MANILA - Aksyon Demokratiko vice presidential bet Willie Ong on Friday criticized the national government’s COVID-19 pandemic response, saying the Philippines’ slow return to normalcy has taken a toll on the mental health of students.

Depression is no joke, said Ong, who admitted that he also fought depression for more than a decade.

“Umiinom ako ng gamot, anti-depressants,” he said, noting that he failed to finish his medical education on time due to depression.

(I had to take medication, anti-depressants.)

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“Kawawa ang mga batang maliliit, kinulong ninyo sa bahay ng 2 taon… Masisira ang ano nila diyan,” Ong said in a campaign event in Quezon City.

(The children who were locked up in their homes for 2 years are pitiful… They will lose their sanity there.)

“Sa college kailangan din ng face-to-face [classes]… Hindi na nila alam paano makipagkapwa tao,” he said.

(College students need to have face-to-face classes too… They no longer know how to deal with people.)

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Physical classes in the Philippines have been suspended since 2020, months after the COVID-19 virus was first detected in the county.

About 2 years since the pandemic began, the Philippines has launched trials to see if the country can sustain face-to-face lessons despite the ongoing pandemic.

While the Commission on Higher Education earlier said that only a "very minimal" number of COVID-19 cases were reported among students and faculty who participated in face-to-face tertiary level classes, the national government has yet to decide if it would restore face-to-face classes in all schools nationwide.

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Under Ong’s proposal, students who will be allowed to attend face-to-face classes should belong to families who are already fully vaccinated.

"Malamang may swab test at yung pamilya ninyo, si nanay at tatay dapat bakunado," he said.

(Most likely there should beswab tests and parents and other family members should be fully vaccinated.)

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Ong also urged the government to also loosen quarantine restrictions imposed against overseas Filipino workers and other Filipinos who want to come home to spend time with their families.

"Basta fully vaccinated yung OFW, Fil-Am, turista, kung negative swab test, after 3 days pasok na," he said.

(If the OFW, Filipino-American or tourist is fully vaccinated and has a negative swab test, they should be allowed to enter the country after 3 days.)

"Sa kanila mababa ang kaso, maganda ang bakuna, dapat sila ng ang mas dapat matakot sa atin kaya pasalamat tayo," he said.

(In their country of origin, cases are fewer, vaccinations are better, so they are the ones who should be wary of coming here so we should be thankful to them.)

Ong said addressing the COVID-19 pandemic is "easy."

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Should he win the vice presidential race, Ong said he would focus on 4 key issues: "Gamot, Ospital, Advice, Laboratory tests."

(Medicine. Hospitals. Medical Advice. Laboratory tests.)

"Magfofocus lang ako sa G.O.A.L na ito... gusto natin libre lahat ito," he said.

(I will just focus on this G.O.A.L... We want these to be free for all.)

"Wala tayong mapapangakong kakaiba… Ang maipapangakonko lang hindi ako magnanakaw."

(I cannot promise anything extraordinary... I can only promise that I will not steal from government.)

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