MEDICAL workers are urged to stay in the Philippines as the country continues to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday, April 13.
The president appealed to health care professionals to remain in the country because of the shortage of personnel, but admitted that he cannot blame them if they want to seek better pay abroad.
“Kung gusto ninyong kayong mga nurse na Pilipino, gusto ninyong magsilbi sa ibang bayan, sa ibang tao, okay lang sa akin (If Filipino nurses want to serve another country, other people, that’s okay with me),” he said.
He continued, “Ito lang tandaan mo, pagdating ng panahon kung maghirap kami, hindi natin alam ngayon eh pa-increase nang increase, first wave pa ito (But you must remember that there will be a time that we may suffer. The cases are increasing. It’s just the first wave).”
Duterte also expressed his disagreement with Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.’s view that health workers with contracts cannot be prevented from leaving.
“I’d like to take the opposite view that itong ganito sa ordinaryong — ordinary times, talagang hindi kayo mapigilan at walang makasabi sa inyo umalis kayo o huwag kayong umalis, tanggap kayo, magpirma ka ng kontrata (I’d like to take the opposite view. In ordinary times, you cannot be stopped. No one can tell you to leave or not to leave, stay and sign a contract),” he said.
“Pero alam mo during an emergency ‘yung sa ibang bansa — gaya ng China, ‘pag sinabi ng China para, para. ‘Pag sinabi ng China bukas, bukas (But you know during an emergency, other countries like China, when China says stop, they stop. When China says open, then they open),” he added.
Duterte clarified that the Philippines is under a democracy so he can’t command Filipinos to follow strict rules unlike China, which is a communist regime.
“It is a communist regime, it demands total obedience. Hindi ka pwede magsabi ‘Ay, hindi-hindi.’ Huli ka. Dito, ‘di ko pwede magawa niyan kasi demokrasya, papasok ang human rights (It is a communist regime it demands total obedience. You can’t disagree. You’ll get arrested. Here, I can’t do that because it’s a democracy and there are human rights),” he said.
In March, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration approved the resolution to suspend sending Filipino health care workers abroad until the current crisis is over.
Signed by POEA Governing Board chairman and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III, the resolution calls for prioritizing the “human resource allocation for the national health care system at the time of the national state emergency.”
Among the professions temporarily barred from leaving the country are medical doctors/physicians, nurses, microbiologists, medical biologists, medical technologists, clinical analysts, and respiratory therapists.
Pharmacists, laboratory technicians, X-ray/radiologic technicians, nursing assistants/aides, operators of medical equipment, supervisors of health services and personal care and repairmen of medical-hospital equipment are also included.
However, the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases recommended to partially lift the deployment ban as well as exempt health care workers with signed overseas employment contracts as of March 8.
“Those without contracts or those without perfected contracts, they are covered by the temporary deployment ban,” said Cabinet Secretary and IATF spokesman Karlo Nograles on Tuesday, April 14.
Duterte also blamed the United States for recruiting medical workers to address its COVID-19 emergency.
“America is part of the problem of the Filipinos now. Many of them have been infected. Many have died. They are calling on just about anyone… They ask nurses to go to the embassy, they will process the visa for one day and tomorrow you can leave,” he said.
“The problem with Americans, you could have relied on your own human resource… Now you are reducing the human resources of the Philippines. Soon, we will experience a shortage,” he added. “We are nervous here because we cannot match the offer… I understand that it’s about self-preservation. So they need to work. There are jobs in America so they go there.”
As of writing, there are 5,453 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, with 349 deaths and 353 recoveries.
