• Home
  • About me
  • My Privacy Policy

Inside Philippine politics & beyond

Health Secretary Janet Garin’s ‘Breach of Quarantine Protocol’

November 21, 2014

Share:
Twitter0
Facebook0
LinkedIn0
Pinterest0

QUARANTINE-webIn this guest post Baycas, one of the active commenters on this site, tackles the health secretary’s open breach of the quarantine she had earlier imposed on returning soldiers from Africa.

Let’s put things in proper perspective with fifteen (15) bullet points:

1. DOH quarantined the peacekeepers to “play it safe” because:

“It’s not the international standard [to do additional quarantine], but we’d rather play it on the safe side. We’re highly migratory. The UN peacekeepers showed that they and their families can make sacrifices for everybody’s sake,” Health Undersecretary Janette Garin told Rappler on Wednesday, November 12.

2. The other purpose of the quarantine is:

Why quarantine soldiers who have tested negative of the Ebola virus? Acting Health Secretary Janet Garin says it’s an example to returning OFWs, whose cooperation gov’t needs.

3. The World Health Organization (WHO) did not advise the quarantine:

WHO did not recommend Caballo quarantine

The WHO, in diplomatic language, had earlier expressed its disapproval of the island quarantine for peacekeepers in Liberia. Quarantine is only recommended for people who show symptoms.

“WHO does not recommend general bans on travel and trade or general quarantine of travelers arriving from an Ebola-affected country,” a November 12 statement read.

(Note: I believe “Isolation” is the right recommendation “for people who show symptoms.”)

4. The peacekeepers already underwent “exit screening” in Liberia:

“Current exit screening of all persons departing affected countries through international airports, seaports and major land crossings is recommended by WHO,” the statement added.

Garin earlier said the Philippines imposed the additional precautionary measure to “play safe.”

5. In short, the “island” quarantine of the peacekeepers is a COUNTRY-SPECIFIC government policy even Malacañang is aware of or most likely ordered…after expert consultations and careful consideration of the Philippine situation as an “Ebola virus-free” country.

6. Now, this country-specific decision to quarantine the peacekeepers, I believe, must now be governed by the Quarantine Act of 2004.

REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9271

AN ACT STRENGTHENING THE REGULATORY CAPACITY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH IN QUARANTINE AND INTERNATIONAL HEALTH SURVEILLANCE REPEALING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 123 OF 1947, AS AMENDED

7. However, R.A. No. 9271 or the Quarantine Act of 2004 didn’t envision the Ebola virus.

8. Thus, lacking specific guidelines, the generalities of the Quarantine Act of 2004 must be the governing guidelines in carrying out the peacekeepers’ quarantine:

IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS OF “QUARANTINE ACT OF 2004” pursuant to R.A. 9271 (Administrative Order No. ____, series of 2005)

PREFACE

xxxxx

The Bureau of Quarantine, being the health authority, is mandated to ensure security against the introduction and spread of infectious diseases to include the EMERGING diseases and public health emergencies of international concern. This include a pro-active response to public health concerns on matters pertaining to food safety, sanitation and vector control in airports and seaports of entry on conveyances, people, goods and cargoes.

xxxxx

9. Definition of “quarantine” in the IRR for the Quarantine Act of 2004:

“Quarantine” – means the separation of people who have been exposed to an illness, usually an infection, but are not ill or have not yet shown any sign of the illness. The movements and interaction of these people are restricted during the quarantine period which is equivalent to the incubation period of the disease. Those who get ill during the quarantine period are immediately isolated.

10. The WHO International Health Regulations is suppletory to the IRR of the Quarantine Act of 2004:

SECTION 62. Suppletory Clause

The International Health Regulations (IHR) of the World Health Organization (WHO) shall supplement the provisions of these Implementing Rules and Regulations.

11. The International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on Ebola respects the basic right to travel and transport goods:

Leading international organizations and associations from the transport, trade and tourism sector stand firmly with WHO against general bans on travel and trade, as well as restrictions that include general quarantine of travellers from Ebola-affected countries.

The Travel and Transport Task Force, established in August 2014, calls for international cooperation of governments and the transport sector in following the recommendations of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on Ebola, convened by WHO.

WHO does not recommend general bans on travel or trade, or general quarantine of travellers arriving from Ebola-affected countries, as measures to contain the outbreak.

12. The Philippine government imposed something that is not recommended by the WHO. It may be a contentious issue but, I may say, it’s against the law. It was quite a strict measure to restrict movements and interactions of people and separate them from their families.

13. Yet those who imposed such a stringent policy did not even submit themselves to the restrictions they themselves imposed when they—not trained Quarantine Medical Officers—freely interacted with the peacekeepers.

This was contrary to the exact purpose of a quarantine as defined by the IRR of the law.

Were they really playing safe for the sake of the general population?

14. The quarantine of the soldiers was meant to set an example for OFWs from Ebola-affected countries to follow suit when they return to the Philippines.

Will the government be able to restrict the travel rights of the OFWs considering they already underwent Exit Screening abroad? If and when it’s their turn, will families of the quarantined OFWs be allowed to visit them—in trickles perhaps—just like what Garin et al did?

