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)
