DOH: COVID-19 policies implemented were for the 'common good'

The Department of Health (DOH) reiterated on Friday that all policies implemented during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic were for the "good of the public."

“The DOH… takes this opportunity to reaffirm that all regulations and policies implemented during the pandemic were enacted with the utmost consideration for the common good,” the DOH said in a statement.

This comes after the Supreme Court dismissed several petitions against COVID-19 regulations issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) and other national government agencies for violation of the hierarchy of courts.

Among these were IATF Resolution 148-B which orders establishments to require their eligible on-site employees to take RT-PCR tests every two weeks at their own expense.

The petitioners had argued that the issuances violated their right to life and liberty without due process of law, constituted an impartment of their right to travel, and infringed on the equal protection clause.

However, the Supreme Court said the petitions should have been filed before a lower court.

The DOH, meanwhile, extended its gratitude to the SC for the favorable ruling.

The Health Department also continued to remind the public about the importance of COVID-19 vaccines.

“Scientific evidence unequivocally demonstrates that vaccines, coupled with the meticulous implementation of multiple layers of protection, have played an instrumental role in guiding our successful journey toward overcoming the challenges posted by the pandemic,” it said.

As of July 12, the Philippines has recorded a total of 4,168,722 COVID-19 cases, of which 6,132 remain active while 66,499 have passed away.

In May, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency.

In the Philippines, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa earlier said that only a formal order from President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is needed to lift the COVID-19 public health emergency in the country. —Joahna Lei Casilao/ VAL, GMA Integrated News