DOH presses self-quarantine for Pacquiao, team

MANILA, Philippines - If they cannot be convinced to delay his return to the Philippines, Filipino boxing champ Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao and his team should at least consider self-quarantine upon their return. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III made the suggestion Thursday after Pacquiao's patron, Environment Secretary Jose Atienza Jr., junked suggestions to delay Pacquiao's return. "Kung itutuloy ni Manny ang biyahe wala tayong magagawa doon, basta nasabihan na natin sila. Pero mag-self-imposed quarantine sila, yan ang ating pakiusap," Duque said in an interview on dzXL radio. [If Manny wants to push through with his return, we cannot do anything about it, we've done our part. But our request to Pacquiao is to at least quarantine himself upon his return.] Duque on Wednesday appealed to Pacquiao and his team to delay by five days their return to the country as a precaution against the A/H1N1 (swine flu) virus. He said this was based on an advisory from the World Health Organization, which noted signs of a sustained community outbreak in Los Angeles. "Sila ang awtoridad dito at tayo humihingi lang ng abiso [The WHO is the authority on this matter and we asked for its advice]," Duque said. He said that if Pacquiao insists on returning as scheduled on Friday, he should consider self-quarantine in the country. "Dito sa Pilipinas mag-self-quarantine, yan lang naman ho [He should consider self-quarantine in the Philippines. That's all we ask]," he said. On the other hand, Duque reiterated the 50 lawmakers who went to Las Vegas to watch Pacquiao's bout with Ricky Hatton will have to go through regular procedures at the airport. - GMANews.TV