Series of unfortunate events: DOH incomprehensible approach vs Covid 19

rundowns

COVID-19 Special Issue Volume 40, Issue 4

SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS

DOH’s incomprehensible approach vs COVID-19

Amiel Rose AQUINO

For the past four months Filipinos have been compliant in following the government’s strict quarantine protocols. Starting from the Enhanced, moving onto General and up to Modified General Community Quarantine, the general population complied eager to help our share in preventing further transmission of infections. It has been months and still no such favorable outcome is visible.

Even before a national emergency was declared numerous representatives have been wary of the possible outcome if we ever have such a case. Many suggested that a travel ban should be imposed from foreigners coming from Mainland China-the origin of the CoronaVirus.

Earlier this year, January 29, 2020, House Deputy Speaker Loren Legarda voiced her concerns when she asked Sec. Francisco Duque III that wouldn’t it be a more careful move to limit and restrict entry of foreigners from the origin of the virus.

“Since we’re a heavily populated country and we’re clearly incapable of handling such crisis should it happen in the Philippines. Would it not be prudent, Mr. Secretary, to be proactive and ban temporarily any mainland Chinese tourists in any airport, or port, not just Wuhan?”

In which the Secretary defended that it is unfair to ban only Chinese tourists wherein other countries also have confirmed cases.

“If we do this, then the concerned country – China in this case – might question why we’re not doing the same for all other countries that have reported cases of the new coronavirus. It’s very tricky… but we commit to take this into consideration,” Duque said.

On June 30, 2019, the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported in our country; A 38-year old Chinese lady.

NEGLECT TO FRONT LINERS

Following the series of local transmissions that occur and the declaration of the Luzon-wide lockdown, the number of cases slowly started to become out of hand. Health workers and all our essential front liners started to become infected hampering down our fight in this crisis. Equipped only with limited Personal Protective Equipment yet with all the lives sacrificed by these heroes they only receive little to no hazard pay at all.

Reports circulated that private nurses only received a hazard pay of only ₱200 a day since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak.

With that, Administrative Order No. 26 was created and it sets the amount of hazard pay that shall be received at ₱500 daily for all the health workers and essential government personnel reporting from work amidst the crisis.

This same order also urges “private hospitals and other facilities are strongly encouraged” to provide similar compensation to their front liners.

Months passed, and numerous of our front liners have fallen ill and died and haven’t received proper compensation yet . Last March 2020, Administrative Order 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act was enacted. It allows Pres. Rodrigo Duterte to exercise authority to carry out urgent measures in order to combat the COVID-19 emergency for three months unless extended by the Government. One of its provisions includes giving a P100,000 benefit for health workers with severe cases of COVID-19 and P1 million for those who died from the disease.

“It is really shameful,” he told the President in Filipino. “They lost their lives and my people act as if there’s no sense of urgency. I really feel so upset, Mr. President.” The Health Secretary said in an interview last June 4, 2020 as he blames his staff with the delay in compensation.

UNCOORDINATED SYSTEM

Numerous lawmakers have repeatedly called out Sec. Duque’s incompetency in leading out our nation’s battle with the virus. Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate is also one of the many who has shown dismay.

“When we had the three cases of Chinese nationals from Wuhan, that was what we are acknowledging as the first wave,” Duque explained in a committee hearing last May 20.

In which Rep. Zarate questioned why he did not impose stricter health protocols as early as January if such conditions had already arisen. “If there was a first wave by January, why did you not declare a health pandemic or an emergency, based on Section 7 of Republic Act No. 11332? Why did you allow COVID-19 to spread before doing quarantine measures?” Zarate said.

This brought panic and confusion to Filipinos to what is the current state of our fight in this outbreak.

Series of incompetencies followed as Duque began to put blame on his staff for DOH’s shortcomings. Initially, he put the blame to his subordinates for the slow pace of contact tracing that could have mitigated the transmission of the virus, as well as the slow compensation for the health workers who died of COVID-19. “While I do not and cannot question the presidential prerogative to hire and fire his Cabinet secretaries and other political appointees not protected by the civil service law, it is kind of boring to see Secretary Duque pointing fingers at his subordinates and other people for his pattern of failures in running the DOH--and getting away with it each time,” Lacson commented.

Senator Lacson was one of the 14 senators who requested Duque’s resignation due to “failure of leadership, negligence, and lack of foresight” in leading our battle with this COVID-19 pandemic.

“If we do this, then the concerned country –

China in this case – might question why we’re not doing the same for all other countries that have reported cases of the new coronavirus. It’s very tricky… but we commit to take this into consideration.

SECRETARY FRANCISCO DUQUE III

SECRETARY