THE House of Representatives has been asked to hold an inquiry into the “qualifications, research methodologies, partnerships and composition” of the independent OCTA Research group.
In House Resolution No. 2075, five lawmakers urged the House committee on good government and public accountability to conduct an inquiry “to ascertain the credentials and background of the research group.”
OCTA Research fellow Guido David expressed readiness to face lawmakers and the group’s critics.
“Personally, I welcome the opportunity to discuss our methodology, which has been unfairly criticized online without giving us the proper venue to defend it,” said David.
Another OCTA fellow, professor Ranjit Rye, said they are hoping the lawmakers realize that COVID-19 is the problem and OCTA should not be considered by government as an enemy in its COVID-19 response.
“The enemy here is COVID-19, not OCTA,” said Rye. “We hope that our congressmen will see what is our goal here.”
The resolution noted statements made by Dr. Edsel Salvana, a member of the Department of Health’s experts panel group, that OCTA used “incomplete and erroneous” data in its projections.
OCTA last week urged government to impose a “circuit-breaker lockdown” in Metro Manila to stop the spread of the Delta variant. Days later, the government announced it is placing Metro Manila under enhanced community quarantine, the strictest of lockdown classifications under the pandemic.
OCTA’s projections since last year about surges have mostly come true but some have been considered alarmist.
The resolution was filed by deputy speakers Bernadette Herrera (PL, Bagong Henerasyon), Kristine Singson-Meehan (Ilocos Sur), and Sharon Garin (PL, AAMBIS-OWA partylist); deputy minority leader Stella Luz Quimbo (Marikina); and Rep. Jesus Suntay (Quezon City).
“There is a public health and public policy need to ensure the safety and security of the population during this pandemic, and that information being distributed is correct and are not irresponsibly and erroneously published,” the resolution said.
They noted OCTA has often been quoted by media in news reports, with the latest one calling for a “circuit breaker” or a hard lockdown this month to stop the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant.
The resolution particularly seeks to “validate the connection between OCTA Research and the University of the Philippines System, as the former publicized a partnership which the latter seemingly denied.”
It said infographics and press releases across press outlets and social media platforms refer to the “University of the Philippines-OCTA” group (UP-OCTA) or the “UP-OCTA Research Team” in predicting surges of COVID-19 cases and Rye even refers to the group as the “UP-OCTA Research Team.”
However, the lawmakers said, UP-Diliman associate professor Peter Cayton was quoted in a news report that there is no office within the campus named OCTA, and that it does “not exist in UP’s organizational structure.” — With Gerard Naval
