BY JEFFREY DAMICOG
Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong on Wednesday expressed optimism that the government’s all-out drive to curb the coronavirus disease will yield positive results starting August.
Magalong pointed this out after he, Public Works Secretary Mark Villar, and Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega have been designated as czars of three sensitive posts in the government’s fight against COVID-19 last Monday.
Malacañang said Magalong will be the contact tracing czar, Villar as isolation czar, and Vega as treatment czar.
Though he said their appointments were a little bit late, Magalong is convinced they can get the job done.
“Parang sa basketball, parang nasa crunch time tayo, pinasok tayo last five minutes tapos lamang yung kalaban ng mga 30 points,” Magalong said. “But you know it’s not impossible. You have just to be optimistic about it. You have to be dynamic. You have to innovate.”
“I believe working together with them and now that we have our own focus sa tingin ko magkakaroon ng magandang resulta ito,” Magalong said during an interview over CNN Philippines.
“We can feel the results sometime August,” he said.
Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) president Vince Dizon was previously designated as COVID-19 testing czar.
“I believe this would be the most responsive model na nagawa ng ating Secretary Galvez (COVID-19 response chief implementer and peace process Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.),” Magalong said.
The mayor admitted that the task is also challenging due to large number of cases compared to the figures he usually handles in Baguio.
