Quezon City Rep. Patrick Michael Vargas on Wednesday called for the immediate passage into law the Creation of the Philippine Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, emphasizing the lurking threat of Covid strains and other human viruses.
Vargas, one of the legislators who has been very active in extending help since day one of Covid-19, said, “Together with my brother, former Congressman Alfred Vargas, we serve as witnesses to the pain and suffering of our people during the height of pandemic. Filipinos will really find it hard to afford yet another wave of incalculable impacts in our health systems and economies. We cannot be caught off guard this time and better be prepared to protect our communities against communicable and non-communicable diseases.”
As one of the principal authors of the proposed measure, he joins his colleagues in the Lower House in calling their Senate counterpart to
“adopt an integrated, comprehensive, and evidence-informed approach consistent with the direction enunciated under the Universal Health
Care (Republic Act No. 11223).”
The House version embodied in House Bill 6522 states the need to “adopt a framework that shall foster a whole-of-system, whole-of-government, and whole-of-society approach, ensuring clear delineation of tasks between existing agencies and maximizing current mandates.” It also highlights that the State shall “allot the necessary support and institutional resources to provide for effective disease prevention and control through a high-level public institution imbued with the capacity, competence, and authority to confront global and local public health risks.”
The bill has been approved on Third Reading and was transmitted to Senate on December 14, 2022. The Senate version is currently on its
Second Reading as of April 2023.