Government offices shut down for disinfection

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate is not on lockdown, but is merely enforcing restricted access to certain areas of its building as intensive disinfection is done to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Senate President Vicente Sotto III clarified yesterday.

Sotto, however, said the Senate has to continue to function as he has given strict instructions to all employees to exercise extreme preventive practices as they go about their daily tasks.

“I have issued a directive to the Senate sergeant-at-arms to put the Senate under restricted access, not a lockdown as the term lockdown has been misinterpreted and abused. Officials and their staff who have work to do and complete are required to report for work,” he said.

The entire premises of the 16-hectare Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City, where the House of Representatives is located, will be closed for three days starting today after officials ordered total cleaning and disinfection of the area even if it is still “COVID-19-free.”

“To date, the House of Representatives remains COVID-19 free. There are no confirmed cases. Neither are there persons under investigation (PUI) nor persons under monitoring (PUM),” House secretary-general Jose Luis Montales said in a statement yesterday.

  “The health and safety of everyone in the House continues to be our priority. As part of our immediate measures to protect everyone against the COVID-19, the House premises shall undergo thorough cleaning and disinfection until Sunday,” Montales said.

Meanwhile, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar has ordered the disinfection of the Malacañang Press briefing room as well as the press working area, located at the New Executive Building, in Malacañang.

“Work from home arrangements in accordance with the guidelines released by the Department of Labor and Employment and the Civil Service Commission may be considered. We will also plan for virtual press briefings to ensure that the regular briefings will not be disrupted,” Andanar said.

The Senate president added that the move came after senators were informed that a resource person who attended a recent Senate committee hearing had tested positive for COVID-19.

Sens. Sherwin Gatchalian and Nancy Binay, who had direct contact with the resource person, and their office staff are now on self-quarantine.

Sotto said the entire Senate premises would be cleaned and disinfected following these developments.

Offices or areas scheduled for cleaning and disinfection will be cordoned off and will not be accessible to any Senate employee, except for the cleaners who have been required to wear protective clothing.

“The Senate has to continue to function. The Filipino people need us today and we cannot let the threat and scare of infection to distract us from work. However, I have given strict instructions that all employees should exercise extreme preventive practices as they go about their daily tasks. It is of utmost importance that everyone observes proper hygiene and follows protocols as a precaution against contamination,” Sotto said.

He added that any employee who feels any of the symptoms of COVID-19, or those who have recently traveled to countries with high contamination rates, or those who had exposure to local patients should voluntarily go on self-quarantine but continue to work from home.

“Employees who feel they might be infected should volunteer to go on self-isolation, but they should inform their respective office heads about their decision for proper monitoring and coordination purposes. We should all look out for the health and well-being of each other,” Sotto said.

Self quarantine

Also yesterday, Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab, former chairman of the House committee on appropriations, started his self-quarantine as a precautionary measure amid the COVID-19 scare.

“I was at the Senate with Mayor Inday Sara (Duterte-Carpio) on Wednesday and I interacted as well with Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian. Although he looks very healthy and asymptomatic, the most responsible thing to do is to subject myself to home quarantine and make sure that I won’t be spreading the virus in case I got it,” Ungab said.

“But I want to assure my constituents that I will continue to work and serve them through electronic communication, such as phone, email, teleconference and videoconferencing,” he added.

Ungab and Carpio attended the plenary session of the Commission on Appointments at the Senate. The CA confirmed them as Army reservists with the rank of colonel.

The presidential daughter started her own home quarantine yesterday.

Carpio said she had lunch the other day with Gatchalian, who has also taken precaution after a resource person who attended his committee on basic education hearing last March 5 tested positive for the virus.

Meanwhile, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano urged his fellow lawmakers to “give hope, inspire and have faith” amid the COVID-19 threat, among other challenges.

“I hope that, during these next few weeks, we will actually be giving hope and faith to our kababayans,” he said.

“The problem is quite complex, that’s why I urge my colleagues: together as an institution, let’s continue working … and let’s ask the government to release the funds that are needed ngayon na ang problema, kaya pa,” he added.

SC, Sandigan hearings suspended

The Supreme Court (SC) said all court hearings in the first, second and collegiate courts are suspended starting today until Wednesday next week.

During this period, the SC said justices and judges are directed to reset hearings and inform parties of the new schedules, disinfect court premises, pen orders and decisions and act on other matters pending before their respective courts.

It added that the suspension of court hearings was made upon the recommendation of the Office of the Court Administrator, based on its monitoring of the situation and consultation with executive judges, presiding judges and court personnel, including officials of the high court.

“Justices and judges are likewise expected to continue to report to the Office of the Court Administrator any development or circumstance regarding the spread of COVID-19,” the SC said.

The anti-graft court Sandiganbayan also decided to suspend its scheduled hearings yesterday and today amid the rising local cases of the deadly disease.

In a text message to reporters, Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang said the court’s Third Division, in particular, suspended its hearings due to lack of government prosecutors from the Office of the Ombudsman.

The ombudsman the other day announced the suspension of work until Friday of its offices in Quezon City, Cebu City, Tacloban City, Iloilo City, Davao City and Cagayan de Oro City to give way to the disinfection of work stations and public spaces as precautionary measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Tang said it is up to the chairpersons of the six other court divisions of the Sandiganbayan to decide whether to suspend their respective hearing schedules.

As of yesterday, the other court divisions had posted no hearings for Thursday and Friday on the Sandiganbayan’s online calendar.

Tang, however, clarified that offices at the anti-graft court remain open as no work suspension has been imposed so far by the SC.

She added that disinfection of the entire Sandiganbayan building will be held over the weekend. 

No extension

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is not keen on extending the April 15 deadline for the filing of income tax returns (ITR) despite the onset of COVID-19 now gripping the country.

BIR Assistant Commissioner Elenita Quimosing and BIR head revenue executive assistant Rosario Padilla yesterday urged tax filers to comply with the government-imposed deadline to avoid penalties.

“We remind everybody to pay on time, file on time to avoid inconvenience, long lines and, of course, to avoid payment of surcharge of 25 percent for late filing and then an interest at 12 percent,” Padilla said during the weekly press briefing at Malacañang.

As the health department advises the public to observe social distancing, Padilla said the BIR has been accepting ITR filing though online correspondence or through the agency’s website, www.bir.gov.ph.

Train disinfection

The Light Rail Transit Lines 1 and 2, Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) and the Philippine National Railways (PNR) continue disinfecting their trains that could often get crowded and other facilities frequented by commuters amid the COVID-19 scare.

They have also installed alcohol dispensers and hand sanitizers in strategic areas of the stations.

MRT-3 passengers and employees also have their temperatures checked through thermal scanners.

Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) board secretary and spokesman Hernando Cabrera encouraged the train systems’ patrons to purchase stored-value tickets or Beep cards to avoid lining up and paying for single-journey tickets every time before boarding trains.

He said using stored-value cards could lessen interaction between passengers and train ticket sellers who could be more at risk of potentially contracting the virus.

Meanwhile, the PNR would intensify its campaign to promote hygiene on passengers boarding its trains that ply between Caloocan and Laguna, and select trains in the Bicol region.

Its main office at the Tutuban area in Tondo, Manila is also being sanitized starting yesterday until Sunday. – With Delon Porcalla, Edu Punay, Robertzon Ramirez, Elizabeth Marcelo, Christina Mendez, Ghio Ong, Edith Regalado