The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday reaffirmed that all policies implemented during 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.
The statement came after the Supreme Court (SC) tossed out multiple petitions against COVID-19 regulations formulated 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 argued that the issuances violated their right to life and liberty without due process, constituted a breach of their right to travel, and infringed on the equal protection mandated by law.
The High Tribunal pointed out that the petitions should have been filed before the lower courts.
The DOH thanked the SC for the ruling even as it reminded 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,” the DOH 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.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa earlier said only a formal order from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was needed to lift the COVID-19 public health emergency in the country.
