President Rodrigo Roa Duterte presided the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) meeting with infectious diseases experts tonight, December 26, 2020, in Heroes Hall, Malacanan Palace.
Joining the President are members of the Cabinet led by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea; Secretary Francisco T. Duque; Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana; Secretary Carlito G. Galvez; Secretary Eduardo M. Ano; Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra; Secretary Arthur P. Tugade; Secretary Karlo Alexei B. Nograles; and Secretary Herminio Harry L. Roque Jr.
Senator Christopher Lawrence T. Go is also present in the meeting.
Invited medical experts include Dr. Marissa M. Alejandria, Member of the Technical Advisory for COVID-19 (TAG); Dr. Marc Edsel C. Ayes, Laboratory Manager of the UP-Philippine Genome Center (PGC); Dr. Celia C. Carlos, Director of the Department of Health (DOH)-Research Institute for Tropical Medicine; Dr. Althea de Guzman, Medical Specialist of the DOH Epidemiology Bureau; Dr. Rolando Enrique D. Domingo, Director General of the DOH-Food and Drug Administration; Dr. Nina Gloriani, Head of the Vaccine Development Expert Panel and Professor of the UP College of Public Health; Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa, Special Adviser of the NTF-COVID-19; Dr. Jodor A. Lim, Lead Expert in the Clinical Trials for Vaccines and Member of the UP-Philippine General Hospital Division of Infectious Diseases; Dr. Jaime C. Montoya, Executive Director of the DOST-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development; Dr. Anna Lisa T. Ong-Lim, Member of TAG; Dr. Cynthia Palmes-Saloma, Executive Director of the UP-PGC; Dr. Mario M. Panaligan, Immediate Past President of the PSMID anfd Vice President of the Philippine College of Physicians; Dr. Katherine Ann V. Reyes, Associate Dean for Research of the UP College of Public Health; Dr. Camilo C. Roa, Jr., Pulmonary Medicine of the Manila Doctors Hospital; Dr. Edsel Maurice T. Salvana, Member of the TAG; Dr. Ofelia P. Saniel, Professor Emeritus of the UP College of public Health Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics; Dr. Rontgene M. Solante, Chairman of the Adult Infectious Disease Tropical Medicine of the San Lazaro Hospital; and Dr. Socorro B. Zarate-Escalante, Coordinator of the World Health Organization.
The President instructed the cancellation of face-to-face classes, which the Department of Education (DepEd) earlier approved for pilot study in January 2021.
On her part, DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones will implement the President’s instruction to recall limited face-to-face classes.
On Pfizer, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director-General Rolando Domingo confirmed that it filed for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) last 23 December 2020. It will take FDA 21 days to evaluate and approve the EUA but vaccination would start as soon as stocks become available.
