LGUs in action: Cheers to the cities
THE REPORTS on the cities of Iloilo and Baguio provide a record of best practices of local governments outside the capital. Local government officials elsewhere, along with civic and business leaders, deserve to learn about more stories like this, if we are to survive the peril of COVID-19 and move forward as a nation.
A community response: Inquirer highlights Iloilo City’s COVID-19 strategy
Given the return of overseas workers and the continuing arrival of foreign tourists until late February, the spread of COVID-19 virus was not completely contained in Luzon with Metro Manila as the epicenter of contamination.
Thankfully, some cities in the provinces have taken quick action, coordinating an impressive range of community responses, including the early acquisition of test kits and city-operated kitchens.
CMFR cheers the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) for a news account which held up the example of how a city can take the necessary steps to address the public health crisis and the difficulties involved in the quarantine.
Nestor Burgos, Jr., chief of correspondents of PDI’s’ Visayas bureau,  reported on April 6 from his home province: “Ilonggos turn inward to get themselves through quarantine.” He cited the efforts of Iloilo City residents from all walks of life to mitigate the impact of the community quarantine, which the local government had implemented on March 20. Students, healthcare workers, businessmen and ordinary citizens pooled their knowledge, skills and resources to address the public’s needs and concerns.
Since the national government had not supplied testing kits, Burgos said Mayor Jerry Trenas bought 2,500 testing kits using money donated by the business sector. The city’s health sector also responded to the clamor for mass testing by collaborating with the local government to work on the accreditation of a subnational testing facility. Burgos added that on March 26, the Department of Health announced that the Western Visayas Medical Center has been certified to conduct independent testing; swab samples from suspected COVID-19 patients could be checked right in the province. While alcohol became a scarcity in many urban places, chemistry students in UP Visayas and the University of San Agustin assured a supply for hospitals and frontliners, freeing up existing inventory for sale to the public.
The city opened 240 community kitchens in 180 villages and implemented a cash-for-work program for 20,000 people who have lost their jobs. Transport and accommodations were also arranged for the frontliners, particularly for the healthcare workers who have been evicted from their boarding houses because some renters feared the infection of their premises.
Burgos quoted Maria Victoria Lea Lara, executive director of the Iloilo Business Club, who said, “The outpouring of support from private companies and individuals is a clear manifestation that Ilonggos have a strong sense of community and are extremely empowered. With clear direction and trust in local leadership, the community is able to mobilize and generously contribute time and resources.”
State of preparedness pays off in Baguio
Quick action in setting up preventive measures seems to have paid off in Baguio City, which did not record any new COVID-19 case for a period of nine days, from March 29 to April 7.
CMFR cheers GMA-7’s 24 Oras for highlighting the Baguio local government’s efforts to contain the virus, the methods of which could help government establish a template for other local government units (LGU) to follow.
In his April 7 report, Oscar Oida enumerated the measures set up by the Baguio LGU to check the spread of the virus. Oida, through a video interview, asked Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong to talk about Baguio’s response to the crisis. At the time of the report, there were 14 confirmed COVID-19 patients in the city.
The report highlighted how Baguio acted in anticipation of the threat. It wasted no time imposing strict preventive measures, placing the city under a 24-hour lockdown to control the people’s movement, including entry to and exit from the city. Mass gatherings were prohibited; social distancing was strictly observed. The report could have been enhanced by the inclusion of people’s reactions to these restrictions, but the lockdown may have limited Oida’s reach to other sources.
The report aired Magalong’s account of how the LGU immediately set up two containment centers to accommodate COVID-19 cases. And to augment their capacity, they began repairing the dormant Sto. Niño Medical Center to serve as a COVID-19 critical care center.
The report noted how Baguio utilized what Magalong called an Artificial Intelligence CT Scan Analyzer which detects potential COVID-19 cases in just seven minutes, cutting down the lead time and helping the LGU to immediately launch contact tracing and impose as necessary the isolation of patients. As the former chief of the Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Magalong said the experience in police investigation helped. The LGU prepared a crash course on cognitive interviewing to instill an “investigator’s mindset” so doctors and nurses could do contact tracing more effectively.
On April 11, Baguio recorded a new COVID-19 case, a 46-year-old street sweeper, which brought the total number of COVID-19 positives to fifteen. Still, the thirteen days it was free from COVID-19 suggests the effectivity of the measures adopted in one of the heaviest tourist destinations in Luzon.
Magalong admitted that Baguio could still not claim COVID-19 free status. Baguio will continue with the testing of persons under investigation; making possible their timely targeted quarantine. Other LGUS should take their cue. Rather than just wait for cases to spike, the proactive mode prepares for the worst. The numbers in Baguio deserve cheering.
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