Pasay mayor open to Ivermectin
If alternative medicines can help treat the virus and ease the suffering of the people, she said she would go for it
Pasay City Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano yesterday said she is open to using Ivermectin, as well as other alternative treatments, against Covid-19, provided they are certified as safe and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
In an interview over news blog Balitaan at Kumustahan, the mayor said she believes in the knowledge and expertise of the people at the FDA and is convinced they would not recommend anything that could harm the people.
“I believe in the ability of the FDA experts. That is why if they recommend that Ivermectin can be used as an alternative drug to treat Covid-19, thus, I agree to use it for our fellowmen,” Calixto-Rubiano said.
In this difficult and trying time, she stressed the country needs all the help it can get. If alternative medicines can help treat the virus and ease the suffering of the people, she said she would go for it.
Since many people have long been suffering from the illness and many have died, she is supportive for the use of the drug and alternative medicine, like virgin coconut oil, that are approved by the FDA.
Previously, former Health secretary and herbal medicine advocate Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan advised the public to use natural medicines to fortify their immune systems to combat the deadly coronavirus.
“Feast on coconut water, coconut meat and coconut milk. Take also one tablespoon of virgin coconut oil at least once a day, at best three times a day,” Galvez-Tan said.
Coconut and the tawa-tawa herb — and their anti-viral properties — are being tested and explored to fight Covid-19.
Ivermectin has been on the news lately after several doctors and well-known personalities pushed for its use against the virus, claiming its efficacy and supposed quick healing abilities.
In an interview with socialite Katrina Ponce-Enrile, daughter of Sen. Juan Ponce-Enrile, claimed she was treated with Ivermectin that was compounded by its main proponent, Dr. Allan Landrito.
Landrito has been publicly advocating for the use of Ivermectin for the treatment of the coronavirus, against the counsel of health authorities in the Philippines.
However, Calixto-Rubiano said that, although she was open to the use of Ivermectin, there is still no better cure for the virus than observing basic health protocols and physical distancing.