Senator Nancy Binay on Monday said the government should manage the looming "walking pneumonia" health crisis by utilizing all the lessons it learned from the previous COVID-19 pandemic.

The lessons of the past "can be effectively used" to prevent the future escalation of various respiratory illnesses in the country, the senator stressed.

"Sana gamitin natin ang mga lessons na napulot natin dito para ma-manage nang mabuti ang mga nakahahawang sakit at hindi na naman maging public health emergency (I hope we can use the lessons we learned to effectively manage infectious diseases and to prevent them from becoming a public health emergency)," Binay said.

The Department of Health has logged at least four cases of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, also known as "walking pneumonia," from January to November this year.

The DoH has clarified that the four cases were not new and had been detected among those who got infected with influenza-like illness or ILI. 

Based on the DoH record, only 0.08 percent of the ILI cases from January to 25 November were due to walking pneumonia, while more than half of the confirmed ILI cases were due to other well-known and commonly detected pathogens. 

The health department likewise logged an increase in ILI cases nationwide, with 182,721 cases recorded between 1 January and 11 November. 

The figure was 51 percent higher than the 121,160 cases reported in the same period in 2022.

Given the high number of respiratory cases and another expected increase in January, Binay said the "government should put in place the appropriate and necessary measures to ensure the public health system is not pushed to the limit."

"Let's do the necessary things like ensuring the availability of beds, medicine and personnel, among others. Siguruhin natin na hindi magkaroon ng (we have to make there will be no more) public health emergency," she said.

Binay also echoed the DoH's call for the public to observe minimum public health protocols to avoid being infected with the disease, especially as the holiday season approaches.

"Holiday season na at kasagsagan na rin ng mga Christmas party, reunion at iba pang social gathering. Gawin na rin sana nating Christmas gift sa bawat isa ang pagiging mindful na maaari tayong makahawa," the lawmaker said.

"Kung may symptoms tayo, pwede naman umiwas sa mga gathering at bumawi sa susunod. But if we really must go, maging responsible sana tayo and practice cough etiquette and other public health protocols para maprotektahan ang mga makakasalamuha natin," she added.