Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said on Monday that
the government has not yet declared a state of emergency in the
Philippines because of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
There are only three actual SARS cases in the Philippines, namely a
foreigner who has recovered, and a father and daughter who have
died, the presidential palace quoted Arroyo as saying in a press
statement.
Local newspapers quoted presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye
assaying on Sunday that the Philippines had been put under a
national emergency, and that local officials can invoke their power
to detain or quarantine violators and deal with profiteers.
An
elderly foreign man who was infected has recovered. Some
200residents of a northern town who had been in contact with the
dead woman were quarantined, the number that Arroyo said had been
reduced to 31 as of Monday.
Arroyo, however, said, "If we have only three SARS cases, this is
not a national emergency. This is a wake-up call so that we will
unite and be aware and be on the alert."
Arroyo said he stressed that the country should prepared for a
worst-case scenario, but added that even if the country is still
not in a state of emergency, there is no room for half-measures on
SARS.
Saying that the country does not want to be jolted or taken by
surprise, Arroyo ordered the government to impose a mandatory
quarantine when the SARS crisis management committee headed by
Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit deems it necessary.
Arroyo also urged local government executives including village
guards to help enforce quarantine rules once they are imposed on a
certain area.
Meanwhile, Arroyo is set to join the nine other leaders of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in an emergency
summit meeting Tuesday in Bangkok to curb the spread of SARS and
help rebuild shattered business, tourism and investor confidence in
the region.
Expressing concern for the welfare of Filipinos overseas, the
president added that she would also try to find ways to safeguard
the health of Philippine workers in other countries and to preserve
their jobs.
(Xinhua News Agency April 28, 2003)