Lawmakers slam gov’t for record-high COVID-19 cases

Makabayan lawmakers have slammed the government anew for its “criminally inefficient pandemic response” following Friday’s record-high spike of 17,231 cases in a single day. Gabriela Women’s Rep. Arlene Brosas said the “worst daily record” wasted the two-week lockdown due to the lack of aggressive testing and vaccine rollout. “This means that the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) was a failure because it was not accompanied by improvements in the health-care system, like free mass testing, contact tracing, isolation and treatment,” Brosas said. She also questioned the basis for shifting Metro Manila to modified ECQ on Saturday, with cases still rising and more hospitals reaching their full capacity. —Julie M. Aurelio