Duque bucks easing of campaign health rules
HEALTH Secretary Francisco Duque III yesterday expressed opposition to the calls to ease some health protocols of the Commission on Elections for in-person campaigning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Duque made the statement when asked if he agrees with the appeal of political parties to allow shaking hands, taking selfies, and cheek kissing in campaign rallies.
“Basta mag-mask kayo. Tapos hanggang, sa kung kakayanin. Huwag naman yung masyadong dikit-dikit parang sardinas. Masama naman ‘yung ganun,” he said.
Duque encouraged the public to consider their safety, saying they have to learn to live with the pandemic.
Earlier, some camps of candidates called on the Comelec to adjust the restrictions on in-person campaigning.
The poll body said, last Wednesday, that it is open to reviewing the guidelines.
Acting Comelec Chairman Socorro Inting said the campaign guidelines are based on the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease guidelines.
“Now, yes, we are aware of the complaints of some candidates. Maybe, we can review our rules because when we adopted our rules the alert level status was Alert Level 3,” she added.
