Former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro on Thursday said health policies should be localized to cater to marginalized sectors.
He made the remarks as the government implemented policies restricting the movement of unvaccinated citizens. In terms of public transportation, however, economic workers get an exemption as long as they present a medical certificate.
But this makes it difficult for other informal workers who are at times not given certificates of employment and are paid on a daily basis.
"'Yan ang mahirap sa one size fits all na policy na galing sa national government, kaya't talagang imunumungkahi ko na localized dapat ang health policies," Teodoro told DZRH in an interview.
(That is the problem with a one-size-fits-all policy from the national government, this is why I’m recommending that health policies should be localized.)
"Lalong-lalo na 'pag binaba ang kinakailangan na pondo na pwedeng gugulin ng ating local governments kasi each local government isang eco-system yan," he added.
(Especially when local governments are given the budget that they could use because each local government is an eco-system.)
"Meron silang sariling ekonomiya, alam nila ang sitwasyon kesa sa national government na isang reseta para sa iba't ibang mga sitwasyon."
(They have their own economy, they know the situation better than the national government that is offering the same prescriptions to different situations.)
Teodoro, who is also running for a Senate seat, said local governments will be able to organize informal workers, such as small vendors, so they can have their own safe space and get vaccinated.
