Dispatch from Crame No. 754: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Statement on the Martial Law tactics employed during the Enhanced Community Quarantine
The Human Rights Watch has expressed their concern on Section 6 (f) of the recently enacted “Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.” This section seeks to penalize “individuals or groups creating, perpetuating, or spreading false information regarding the COVID-19 crisis on social media and other platforms, such as information having no valid or beneficial effect […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 753: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Supplemental Message on the Urgency of a Mass Testing Program
The urgency of a mass testing program cannot be overemphasized. I am frustrated and alarmed that the national government deferred the COVID-19 testing initiative of Marikina City. Here is a local government unit that is ready to operate and start testing, but what do we do? Delay the efforts to contain this outbreak with too […]
Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Further Dispatch from Crame No. 752 on the Recruitment of Additional Health Workers
This serves as a supplemental dispatch to that which I issued yesterday on the proposed enlisting of nursing students. We are faced with a monster we have to vanquish with our very limited resources. Our medical workforce is starting to dwindle against our favor – unfortunately so, at the very early stages of our fight […]
Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Supplemental Dispatch from Crame No. 751 on Mass Testing
Ilan pa ba sa ating mga kababayan – mga health workers, frontliners, PUIs, PUMs, at mamamayang bulnerable, gaya ng mga matatanda at may malulubhang karamdaman – ang mamamatay na lamang bago pa matiyak na may COVID-19 sila at mabigyan ng karampatang gamutan? Kailan pa natin masisiguro ang kaligtasan ng lahat mula sa posibleng pagkakahawa sa […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 750: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s proposal to enlist the help of nursing students amid COVID-19 crisis
A 2014 report revealed that the Philippines “only has 3.5 doctors for every 10,000 population – a far cry from the ideal ratio of 1 to 1.5 doctors for every 1,000 population.” Medical professionals have long demanded the government to “take immediate, sustained, and dramatic steps to solve this crisis.” They said that infectious diseases […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 748: Sen. Leila M. de Lima on the Mass Testing Now PH Petition
I commend the Mass Testing Now PH group for its initiative. I join their call for a national mass testing program that prioritizes: (a) health workers or frontliners; (b) PUIs and PUMs; and (c) vulnerable sectors like the elderly and those with underlying illnesses. Urgent and appropriate action is imperative in the race against time […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 747: Sen. Leila M. de Lima on the ₱1.5-B assistance of big businesses for urban poor amid Luzon quarantine
Iyan ang tunay na pagmamalasakit at bayanihan. Nagbibigay-pugay ako sa Project Ugnayan sa matagumpay na pagkalap nila ng higit ₱1.5 bilyon para sa mahigit isang milyong pamilyang Pilipino na apektado ng krisis na dulot ng COVID-19. Malaking ambag ito upang kagyat na maibsan ang paghihirap ng mga pinakaapektadong pamilya. I laud and thank all of […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 746: Sen. Leila M. de Lima’s Expression of Gratitude to DLSU and the Divine Word Missionaries
Kindness, especially to those who have nothing to give in return, serves as a beacon of hope in the darkest of times. Sa panahon ng matinding krisis, habang ang lahat ay abala sa paggawa ng paraan upang maging ligtas sa kapahamakan, laging napag-iiwanan ang mga pinakabulnerableng miyembro ng ating lipunan. It is as if their […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 745: Sen. Leila M. de Lima on the Statement of Certain Officials that Human Rights and Writ of Habeas Corpus may be Suspended under the Current Health Crisis
I have this to say to officials who claim that human rights and writ of habeas corpus can now be dispensed with due to health emergency: Respect human rights! Maging ang WHO iyan ang paalala. Please lang, hindi ito panahon para lalong sikilin ang mamamayan. Noong nanawagan na isara na ang mga paliparan para hindi […]
Dispatch from Crame No. 744: Sen. Leila M. de Lima on the Duterte government’s mismanagement of the COVID-19 crisis
On Day 7 of the lockdown, which started as an NCR-wide Community Quarantine, then expanded to cover the whole of Luzon, the following things are clear: The Duterte Administration is ill-prepared to face the crisis. Its agency heads are not coordinating among each other. While the DOTr lifted travel bans on foreign nationals, the DFA […]