(We yield this space to the statement of child rights group Salinlahi due to its timeliness. – Ed.)
THE GOVERNMENT needs to carefully consider the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) proposal to allow children aged 10 and over to emerge as part of the gradual easing of restrictions on enforced quarantine measures in the country.
We know that children are also vulnerable to COVID-19. In fact, there are studies showing that the new strain of COVID-19 (SARS-COV-2 UK variant B117) that entered the country recently has spread rapidly and even among children. It is necessary to study whether the minimum public health standards can be properly implemented and whether our health care system is ready in case the cases of COVID-19, which currently drops to almost two thousand per day, increase again.
We fear that the proposal could result in an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines especially if it is not properly prepared.
In the midst of the pandemic, any government action should be based on a thorough study or opinion of the health experts who are at the forefront of the fight against the deadly disease.
As advocates for the rights of Filipino children, we fully understand the devastating impact of the pandemic on children and the quarantine measures being implemented. Therefore, we urge the government to pay attention to the current situation of children. The government should have clear programs and services for children for their education, nutrition, protection against various forms of abuse, mental health intervention and so on.
The government has the primary responsibility to uphold the rights and welfare of Filipino children. Thus, the government remains challenged to seriously solve the pandemic and the socioeconomic problems the people face.
