Hontiveros urges increased budget for local disease surveillance amid surge of COVID-19 critical cases

Senator Risa Hontiveros called for an increase in the 'alarmingly low' funding allocated for local disease surveillance under the 2021 Proposed National Budget after the Department of Health (DOH) reported a 2% surge in COVID-19 critical cases.

The approved allocation for Epidemiology and Surveillance Units (ESUs) meant to collate and validate data during disease outbreaks, according to Hontiveros, is 79% lower than the requested funding of the DOH. "P547M ang hiningi ng DOH, pero nasa P112M lang ang ibinigay para sa Epidemiology and Surveillance Units (ESU). This particular budget allocation raises questions about our priorities," she said.

"Hindi dapat babaan ang pondo habang dumarami ang nagiging kritikal dahil sa COVID-19," Hontiveros added. "We must fully support the DOH's efforts to find the cause to prevent further spread of the virus by allocating more funds for the ESUs."

The ESUs, Hontiveros said, are mandated by law under RA 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act, to 'prepare us to prevent and control disease during a crisis like this by collecting and monitoring data'. The senator expressed her dismay that only 2 of 79 provincial ESUs, 11 of 16 regional ESUs and 9 of 135 city ESUs are functional.

"Ang taas ng pondo natin sa hiring ng contact tracers, pero kanino sila magrereport kung walang ESU? Sasayangin din natin ang bilyon-bilyong piso kung magiging chopsuey lang pala ang proseso natin. Habang walang sapat na funding ang mga ESU sa LGUs, laging magkakaroon ng missing link sa pagtugon natin," she said.

"We should not take the importance of validated and up-to-date information for granted. Laging huli ang galaw natin kasi huli din ang datos natin. By under-funding ESUs, parang binugbog pa natin yung pilay na nating health response," Hontiveros said.

Hontiveros highlighted that even areas outside of the National Capital Region (NCR) that were able to maintain zero infections since the start of the year are now reporting cases 'because of slow contact tracing and streamlining of data'.

"Dapat masigurado natin na mamuhunan ang mga systema natin for data monitoring and validation hanggang sa mga munisipal, sa buong bansa. Kahit ilang libong contact tracer ang i-hire natin, hindi ito magkakaroon ng silbi kung walang ESU na maglilinis ng datos," she said.

Hontiveros reiterated her concerns about the wrong priorities of the 2021 budget, citing a Php 16.4 B lump-sum dedicated to the funding of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict during a public health crisis.

"With issues of possible government-linked propaganda pages on social media surfacing, it raises the question about what this lump-sum can be abused for. Inuna pa natin ang paghahabol sa mga diumanong komunista kaysa sa paglalaban sa sakit kung saan apektado ang buhay at kabuhayan ng lahat ng Pilipino. Mas dapat ilagay iyan sa health budget natin kaysa maging posibleng fake news fund pa ito," she said.

"Ang isa sa pinakamalaking pagkukulang ng pandemic response natin ay ang pagkukulang sa datos natin. Tumataas at lumalala ang mga kaso dahil hindi pa natin nakikita ang buong imahe ng COVID-19 sa bansa. If we channel our funds correctly, we will save Filipinos' lives and money. That must be our priority first and foremost, " Hontiveros concluded.