‘It seems unhealthy for the Task Force to listen only to its current members and fire off directives from the safety of the air-conditioned Palace, without reconsidering the feedback from below.’
THE problem of coordination between the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) and local government units in the fight against COVID-19 became apparent when the province of Cebu enforced, through a Sangguniang Panlalawigan resolution, its own protocol for arriving passengers from abroad.
Because of this, Malacañang was constrained to move all flights scheduled to land in Mactan Airport to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Parañaque — its way of insisting that national protocols should be observed. It took some time before Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and President Duterte threshed out the problem, but by that time, hundreds of passengers have already been inconvenienced.
The onset of the new Delta variant’s threat to the nation might again result in misunderstandings between local government units and the national government represented by the IATF. This was anticipated by the OCTA Research Group which said the Delta variant’s threat is so great that it may result in another lockdown, tremendous pressure on the healthcare service system, and lack of oxygen supply as was experienced in India where that particular variant was discovered.
Health authorities have supported OCTA’s observation that the Delta variant is twice more infectious than the Alpha variant first reported in the United Kingdom, which is a COVID-19 mutation that is 60 percent more contagious than the virus’ original strain. The Philippines has so far reported 19 cases of the Delta variant, the Department of Health said last Monday.
Strict enforcement of quarantine rules for incoming passengers will effectively control the spread of the Delta variant. But even Australia which has one of the strictest protocols at the airport has become a victim of the resurgence of COVID-19 which is traced to the entry of the Delta variant in that country down under. The culprit, it was reported, was also misinterpretation of protocols among several government offices.
In the Philippines, Sen. Francis Tolentino strongly proposes that local officials such as governors and mayors be represented in the IATF organization because they are the ones implementing the national government’s health policies on the ground. It is best, he said, to involve the governors at the very start of the decision-making process. The president of the League of Provinces can represent the LGUs in that powerful body, Tolentino said.
Tolentino also noted that the private sector such as huge employers and businesses are at the forefront of the vaccination effort, with the vaccines they bought from abroad with the help of the government. This should qualify the private sector, too, to sit in the IATF and participate in the discussions, so that they will know first-hand how best to work hand-in-hand with the government in the COVID-19 response effort.
Tolentino’s suggestions should be taken up by the Inter-Agency Task Force and vetted for their usefulness in the current effort to fight the pandemic. It seems unhealthy for the Task Force to listen only to its current members and fire off directives from the safety of the air-conditioned Palace, without reconsidering the feedback from below.
