It’s official! Filipinos will now have a new gesture of goodwill amidst the rage of the pandemic.

On Tuesday, January 19, 2021, the House of Representatives has passed a bill promoting a new way of gesture in observance of general health protocols amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

House Bill 8149 or the "Bating Filipino Para Sa Kalusugan Act" which institutionalizes placing one's palm at the center of the chest together with a slight nod as a customary Filipino gesture of respect is now on its final reading.

As an alternative to the traditional handshake, 212 legislators who voted in favor of the bill would see it as a new and safe way to greet each other.

Marikina 1^st District Representative Bayani “BF” Fernando, the primary author of the bill, said that this new way of greeting would help prevent Filipinos from shaking the hands of others. It’s seen as another means to promote physical distancing amid the COVID-19 crisis.

“The medical profession has established that the traditional, well-meaning and innocent gesture of handshake transmits communicable diseases and is a risk to one’s health," Fernando said in his explanatory note.

“The relevance of this legislative measure becomes more pronounced as we are now suffering from a global health crisis due to the novel coronavirus pandemic," He added.

HB 8149 argues that because the state is expected to promote the health and well-being of every citizen, then it should “set standards of social contact such as a safe and proper gesture to express and convey respect, goodwill, or praise among persons.”

The measure covers all Filipino citizens and other individuals staying in the country but It would not impose any punishment on those who would not follow it.

Yup, what do you think about our newest ‘Bating Filipino’ gesture?

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