SPEAKER Alan Peter Cayetano and other House leaders have filed a measure which seeks to impose for the next three years the mandatory safety and physical distancing protocols being implemented currently to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
House Bill No. 6623 or the proposed “New Normal for the Workplace and Public Spaces Act of 2020” seeks to penalize violators with imprisonment of up to two months, or a fine of between P1,000 and P50,000, or both.
For example, anyone caught not wearing a mask while in a public place shall be issued citation tickets with a P1,000 fine or a one-day mandatory community service.
The bill aims to prepare and educate Filipinos for life after the lifting of restrictions imposed by the national government and local government units (LGUs) to contain the spread of COVID-19 through new norms of social or physical distancing and safety measures in government and private offices, schools, commercial establishments and other public spaces.
The bill was co-authored by deputy speakers Luis Villafuerte of Camarines Sur, Paolo Duterte of Davao City, Loren Legarda of Antique; majority leader Martin Romualdez; and Reps. Eric Yap (ACT-CIS party-list), Michael Defensor (Anakalusugan party-list), and Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado (Bulacan).
Under HB 6623, the protocols under this “new normal” environment will be in place for three years or earlier, depending on the official declaration by President Duterte upon recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging and Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
The protocol can be lifted once the prevailing guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the consensus of the international medical community “conclusively show that a viable vaccine has contained or eradicated COVID-19.”
“Guided foremost by the principles of protecting the most vulnerable, ensuring health and safety for all, guaranteeing respect for human rights, and facilitating the inclusive and holistic economic well-being of all sectors and industries, this proposed bill envisions a whole-of-society approach in ushering a hopeful yet well-planned path towards “the new normal,” the bill states.
Aside from the mandatory wearing of masks and physical distancing of at least a meter, among the measures to be imposed in public places are the availability of hand-washing or sanitizing stations and temperature checks.
In public transportation, physical distancing also applies when queuing for tickets and in the interiors of vehicles. Contactless payment mechanisms will be implemented, and passengers will be required to wash their hands or sanitize before boarding public utility vehicles.
The operation of motorcycle taxis will remain suspended to prevent the spread of the virus through the use of common helmets and close contact between drivers and their passengers.
For schools and other learning institutions, on-site classes, sports and other extracurricular activities shall remain suspended subject to consultation with the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education.
Online learning platforms will, in the meantime, be the primary mode of learning for students in all public and private schools.
Once on-site classes gradually resume, the number of classes should be reduced and staggered class days should be implemented to enable students and teachers to comply with physical distancing protocols and other safety measures.
Restaurants and other food service places may resume operations but initially only for take-out and delivery.
Buffets and salad bars would be prohibited once dine-in services are gradually introduced; two-meter distancing between diners should be strictly followed; and disposable or non-shareable menu booklets and cutlery should be used as much as possible.
In banks, supermarkets, malls and most commercial spaces, the entry of people will be limited at any given time, and online transactions and shopping services as well as cashless and contactless payments should be encouraged.
Salons, parlors and spas, once allowed to reopen, should strictly observe frequent handwashing, disinfecting and cleaning practices, including the sanitizing of scissors and other tools.
Applicable safety and distancing measures should also be applied in construction sites, industrial workplaces, offices, call centers, and other public spaces.
TELECONFERENCE
At the Senate, Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Monday night said senators are seeking amendments to the resolution they filed which will allow them to use teleconferencing during regular sessions and committee hearings.
Sotto said Resolution No. 372 will surely be adopted when Congress resumes regular sessions on May 4 but his colleagues have asked that they make some amendments so they can have hybrid-type sessions, which will allow some senators to be present at the plenary while others may be allowed to attend the sessions in their homes.
Sotto said detained Sen. Leila de Lima will still have to ask permission from the court if she can be allowed to join the hybrid teleconferencing since she is under the jurisdiction of the court.
Senate majority leader Juan Miguel Zubiri on Tuesday said he and the 14 senators who introduced the resolution held a teleconference meeting Monday and decided to make amendments to the Resolution No. 372.
“We agreed to amend our filed resolution to allow a hybrid type of sessions where some members may attend at the Senate session hall if they wish and the rest may tune in from the safety of their homes,” Zubiri said.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson, whose signature did not appear on the resolution, said he supports the idea of a hybrid teleconferencing.
“I will, on condition that it is clear that we are not establishing a legislative precedent and the effect of the resolution will be limited only to the COVID-19 pandemic and any similar crisis which should also be subject to another senate resolution if it comes to that. In fact, that will be my proposed individual amendment once the matter is deliberated in plenary,” Lacson said.
Lacson explained his signature did not appear in the resolution as “my staff overlooked by not sending my e-signature in time for the filing of the resolution with the Bills and Index.”
Senate Resolution No. 372 was introduced by President pro tempore Ralph Recto, majority leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, minority leader Franklin Drilon, and Senators Juan Edgardo Angara, Nancy Binay, Pia Cayetano, Ronald dela Rosa, Sherwin Gatchalian, Manuel Lapid, Imee Marcos, Emmanuel Pacquiao, Grace Poe, Ramon Revilla Jr., Joel Villanueva, and Cynthia Villar. — With Raymond Africa
