DAVAO CITY — Malacañang on Tuesday, January 28, announced that the Executive Branch will wait for the recommendation of the Department of Health (DOH) and World Health Organization (WHO) on the action measures to be made on the coronavirus.
Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and Presidential Spokesperson Secretary Salvador S. Panelo said in a press briefing that the government will have to be very cautious in the steps it will undertake regarding the aforesaid virus.
Secretary Panelo stressed that the government’s primordial concern is the safety of Filipinos and to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
As regards the possibility of repatriating Filipinos in Wuhan, China, the Palace official explained that the Philippine government will cooperate with the Chinese government on its lockdown order in some parts of China where Filipinos are working.
“That can be threshed out in a formal talk with respect to that, but we must consider the health issue on the spread. Ano bang mas makakabuti, stay there for awhile until the crisis is over or we’ll get them and bring them here and open the possibility of spreading it here?” Panelo explained.
“Pag-aaralan lahat ‘yan kasi nga bringing them here might open the spreading of the disease. Pag-aaralan lahat ‘yan kung ano ang makakabuti,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Immigration has ordered the suspension of visa upon arrival of passport holders from China as an early precaution relative to the deadly virus. For Panelo, this might also be implemented as against citizens coming from countries with confirmed cases of the virus.
“That goes without saying kung mayroon din, ganoon din ang gagawin ng Immigration Commissioner. What I’m saying is if the Commissioner thinks that that particular policy endangers the safety of our people then logically it will apply to other countries that may have the same disease being spread,” Panelo said
