THE ENTIRE Panay and Guimaras islands are implementing their respective community quarantine measures. But it has a minimum impact to lessen people’s fear and panic.
While we laud the efforts of provincial and city governments like setting up of washing areas, disinfection of public transport, and while we agree that quarantine measures have to be taken to prevent the spread of the virus, the lack of social preparation especially massive information dissemination of its impact was not discussed to the public.
The people were not told to prepare ahead and were only surprised that drastic measures have to be taken that resulted in panic buying and non-availability of hygiene stocks like facemasks and alcohol.
But some other local government units (LGUs), in their capacity, have implemented measures to mitigate the impact of community quarantine and help the public to prepare for the worst and reduce fear and panic.
We would like to bring up the following measures that needed to be addressed in the level of LGUs to help our public in this time of public health crisis.
a) Purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE) for our front liners, i.e. health workers, media;
b) Purchase of face masks, alcohol, soap, and disinfectants or their alternatives to be given to their respective constituents;
c) Purchase and setup of sanitation booths;
d) Massive sanitation and disinfection of public transportation, and communities;
e) Setting aside disaster fund for the purchase of testing kits and other preventive equipment;
f) Full disclosure of data on PUIs and PUMs;
g) Full disclosure of recovered patient’s mode of infection, health history and methods in recovery;
h) Make public specific testing and quarantine centers, their capacities and preparations;
i) The imposition of a price freeze on major commodities especially food, personal hygiene products, and other vital needs;
j) Lobby for a moratorium of payments with telecommunications, power and water service providers and ensure that no disturbance or shortage shall happen;
k) Provide financial package to contractual and informal workers and repatriated OFWs;
l) Release early the wages of public employees;
m) Impose a moratorium on tricycle phase-out and allow them to cater commuters;
n) Lobby for transport operators to lessen if not free the boundaries or rental for the taxi, Jeep and other public transport;
o) Intensify community information and education campaign maximizing the tri-media and social media;
p) Ensure the preparedness of DSWD for food packs in times of worst-case scenario and make sure these are enough;
q) Maximize the role of civil society organizations;
r) Demand for greater health budget and realignment of funds to prioritize public health; and
s) Now, more than ever, we need to act as one. We highly urge all the province and city governments in Panay and Guimaras to implement the island-wide community quarantine instead of placing provincial and city borders to ease the economic impact and ensure stability within Panay and Guimaras.
We enjoin the public to better prepare for the worst as the national government is truly ill-equipped and unprepared despite people’s demands and calls.
Above all, we make President Duterte accountable for abandoning the public healthcare system by cutting its budget and not prioritizing it even in this time of health crisis. – ELMER FORRO, secretary-general, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Panay
