Saying that the reemergence of polio was due to poor sanitation, Senator Cynthia Villar said there is now an urgency to maintain a clean and healthy environment at all times.
She specifically refereed to the statement made by health officials led by Sec. Francisco Duque III that polio is one of the disease that emerged when there’s open defecation.
Duque said only 11 percent of the country’s barangays or only 4,625 out of a total 42,045 are certified Zero open defecation, where people have abandoned the practice of open defecation, according to Duque.
The 2017 Philippine National Demographic and Health Survey also showed that 4.5 percent of Filipinos do not yet have toilets and tend to practice open defecation, while another 24 percent use unimproved sanitation facilities.
Duque said this amounts to an estimated 28-million Filipinos whose poor sanitation practices pose a serious threats to the population in terms of health, nutrition, protection, education, environment, and productivity.
Because of this, Duque reminded the public to practice good hygiene and urged the Local Government Units through the aid of DOH Centers for Health Development to intensify their Zero Open Defecation Program.
“So if we want to prevent diseases, we must observe hygiene,” she said.
But the senator said there should be more funding to stop this practice thot oftentimes caused diseases like polio and also pollute our bodies of water. She said the government should spend more for prevention rather than cure.
UNICEF data shows that an average Filipino spends about P1,000 for treating illnesses caused by lack of toilet facilities.
Open defection results to people being at risk of contracting diarrhea, cholera and other waterborne diseases; intestinal worm infections and malnutrition no stunting of children.
Villar also emphasized the negative effects of lack of toilet facilities or lack of proper hygiene and sanitation
The senator said that of the seven million Filipinos who have no toilet facilities, 3.5 million are in Metro Manila.
With an average of five members per family in the National Capital Region, she said about 700,000 toilets are needed.
The government, the senator said. needs P14 billion to come up with about 700,000 toilets based on the P20,000 per toilet as estimated by the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH).
Villar added Duque has promised that would comply with the Sustainable Development Goal of zero defecation after 10 years.
SSG has said that by 2030, acess to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all will be achieved due to an end to open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations.
But Villar has misgivings the DOH’s target will be achieved with the current existing number of toilets. she said this might take 40 years.
She also questioned the measly P2 million budget allotted for the building of sanitary toilets under the Environmental and Occupational Health on the DOH budget for next year.
Villar added that the construction of toilets should be prioritized in the densely- populated Baseco in Tondo, Manila.
She said that in Brgy, 649 alone, 80 percent of residents have no access to a toilet facility so they have been practicing open defecation.
Their wastes, she said, ended up in Manila Bay, which is undergoing rehabilitation.
President Rodrigo Duterte has created a task force to rehabilitate and clean Manila Bay.