Media catching on: Government still confused about “mass” testing

GOVERNMENT SPOKESPERSONS have among their responsibilities that of projecting a good image of the administration and its officials, primarily the chief executive. But spokespersons who sacrifice clarity and truth to achieve this soon lose their credibility.

Controversy has hounded the issue of widespread testing that the government began to do in April. The administration has not admitted that the lack of tests  has held back its efforts to check the spread of the virus. Government’s response to COVID-19 has been hampered not just by the lack of resources but also by the lack of real understanding of the strategies to combat the spread  of the virus that have worked for other countries.

It does not help that despite a task force, officials do not seem to talk to one another, thus getting entangled in policy contradictions and talking nonsense.

The presidential spokesperson was caught making another contentious remark on the subject just one week after he said the government had no plans for mass testing, a statement that drew flak from all quarters, including some government officials themselves.

This time, a televised briefing on May 25 showed Roque saying that the country had already achieved its targeted testing capacity. “Ang original target po ay 30,000 by May 30 pero nung Mayo 20 po, nakaabot na po tayo sa 32,100 tests per day. Nalampasan po natin ang ating target,” he said. Citing the number of tests per day, he seemed to be referring to actual tests done, although he said “mass testing capacity.”

Proclaimed by the Palace, the achievements would reflect positively on the president. Unfortunately, DOH data belied his claim on actual tests as well as on the government capacity for testing.

On social media, people promptly called attention to DOH figures showing that actual daily tests remain below 10,000. On the same day, the department explained that the Philippines had reached only its “estimated maximum capacity,” and not the target for actual tests. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire maintained that the “actual capacity” of all of their 42 accredited laboratories nationwide was around 8,500 to 9,500 tests daily.

Roque echoed Vergeire’s explanation, saying that his earlier statement was referring only to the “national testing capacity” – seemingly oblivious of Vergeire’s rejection of his assessment of capacity. 

Media quickly caught on to the confusion. News accounts carried Roque’s misleading claim, Vergeire’s clarification, and Roque’s defense of his own statement. Reports also clarified the difference between testing capacity and actual tests, presented figures on actual tests, and cited DOH on the factors that caused the low turn-out.

A few news organizations went beyond routine reporting, examined the basis of government claims, and with the help of expert sources, exposed the lack of understanding on the part of officials of the point of mass testing.

Context and analysis

Some news organizations recalled statements from different officials which revealed the glaring disconnect among agencies involved in the pandemic response.

GMA News Online recalled that on May 22, just three days before Roque made his astounding claim, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., the chief implementer of the country’s National Task Force (NTF) on COVID, said the country could only do 11,500 tests per day. The report also cited deputy chief implementer Vivencio Dizon who said during a Senate hearing that more than half or 66% of the 11,000 capacity was done by the private sector.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer caught on to how DOH was reporting cases without consideration for the time needed for laboratory work. It pointed out that when DOH earlier set a target of 8,000 tests for April, the department was tracking the number of actual tests conducted, but did not figure in the capacity of laboratories to release results. The Inquirer also noted that even when laboratories already reached the capacity to do 8,000 tests in April, this was not reported until May 10, suggesting that the DOH did not consider the time frame  to make sense of the findings.

Expert views

Meanwhile, other news organizations stood out for citing experts who added to the understanding of how Roque’s statement was misleading, contradicting his claims.

Online news site Interaksyon featured Scientists Unite Against COVID-19, a coalition of local scientists, who released a fact sheet highlighting the disparity between the estimated and actual testing capacities in a report on May 28. Among the sources cited by the report, ABS-CBN News data analyst Edson Guido questioned Roque’s use of “testing capacity.” In a tweet, Guido pointed out that if actual tests lag behind the testing capacity, then resources are not maximized. Interaksyon cited several independent COVID-19 trackers including COVID19stats.ph and the University of the Philippines’ endcov.ph, both of which confirmed that the country has yet to meet its targeted testing capacity.

Another report by GMA News Online cited Dr. Gene Nisperos from the University of the Philippine College of Medicine, who said, “The DOH cannot hide the fact that the Philippines is still some ways off the target of 30,000 tests per day. The per day testing capacity peaked at 11,000 last May 15 and is now at 8,283 per day. Malayo sa 32,000 na sinasabi ng Malacañang.” He added that the government’s unsupported claims are a sign of desperation on its part.

Fighting disinformation

This is not the first time that the Palace and other officials of the administration have been criticized for dubious claims. Media also picked up the confusion over Health Secretary Francisco Duque’s claim that the country was already in the second wave of the pandemic– a claim which was so obviously untrue –that even his fellow officials refuted it.

With the lifting of the ECQ even in Metro Manila, the public now bears the greater responsibility for its own safety and protection against infection. It’s the people  who have to make decisions, weighing their own obligations against the health risks of going out to work. Aside from battling disease and poverty, they are in need of factual information so they can make sound decisions.

But the government has consistently failed to provide this very critical need. The leading health agency has been exposed as not knowing enough about what it has to do. Disinformation and misinformation flow from even the highest levels of government, revealing serious lapses of judgment and lack of competence.

The dire situation calls for the media to fulfill its role as watchdog, correcting the falsehoods and calling out officials for their failings, serving as a frontliner as Filipinos battle for truth and for their very lives.