President Rodrigo Duterte has guaranteed on Monday night that establishments which will be asked to accommodate confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country will be paid.
The assurance came after he directed local government units to “make necessary arrangements” with the said establishments for patients, saying that hospital experience can be a “morbid” and “horror thing” for some individuals.
President Duterte appealed to accommodation facilities owners to give the public a chance since the government “will do the necessary protocol to decontaminate or to kill whatever is there in the room.”
“I will assume the full responsibility of paying you pagdating ng panahon (when the time comes)… I will ask Congress. I will plead sa kanila na hanapan ng paraan bayaran kayo (I will plead to them to find a way to pay you) and I will personally see to it that you are paid on time,” he reassured.
“If a hotel is chosen or selected, then it behooves upon the medical guys to let it be that way. Meaning, na huwag na ninyong papasukan ng ibang healthy persons (do not accommodate other healthy persons). That inn or hotel remains to be a medical facility for those afflicted with COVID. It’s no longer available to the public,” he advised.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque clarified on Tuesday that the move of the chief executive does not indicate that the temporary treatment and monitoring facilities (TTMFs) built for the COVID-19 pandemic are already in full capacity.
“Doon sa report kahapon ni Sec. Duque ay wala pa sa 50% ang ating isolation facilities. Pero ito ay preparasyon dahil alam natin na ang tracing at isolation ay crucial para labanan ang virus na ito (Sec. Duque’s report showed that our isolation facilities are not even at 50% occupancy rate. But it is a preparation because we know that tracing and isolation are crucial to fight the virus),” he stated. – PTV News Online
