COVID-19 statistics

Every day at exactly 4 p.m., we get the latest bulletin from the Department of Health (DOH) – those dreaded numbers.

From a single case only about five months ago, we now have 47,873 cases, including 1,309 deaths and 12,386 patients who have recovered, according to the latest tally.

The numbers are important. At the very least, they tell us about the COVID-19 situation in the country. It’s not getting any better. As I’ve said, we haven’t even reached a position of strength in this battle against COVID-19.

Stories behind the numbers

But aside from the tally, the DOH should give us the stories behind the numbers to provide a better picture of the COVID-19 health crisis and to help us make sense of the data.

The government should start telling us – through television, radio and social media – testimonies from COVID-19 survivors who are willing to share their experiences. The stories can show us what it means to have the virus, what to expect, how painful it is on the lungs or the trachea, and where they think they possibly got infected. These stories can make people realize what happens if we put our guard down against the virus. These stories will also arm us with more information about the pandemic in the country.

The DOH should also constantly remind the public to practice the necessary safety precautions, including which masks to wear or how to wear them. I see people wearing face masks made of loosely woven fabric. I also see people who place their masks just over their mouths, leaving their noses exposed.

Coherent plan

The numbers are overwhelming and scary. The rise in the number of COVID-19 positive cases is especially alarming.

This is not good at all.

All stakeholders – the government and the private sector – must act with a cohesive, data-backed and well-thought-out plan to get this pandemic under control, while keeping the economy running.

More importantly, at this time when everyone is already so overwhelmed, we need a government that will inspire and assure us, not one that is seemingly as lost as we are.

In Singapore, for instance, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s regular speeches are so reassuring and inspiring.

We have none of that. Instead, we have mostly incoherent ramblings.

ABS-CBN hearings

As if to make things worse, at the House of Representatives, so much time and resources are spent on the franchise hearings of embattled broadcast giant ABS-CBN.

Lawmakers are complaining about the negative portrayal of politicians in teleseryes and yet irony of ironies, they themselves are showing us how they are -- having  little or no respect to the resource persons in the hearings. This is how they are in real life, on live television and not from a scripted teleserye.

If we had spent that amount of time coming up with a plan against COVID-19 with health experts, perhaps we would be in a better situation now.

But here we are, terrorized by COVID-19 and the Anti-Terrorism Act, overwhelmed with the unabated increase in cases and demoralized by the misplaced priorities of our lawmakers and politicians.

Global business process

While we remain in the grip of the pandemic, we could only expect declines in our economic indicators quarter after quarter.

But there are some glimmers of hope.

The Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), for one, gave a bullish outlook on the country’s information technology-business process management (IT-BPM) industry.

The IT-BPM industry remains resilient and will continue to be competitive and relevant in the global marketplace, IBPAP president and CEO Rey Untal said in a recent webinar organized by the Department of Trade and Industry with the Philippine Embassy in Washington as part of a campaign to attract US investments.

Recessions all over the world triggered by the pandemic are compelling many companies in other countries to offshore more jobs. The Philippines is well positioned to capture the demand.

“While other industries are laying off people, we are hiring and training them,” says Rogelio Salazar Jr., president of the Healthcare Information Management Association of the Philippines.

The IT-BPM industry has become a key economic contributor for the Philippines. In 2019, it generated $26.3 billion in revenues, a 7.1 percent increase from the previous year, and employed a total of 1.3 million, or 5.8 percent more than the 2018 headcount.

The industry’s resilience and sustained growth could greatly support our economy’s recovery from the pandemic, especially in preserving the jobs that keep thousands of families out of poverty and hunger.

As Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel G. Romualdez said during the webinar: “The industry has had a multiplier effect through increased consumer spending, the opening of allied businesses such as restaurants and convenience stores, and more opportunities for our fresh graduates. The IT industry has also contributed to the establishment of second and third wave cities, thereby spreading development to other parts of the country outside the capital.”

Iris Gonzales’ email address is [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @eyesgonzales. Column archives at eyesgonzales.com