at contact tracing, kulelat pa rin tayo,”Binay further stressed.

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