In the lead up to this year’s World Immunization Week, which takes place April 24-30, Senator Win Gatchalian called on Local Government Units (LGUs), especially the barangays, to ensure that immunization services are not compromised despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the incidence of new COVID-19 cases growing by the day, Senator Win Gatchalian said Local Government Units (LGUs) should lead in the fight against the dreaded COVID-19, emphasizing that Test, Quarantine and Treatment (TQT) are the steps that LGUs should take to stem the tide.
As the country conducts COVID-19 mass testing on Tuesday, Senator Win Gatchalian raised the need to do 10,000 mass testings a day to make the extended Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) reliable.
Senator Win Gatchalian is appalled over what he calls a sluggish COVID-19 testing capacity of the Department of Health (DOH). The senator recently found out that the DOH has yet to accredit any hospital to carry out COVID-19 testing even after pronouncements made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that the newly delivered test kits from South Korea and China are now available for commercial use.
Considering the speed by which the number of positive cases is increasing, Senator Win Gatchalian urges the whole government to be involved and proactively seek out persons at risk of contracting the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Senator Win Gatchalian will file a bill regulating the sale of e-cigarettes, vapes and other electronic nicotine and non-nicotine delivery systems in the Philippines as the country reported its first electronic cigarette or vaping-associated lung injury (EVALI) case.
Senator Win Gatchalian has urged the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) to exercise prudence in classifying movies and contents being streamed on different platforms, including online streaming providers like Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Senator Win Gatchalian said a law may be needed to further regulate the sale of e-cigarettes, vapes, and other electronic nicotine and non-nicotine delivery systems in the Philippines.
Senator Win Gatchalian renewed his call for the immediate passage of a bill increasing the tobacco tax to ₱70, in a bid to not only curb cigarette consumption among Filipinos but also raise funds for the government’s universal health care program.