By GENALYN D. KABILING
With the safety and welfare of Filipinos as the main priority, the government has readied an initial 100-day action plan, including enhancing the county’s healthcare system, to address the coronavirus pandemic.
Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity Carlito Galvez Jr. said the government aims to “flatten the curve” or stop the spread of the infections and alleviate the suffering of the people amid the “vicious” disease threat.
Galvez has been designated by President as chief implementer of the national policy against the coronavirus outbreak.
“Nakita natin ‘yung sa historical basis, puwede itong tumagal dahil ito ay isang pandemic. Wala tayong kontrol. Lahat ng mga bansa either US, China, even Europe ay hindi nakapag-prepare kasi nga biglaan ito,” Galvez said over government radio.
“So ‘yung preparation natin sa ating national action plan. Ang maganda po mayroon tayong national action plan na gagawin ay ano po ang atin dito ‘yung first 100 days kasi nakikita natin hindi pa natin na-arrest yung mga cases ng pag-contaminate. ‘Yung ang plano namin sa action plan. Ang pinaka-immediate talaga is to flatten the curve, arrest ‘yung contamination,” he said.
To quell the spread of the new coronavirus disease, Galvez said the government intends to improve the capacity of the Department of Health in terms of resources and logistics. Strengthening the DoH and the volunteers would facilitate effective healthcare for the coronavirus patients, he added.
“Ang first na trabaho po namin is to empower, to make DoH work kasi lahat po kinukuha na po namin ang logistics kami na ho ang nagsusupport para concentrated na ho ang ating mga bayaning mga doctors para mapaliit ang new cases. Para mapataas po ang recovery ng ating mga COVID patients at ang pangatlo po ay ma-reduce po natin ang deaths,” he said.
Galvez recognized that the government must swiftly implement measures to address the coronavirus emergency since the national survival is at stake.
“Our focus is to save humanity. Itong health crisis na ito ay talagang napaka-vicious at highly contaminated. Ang focus namin ngayon is mas mataas ang survival natin,” he said.
He added that the President wanted authorities to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus on the people and the economy.
“For the people to survive this crisis, for our economy to survive kailangan mabilis, gusto namin mapabilis kasi alam namin kapag umabot ito ng tatlong buwan o dalawang buwan, the economy will suffer, our people will also suffer. Ang gusto ni Presidente ma-alleviate ang suffering ng ating mga tao,” he said.
LIKE A WAR COUNCIL
According to Galvez, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases will act like a “war council” to the President amid the coronavirus emergency.
He said the IATF will be the policy-making body in dealing with the latest public health emergency. The task force is currently chaired by the DoH with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Justice, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Tourism, and Department of Transportation as members.
The National Task Force COVID-19, on the other hand, shall serve as the operational command to be chaired by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. The task force vice chairman is DILG Secretary Eduardo Año.
“Itong pong National Task Force COVID-19 under kay Secretary Lorenzana at Secretary ng DILG ito po ang mag iimplement ng lockdown,” he said.
“Ito po ang mag iimplement na dapat tayo nasa home quarantine lahat ng mga tao. Ito rin po ang mag-iimplement ng mga tinatawag nating mga checkpoint at ito rin po ang mga implement sa mga LGUs na kailangan tulungan nila ang lahat ng kanilang mga constituents,” he said.
Galvez, former military chief, said he will be “third man” in the operations command. “I will make sure that all the directives issued both operational and political will be implemented by our group,” he added.
