Lead with one voice

In this time of fear and uncertainty, it is both important and necessary for leadership, whether at the national or local level, to speak with one voice. When that is not possible in an environment swamped by an avalanche of concerns begging immediate attention, it has to be made sure that those authorized to speak must speak the same message.

The last thing anyone needs at this time is confusion from too many discordant messages. Confusion breeds frustration. Frustration breeds anger. Right now the people are fighting only one common, if unseen, enemy, the coronavirus. Let us not get to the point where people will be fighting among themselves.

Fear is already a terrible thing. Getting locked down makes it worse for a normally-free people. But add hunger and you have a pretty volatile and explosive mix. That is why, again, it is important and necessary for leadership to speak with only one voice, or at least with one clear message that everybody can understand even if the message itself may be difficult to accept.

Consider the shortage of Enhanced Community Quarantine or ECQ passes that some barangays in Cebu City are complaining of. ECQ passes are just as important as a quarantine. A quarantine can minimize contact and thus possibly avoid contamination. An ECQ pass allows those quarantined access to provisions without which people will die just the same.

Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella understands this situation pretty well, which is why he himself assured the people that each household will be given one ECQ pass. Having made that assurance, that each household will get a pass, he told those who complained, those who have not gotten their passes, to please wait, to understand that the city has not been thrust into such a situation as we are experiencing now.

And that is acceptable, probably even by such barangays as Talamban which complained of having been given ECQ passes enough for only 4,000 households when the barangay has 13,000 households. To wait, as the mayor pleaded, is far better than being told there will be no more ECQ passes forthcoming because the city does not want people out in the streets, which was what the entirely different message one city councilor conveyed.

Cebu City Councilor Raymond Garcia, addressing the complaints, said the purpose of the ECQ is to limit mobility of people. He is right on the nail in that. But he completely misses the mark on the ECQ passes. In his analogy, a city like Cebu City with a million people would not want a million people out in the streets. Mao bitaw, sir, nga naay ECQ pass para dili ang tanan sa one million manggawas, kadto ra nga naay ECQ pass.

If councilor Garcia does not get the situation, then the least he can do is not say anything that can only confuse things. Yes, the one million Cebu City residents should not be out in the streets lest they get infected. But those one million people still need to eat or they die just the same. Hence the ECQ passes for each household so that each household can have one member go buy provisions. Mayor Labella, maypa ikaw na lang g’yud sulti, sir.