DOH asks Marcos to extend state of calamity due to COVID-19

The Department of Health (DOH) has recommended to the Office of the President (OP) a further extension of the state of calamity in the Philippines due to COVID-19, DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire announced Tuesday.

In a press conference, Vergeire said the DOH submitted a memorandum to the OP to prolong the state of calamity as its declaration is set to expire on December 31, 2022.

“We already submitted our memo for the President, requesting the extension of the state of calamity in consideration of the fact that the CDC bill was not enacted on time,” she said, referring to the proposed measure creating the country's very own Center for Disease Prevention and Control.

Vergeire said they had a meeting with the OP, together with other concerned agencies such as those belonging to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), on December 23 to explain to them why the DOH is seeking for an extension.

“We are just waiting for the official response of the Office of the President in terms of this memo that we have submitted to them, but we are all aware of the timeline on the 31st,” Vergeire said.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos extended the state of calamity in the country due to COVID-19 until year end following a recommendation from the National Disaster Risk-Reduction and Management Council.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte placed the country under state of calamity until September 12, 2022.

The state of calamity throughout the country is needed "in order for the national government and the local government units to continuously deliver COVID-19-related interventions such as but not limited to COVID-19 vaccination program; utilize appropriate funds, including the Quick Response Fund, in their disaster preparedness, and response efforts to contain the spread of the COVID-19; monitor and control prices of basic necessities and prime commodities; and provide basic services to the affected population," according to Duterte's proclamation. —KBK, GMA Integrated News