SENATOR Christopher “Bong” Go, as Chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, reminded Filipinos to continue observing safety health protocols even as the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an end to the COVID-19 as a “public health emergency of international concern”, which has been in place for over three years.

Also in celebration of National Health Workers Day this May 7, Go once again expressed his gratitude to all medical frontliners who have served and sacrificed in order to save lives during the pandemic.

“Ang dapat nating pasalamatan ay ang ating mga frontliners. Hindi natin mararating ngayon ito lahat kung hindi dahil sa ating mga frontliners — mga doktor, medtech, nurses, lahat down to hospital utility, salamat sa inyong sakripisyo lalo na nung panahon ng pandemya,” he expressed.

On Friday, May 5, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted the decline in deaths and hospitalization related to COVID-19, saying, “It is therefore with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency.”

Acknowledging WHO’s pronouncement, the Department of Health released a statement that the agency will convene with the members of the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to reassess the country’s COVID-19 guidelines.

In this regard, Go emphasized that while this is a welcome development, everyone must remain vigilant and responsible to prevent the spread of the virus from recurring.

“The lifting of the global public health emergency status by WHO does not mean that we can let our guard down. Habang pinag-uusapan pa ng ating mga health officials ang kailangan nating gawin, let us remain adherent to the basic health protocols,” stressed Go.

The senator likewise continues to emphasize the importance of wearing face masks in preventing the spread of COVID-19 as he has been encouraging all Filipinos to wear face masks whenever they go out in public, even without mandatory policies in place.

“Sa ngayon po, voluntary na lang po ang pagsusuot (ng masks). Bagama’t voluntary, ako po ay nananawagan sa mga kababayan natin na kung hindi naman sagabal… mag-face mask pa rin tayo,” said Go in an ambush interview after he personally assisted struggling residents in Cavite City on May 3.

“Hindi natin alam kung sino po ‘yung may sakit sa ating pamamahay, ‘yung mga matatanda na maaaring mahawahan natin. Sila ang mas delikado. Kung mahal natin ang ating mga magulang, mga lolo at lola, proteksyunan natin sila mula sa sakit,” he encouraged.

The senator then reiterated his call for eligible Filipinos to get inoculated against COVID-19, stressing the importance of vaccines in protecting individuals from the virus.

Acknowledging the concerns and hesitations of some Filipinos about getting vaccinated, Go assured the public that the government has procured safe vaccines and underscored that the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks.

“Kaya importante po, magbakuna tayo at kung qualified na po kayo sa pagpapa-booster, magpa-booster na tayo dahil ‘yan po ang susi para makabalik tayo sa ating normal na pamumuhay. Kung bakunado, mas protektado po ang ating buhay,” he urged.

For his part as a lawmaker, Go has been pushing for the enactment of two important bills that aim to strengthen the country’s capacity to prevent and respond to infectious diseases. These are Senate Bill Nos. 195 and 196, which seek to establish the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines, respectively.

If SBN 195 is passed into law, the CDC shall be the lead agency for developing communicable disease control and prevention initiatives. It will be primarily responsible for controlling the introduction and spread of infectious diseases in the country. Some of its primary functions will include policy and standards development, disease detection and surveillance, data collection and analytics, public health communications, and research and evidence synthesis.

Meanwhile, under the proposed SBN 196, VIP will serve as the principal laboratory of the country in providing virology laboratory investigations, research, and technical coordination of the entire network of virology laboratories nationwide. The proposed bill will also provide guidelines for the establishment and operation of testing, reference and biosafety Levels 1, 2, 3 and 4 research laboratories throughout the country.

“Laging handa dapat tayo para hindi tayo mabigla. Alalahanin natin na hindi naman natin masasabi kung ito na ba ang huling pandemya na darating sa buhay natin. Mas mabuti na handa tayo. Mas mabuti nga makagawa tayo ng sarili nating bakuna para hindi tayo umaasa sa ibang bansa,” he stressed.