Targeting and testing

Just like modern warfare, our government needs to adopt strategies that are efficient, precise and cost effective in our war against COVID-19. The current policy of quarantine and isolation may be effective but it comes at a high cost in terms of economic losses and financial and mental injury to the general population. This is why we urgently need to put into place the solution that was presented by Secretary Carlito Galvez whereby only specific sites, streets or residences will be placed on lockdown if there are two or more cases therein. The solution was reportedly accepted by the IATF around two weeks ago, but so far no mention or announcement has been made about it. This “pinpoint” or laser strike strategy is very welcomed because it only “attacks” where the virus is, but does not punish the entire neighborhood as we did during the early stage of our fear and paranoia.

The task force should also consider a city-by-city approach in determining which cities fall under what classification of community quarantine. No one can argue the fact that the entire Metro Manila is simply too big an area, too many people and too congested for us to believe that we can contain COVID-19 from spreading. Fact is we still don’t know if people who get the infection develops a resistance and given that we only have 27,238 confirmed cases out of an estimated 11 to 15 million population in Metro Manila, let us not kid ourselves about controlling the disease. At best we can only manage both the infections and the economy as best we can. If the IATF/DOH worked on city by city there would be incentive for local officials to work harder to be delisted from community quarantine because they will no longer be dragged down or clumped together with bigger, unwieldy localities. At the moment, mayors are already doing the selective lockdown of barangays or sitio as a preventive solution when cases are discovered. But if the IATF sets up a system where any city that achieves a set score on compliance and control of COVID-19, that city will be allowed to go into MGCQ or the New Normal within its territory. I am confident that jealousy or competitiveness will surely kick in.

By “creating” these competing territories, the LGUs and businesses and NGOs within could pool their resources and expertise as a joint effort in managing COVID-19 together as a community, instead of the present situation where the national and local governments have taken full control and are now held responsible for any lapses or mistakes. “Two heads are better than one,” they say but more heads, more logistics and more money working to be declared COVID-Free sounds more hopeful and doable.

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Have you ever tried or inquired about getting a travel pass? I looked into it and it felt almost as if they really don’t want anybody to get out of Metro Manila. Believing what government officials had told me, I inquired about travel passes for farmers/farm owners who need to visit their farms. I was directed to the website of the Department of Agriculture for “Food Lane pass” expecting it was just a registration process like signing up and providing your addresses at point of origin to point of destination, duration etc. Instead this was what they required:

Official Receipt of Registration and Certificate of Registration (OR/CR) of the vehicle (photocopy and original copy; for online application, scanned original copies must be provided). Business permit (photocopy and original copy; for online application, scanned original copies must be provided). Accomplished food lane accreditation application form. Accomplished food lane reference form. Accomplished statement of commitment. The said forms shall be signed by the owner-proprietor for single proprietorship and the authorized officer of the establishment for the cooperative, association or corporation. I was just applying for a travel pass not a multi million peso loan!

Then we looked into securing a pass for a maid who’s been stuck in Metro Manila for 90 days and simply wants to go home to the province to be reunited with her two kids. She did not want to be part of the Balik Probinsya, she just wanted out! So we sent her to the barangay where she was given a legal size sheet of paper with a 14-day grid above and on the left side entries stating “No sign/symptoms – Fever (Temp) – Cough – Sore Throat – Difficulty of Breathing – Diarrhea – Other symptoms.” For each day you are supposed to cross out or check each category and after the 14th day you go back to the health center, they issue you a certificate, you go to city hall where the health office checks you again and then you go to the police station to get your travel pass.

I spoke with Usec. Epimaco Densing of the DILG and raised the fact that after 90 days at home we are either COVID free, asymptomatic or dead. The checklist is essentially on an honesty basis, and after 14 days the applicant travels several kilometers to the city hall and then the police station. That travel will entail exposure and possible contamination or contaminating others. Given the risks, the honesty basis, and potential exposure, I suggested to Usec Densing and to anyone from the IATF that we are better off decongesting and sending people out of Metro Manila based on either a PCR test or a Rapid Test depending on the financial capacity of applicants or employers, even the businessmen and farm owners who need to travel point to point. People at this level are responsible enough and there is nothing more definite than a certificate based on a blood test! Stop the red tape and paper work and stick with science and medicine.

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