Image via Wikipedia06/30/2009 | 12:16 AM
MANILA, Philippines - Despite the lifting of swine flu controls by the health department, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde on Monday evening said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo would still observe self-quarantine following her arrival from her 13-day foreign trips.
In an interview with radio dzBB's Louie Garcia, Remonde did not state how many days the Chief Executive will undergo self-quarantine, but he assured that Mrs. Arroyo would be monitored inside a hospital.
"Even sa Hong Kong po bago kami sumakay sa eroplano ay nagdaan din po kami ng thermal scanner, ganoon pa man si Pangulo po, despite the fact na OK naman po minarapat pa rin po niya mag-impose ng self-quarantine ng ilang araw kasama na rin po ang kanyang medical check-up," Remonde said.
[Even before we left Hong Kong we passed through a thermal scanner. And although the President is not ill, she decided to undergo self-quarantine for a few days.]
Based on the health department's new guidelines, travelers arriving in the country will no longer have to observe self quarantine before going to school or work. The DOH said this is part of their shift to mitigation from containment response due to the A(H1N1) outbreak in the country.
Mrs. Arroyo arrived at the Villamor Air Base about 10 p.m. aboard a chartered Philippine Airlines flight PR-001.
Among the places visited by the President were: Tokyo, Los Angeles, Cartagena in Colombia, Pernambuco, Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and Hong Kong.
Like the Philippines, those countries also have recorded cases of Influenza A(H1N1).
The President was supposed to arrive home over the weekend but it was rescheduled to Monday after she decided to make a side trip to Hong Kong - an "unannounced" move that was later criticized by militant groups.
They alleged that the President wasted the people's money only to serve her personal interest. Malacañang has since denied the accusation.
Remonde said the country has benefited from Mrs. Arroyo's trips. In fact, he said, she brought home $3-billion in investments.
Remonde, who was in Hong Kong with Mrs. Arroyo, had earlier said that the President was just using all the opportunity she could to promote the interest of the Filipinos.
"We maintain itong mga foreign travels ng Presidente malaking tulong ito sa ekonomiya ng ating bansa in the face of the global economic crisis," he said.
[The President's trip are a big help to our economy in the face of the global economic crisis.]
Remonde also defended the President from bringing several lawmakers to her delegation. He said such was necessary especially for state visits. He also stressed that the lawmakers shouldered their own expenses. - Aie Balagtas See, GMANews.TV
From GMANews.tv; see the source article here.
No comments:
Post a Comment