Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte has sought a compromise on the use of face masks in the country amid clamor to make it optional.

Villafuerte said the Interagency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) could look at what Thailand and Singapore have done with their face masks policy.

He said that Thailand has made face masks voluntary but recommended the continued use when persons are with other individuals, by those over 60 years old, pregnant women, and persons with underlying diseases.

Singapore, meanwhile, only required the use of masks on public transport and in high-risk places like hospitals.

The solon said the mandatory use of face masks could be maintained in Metro Manila and other places with still high caseloads and allow local government units (LGUs) in low-risk areas to decide on whether to continue the mandatory rule or make it voluntary.

He said the mandatory use can also be limited to only indoor public places.

“It’s probably the right time to reconsider the rigid mask-use protocol as part of national efforts under the ‘new normal’ to speed up our recovery from the over two-year pandemic and keep to a minimum our economy’s scarring from the global crisis spawned by COVID-19,” said Villafuerte, president of the National Unity Party (NUP).

Should the national government decide to keep the mandatory-use policy, Villafuerte said free face masks should be provided to poor and low-income families.

He said that with face masks costing at least P3 to P5 apiece, a family of five will have to cough up P15 to P25 each day, “an amount that is already enough to buy them, say, a half-kilo of rice.”

Villafuerte said many of his constituents admitted that they are reusing their disposable mask to save money.

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