Alagang Angara

MULING nanawagan si Senador Sonny Angara sa publiko, partikular sa mga ‘di pa nakapagpapabakuna na magpabakuna na kontra COVID upang mapangalagaan ang sarili laban sa virus.

Ito ang pahayag ng senador sa gitna ng muling pagtaas ng bilang ng mga kaso ng COVID sa bansa nitong mga nakaraang araw. 

Kaugnay ang panawagang ito ni Angara  sa pahayag ng Department of Health (DOH) na 85 porsyento ng mga pasyenteng may malalang COVID sa mga pagamutan ay pawang mga hindi pa bakunado.

The Senate Committee on Finance worked tirelessly to ensure that the 2022 National Budget was approved on time. This is even more significant at this time when amidst the efforts to control the spread of the new Omicron variant of COVID, several regions of our country were hit by Typhoon Odette, causing widespread destruction, the magnitude of which has never been seen before by the communities affected. With the signing of the 2022 General Appropriations Act, urgently needed funds can already be released at the start of the year to help the communities ravaged by Typhoon Odette. 

Senator Sonny Angara today reminded the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to settle all of its obligations, particularly to the private hospitals, which have accumulated to billions of pesos over time.

The Chairman of the Committee on Finance took note of the increase in the government subsidies provided to PhilHealth—from P71.3 billion in 2021 to P79.9 billion in 2022.

Senator Sonny Angara today reiterated the need to improve the country’s capabilities on genome sequencing and biosurveillance in order to respond faster to health threats brought about by the new variants of the COVID-19 virus.

More countries are reporting positive cases of the new Omicron variant and the Department of Health (DOH) is currently investigating the possible entry of the same in the Philippines.

Now that the country has a steady supply of COVID-19 vaccines, Senator Sonny Angara today backed the call of the private sector to provide booster shots for its employees.

Angara, who steered the passage of the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act as its sponsor in the Senate, said that the country appears to have enough supply of vaccines to cover the priority sectors and the booster shots for private sector employees.

"Matagal ng ni rereklamo ng mga ospital itong mabagal na pag reimburse ng mga gastos ng mga ospital at pasyente; kelangan bilisan ng Philhealth ang pag proseso ng claims ng mga ospital otherwise magkakaroon tayo ng systems failure dito sa healthcare system natin; pag di na babayaran ang health services maaaring may mag sara na ospital at mapeperwisyo ang publiko at ang nangangailangan ng serbisyonh pangkalusugan.

Senator Sonny Angara cautioned the authorities and the general public against being complacent in observing the minimum safety protocols now that the number of COVID-19 cases is going down in the country.

Last October 27, the Department of Health reported a positivity rate of 7.6 percent based on the 41,049 tests it reported on October 25.

In its latest report, the OCTA Research Group said the positivity rate in the National Capital Region has declined to five percent, the lowest rate since July 14.

Senator Sonny Angara prodded the health authorities and local government units across the country to step up its efforts to inoculate members of the elder population, a significant portion of which remain unvaccinated to this day.

Even though the authorities prioritized senior citizens when it rolled out its vaccination program early this year, some 3.4 million of the 8.5 million of the elderly have yet to receive their first dose of the vaccines, based on data from the World Health Organization.

Alarmed over the spike in the country’s unemployment figures, Senator Sonny Angara called on the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to come up with programs targeted at all the industries and individuals affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

It has been four years since the Marawi City siege and it is about time that the residents displaced by the five-month long armed conflict are able to rebuild their homes and their lives, Senator Sonny Angara said today.

“Though we emerged victorious, there is no such thing as a war without death, damage, or destruction. While up to 1,200 individuals were killed on both sides of the siege, it was estimated that up to P17 billion worth of property and economic opportunities were lost,” Angara said.