15. I observed that:

(1) International Health Regulations on Ebola were not followed by the Philippine government; and

(2) the self-imposed—country-specific—quarantine protocol for the peacekeepers was violated when people other than a trained Quarantine Medical Officer visited and interacted with the men and women in uniform.

Tagged With: ebola virus, Healthc acting secretary Janet Garin, quarantine

Comments

  1. santiagokatumbal says

    December 4, 2014 at 12:53 AM

    For what she did, I have one word … KAEPALAN!!

    Perhaps, for those who did not know her well are wondering “who the hell is she??”

    She’s the daughter-in-law of southern Iloilo’s kingpin – Oscar Garin.

    Like the Binay’s of Makati, the GARIN royal family leeched in the town of Guimbal in province of Iloilo.

  2. baycas says

    November 26, 2014 at 5:38 AM

    MANILA, Philippines — Four Filipino peacekeepers from Liberia who recently arrived in Manila and one who was being kept for quarantine on Caballo island have been brought to V. Luna Medical Center in Quezon City, a military official said.

    The four peacekeepers, who arrived in the country through commercial plane last Saturday, were brought to the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center (also known as V. Luna hospital) on the same day, military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Harold Cabunoc said on Tuesday.

    Cabunoc said the four, who were cleared to travel after passing the Ebola screening by United Nations personnel, will undergo quarantine in the said military hospital.

    “The decision to let them undergo the quarantine at AFPMC is based on the guidance from Department of Health,” Cabunoc said.

    Meanwhile, a military source in Manila who spoke on condition of anonymity said the peacekeeper from Caballo island had “chest pain” and was transported via fastcraft to Sangley Point in Cavite and to V. Luna through an ambulance on Monday night.

    A fellow peacekeeper told INQUIRER.net by phone that the patient, who had a rank of Staff Sergeant, suffered chest pains supposedly from playing basketball in the morning and afternoon of Monday.

    Officials from V. Luna, Task Group Liberia and Department of Health are not answering calls as of posting.

    Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/652759/5-filipino-peacekeepers-brought-to-v-luna-hospital-military

    • baycas says

      November 26, 2014 at 8:20 AM

      MANILA, Philippines–The last four Filipino peacekeepers from Ebola-stricken Liberia arrived in Manila on Friday via commercial flight and were immediately brought to the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center (AFPMC) in Quezon City for the mandatory 21-day quarantine instead of Caballo Island where the rest of their colleagues are.

      Read more: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/114837/hospital-quarantine-for-last-4-of-peacekeepers-from-liberia/

  3. baycas says

    November 26, 2014 at 5:33 AM

    The Filipino peacekeeper from Ebola-hit Liberia who fell ill with malaria two weeks ago has been taken back to Caballo Island to complete the 21-day quarantine period, the Department of Health (DOH) said Tuesday.

    http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/389651/news/nation/pinoy-peacekeeper-back-on-caballo-island-after-recovering-from-malaria-doh

    • baycas says

      November 26, 2014 at 5:35 AM

      MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday, November 25, said another Filipino United Nations (UN) peacekeeper in quarantine on Caballo Island was tested for Ebola after suffering hypertension.

      DOH Spokesperson Lyndon Lee Suy said the peacekeeper, who became dizzy and nauseous after a basketball game, was brought to a Manila-based hospital, the SunStar reported.

      Experts from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine – the country’s main referral center for Ebola – went to the still unnamed hospital to take blood samples of the peacekeeper.

      The turnaround time before knowing the results is from 24 to 48 hours.

      http://www.rappler.com/nation/76055-doh-filipino-peacekeeper-liberia-test-ebola

  4. george seven says

    November 24, 2014 at 12:58 PM

    Garin is also one of the reasons we need the anti-dinasty law. Their dynasty hail from guimbal town in 1st district of iloilo. Now almost all towns in iloilo first district is headed by a Garin or their alter ego. They also leads in epalness. They have Garin type waiting shed, gym, brgy.hall, multi purpose hall, you name it. All with very big lettering “thru the efforts of Garin”.

    They also have Binay like characteristics. They give can of sardines, noddles and 5 kilo of rice during elections via brgy captains in iloilo 1st district.

    They also posses unexplained wealth. They own the RACSOS (a reverse of his husband name Oscar) resort, Bantayan resort in guimbal and many more tracks of land. They also own a rural bank right beside their resort. This family needs to be invistigated.

    • santiagokatumbal says

      December 4, 2014 at 1:08 AM

      simplifying..

      GARINs are the ilonggo version of Binay Kingdom

      Along with the houses of Niel Tupas and Arthur Defensor, they formed an ILONGGO TRIAD. though no one can say for how long this alliance will last.

« Older Comments
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Socialist Then they came fof the Trade Unionists, and I did not out speak out— Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me— And there was no one left to speak for me. —Martin Niemöller (1892-1984)

Subscribe to raissarobles.com

Please select all the ways you would like to hear from raissarobles.com:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. For information about our privacy practices, please visit our website.

This blog uses MailChimp as a mass mailing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to MailChimp but only for processing. Learn more about MailChimp's privacy practices here.

Christopher “Bong” Go is a billionaire – Duterte

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NmX1Px57cI

Find more of my articles by typing here:

My Stories (2009 – Present)

Cyber-Tambayan on Twitter:

Tweets by raissawriter

Copyright © 2023 · News Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Decline Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT