Hontiveros questions claims of COVID-19 curve flattening

Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday questioned claims that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) curve in the country is "flattening."

During the Senate Committee of the Whole, Hontiveros cited a report on Tuesday which claimed that the Philippines has already flattened the curve by reaching an average of 220 new cases per day.

"Gaano ba talaga ka-reliable 'yung datos na naging batayan para masabi na na-flatten na natin 'yung curve? Kung 'yung pinaguusapan demonstrated testing capacity natin ay parang paiba-iba nga kada linggo," she said.

"So papaano po natin make-claim na na-flatten na natin 'yung curve kung ni hindi pa natin na drawing 'yung unang curve, 'yung baseline natin, 'yung situation natin with enough testing," she added.

The senator stressed that the data should be consistent and reliable to better assist the government in policy making.

“Lahat dapat ng ginagawa natin laban sa COVID-19 ay ayon sa tama at reliable na mga datos. That's number one, that's primary [...] We need to ground our policies on the real situation,” she said.

The Senator also expressed concern on the possibility of another strict lockdown after easing due to a  lack of testing.

Gorvernment officials have stated that there will be no more large-scale lockdowns in the future, with national anti-COVID-19 plan implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez saying that successive lockdowns may be at the barangay level instead of region-wide.

“[M]ahirap sabihin na we have flattened the curve without real and reliable data. We have to be honest, diba, about this flattening of the curve; have we really?" she said.

“We cannot afford a second or third wave, lalo na kung hindi pa pala tayo tapos sa first wave or kahit sa second wave na sinasabi niyo. We cannot afford succesive waves,” she added. — Joahna Lei Casilao/BM, GMA News