RODOLFO ORDANES
SENIOR CITIZEN Party-list nominee
Mobile number 09177292437
BREAKING NEWS
REP. FRANCISCO DATOL PUMANAW SA EDAD 71 SANHI NG COVID-19
It is with deep sadness that we inform our constituents, the senior citizens and retirees nationwide, that Rep. Francisco G. Datol, Jr has died because of acute respiratory distress due to COVID-19 on August 10, 2020.
The Office of Congressman Datol expresses its condolences to his family and his colleagues in the Senior Citizen Party-list and in Congress.
The second nominee and next-in-line to the seat of the Senior Citizen Party-list in Congress is Mr. Rodolfo Ordanes. Ordanes assures that he will not let Cong. Datol’s death be in vain and that he will continue to fight for the welfare of senior citizens.
Cong. Datol was tireless in distributing vaccines to seniors in different communities until he succumbed to COVID-19. On August 2, days before he died, Senior Citizen Party-list Rep. Francisco Datol gave suggestions on how the authorities should conduct COVID-19 vaccination.
"I believe vaccination tents should be set up per street, instead of done by house-to-house. Street by street vaccination can be done safely and well. Pero para sa seniors, dapat puntahan mismo sa bahay para sa bahay bakunahan," Datol said.
He added that the "open air on streets and open fields would be added protection against COVID-19 because it is not a closed or enclosed or semi-enclosed space where contaminated air can circulate."
"Hindi na dapat maulit ang kalbaryong dinaanan ng seniors at iba pa nating mamamayan noong unang yugto ng distribution ng SAP cash grants. Hanggang ngayon nga, hindi pa tapos ang DSWD sa SAP distribution lampas tatlong buwan mula ang unang ayudang pinansyal," Datol reminded the authorities.
Way back in May, Datol urged the IATF to create a technical working group that will "draw up the national action plan for vaccination against COVID-19 of every Filipino, every OFW, every visitor from other countries, and every foreign national residing in our country."
"Daig ng maagap ang masipag. While scientists develop the vaccines, the prudent course of action for us now is to prepare for how to systematically vaccinate every person who must be vaccinated, anticipating every possible protocol for the types of vaccine which may be developed," Datol stressed.
"Pwede kasing ang ma-develop na anti-COVID-19 vaccine ay para lamang sa mga nagka-COVID-19 na to prevent re-infection, o pwede ring ang ma-develop na bakuna ay para sa ating lahat na hindi pa kailanman tinamaan ng COVID-19. Basta anuman ang maging protocol, dapat handa ang ating pamahaalang bakunahan ang dapat mabakunahan. Careful planning takes time, so there must be a TWG drawing up the action plan this early," the congressman explained.
NECROLOGICAL RITES
The Office of Congressman Datol will be in close coordination with the Secretariat of the House of Representatives for the appropriate necrological honors due the Congressman as Member of the House of Representatives.
He was first elected as Senior Citizen Party-list Representative in the 17th Congress. He was reelected in the 18th Congress. In both elections, there were unfortunate delays in his proclamation but those hurdles were eventually and legally overcome.
To push for the agenda for our country’s 10 million senior citizens, Rep. Datol served as Chairman of the Special Committee on Senior Citizen Affairs in the current 18th Congress (after being its vice-chairman in the 17th Congress). He was also vice-chairperson of five committees and a member of eight committees.
He filed and authored the law creating the National Commission of Senior Citizens (Republic Act 11350). Cong. Datol never missed a congressional meeting even during the COVID-19 pandemic to fight for the rights and welfare of seniors. He championed the Universal Pension bill and the amendments to the Centenarian Act.
He asserted that working seniors should still be allowed to go out of their residences during community quarantine. He pushed for seniors’ rightful share in special amelioration payouts. (END)
