While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to loom over the Philippines, authorities and organizations continue efforts to combat the spread of the disease, such as the Department of Health’s (DOH) progress in case detection, government aid for those in need, and new quarantine guidelines.
As the nation continues to adjust to the outbreak, The LaSallian takes a look back at what transpired in the country this past week, including addressing persistent COVID-19 testing concerns, a tropical storm, and data transparency.
A ‘modified’ normal
Among the recent changes made is Metro Manila’s move from Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) into Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) to curtail the enormous stress that ECQ has placed on the national economy. Given the large percentage of new COVID-19 cases originating from Laguna and Cebu City, these areas were similarly placed under MECQ starting May 16 until May 31.
Such provisions entail less restrictive “stay at home” protocols compared to previous ECQ measures; limited outdoor activities such as jogging and biking are allowed, but wearing of face masks and two-meter distancing measures are still mandatory. Limited indoor gatherings are allowed at a maximum of five people.
Certain businesses like bookstores and hardware shops will be operational at 50 percent of their workforce’s capacity. Mall reopenings will be limited to “non-leisure activities”, while restaurants will only offer delivery and take-out services. Barbershops, gyms, and libraries will still remain completely closed even under the General Community Quarantine (GCQ).
Dura lex, sed lex
Prior to the new guidelines, controversy ensued last May 8 after National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Major General Debold Sinas had a birthday gathering with fellow officers at Camp Bagong Diwa.
On May 16, a formal case was filed by the Philippine National Police-Internal Affairs Service against Sinas and 18 other NCRPO officers for “not wearing a face mask when the entire National Capital Region is still under [ECQ]”. The case is currently under investigation, with Sinas ordered to submit a written explanation to the Nation Bureau of Investigation by May 20.
Safe travels
Regulations for travel have also been adjusted; the Ninoy Aquino International Airport was reopened for inbound international flights starting May 11. Up to 400 Philippine-bound Filipino passengers maximum are allowed to enter the country per day and will be subject to RT-PCR-based testing at the airport. The repatriated Filipinos will also be quarantined for a set number of days in government-accredited facilities until their test results prove negative for COVID-19. Domestic flights, on the other hand, are still strictly prohibited.
While air travel has been reopened to an extent, public transportation remains immobilized following MECQ guidelines despite a few exemptions. “Pwede mag-deploy ng mga shuttle buses iyong mga industriya na ina-allow na magtrabaho at saka subject din sa exceptions na ibibigay ng [Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)],” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque explained.
(Shuttle buses can be deployed by companies and other jobs subjected to the exceptions per the DILG.)
Additionally, tricycles will resume operations in select areas like Quezon City, following a one passenger only provision. Pasig City will follow suit on May 18. Another option for workers is to travel using private vehicles, limited to two seats occupied per row, or by foot.
Franchise in limbo
After being off the air for more than a week, the embattled ABS-CBN found some relief last May 13 as the House of Representatives approved, on its second reading, House Bill 6732 seeking to grant the media giant a temporary franchise until October 31.
For “inexcusable disrespect of its authority”—described by Legislative Franchises Committee Chair Franz Alvarez—the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) was ordered by the House of Representatives last May 11 to justify their cease and desist order on the media giant.
The following day, the NTC admitted its failure to notify the House of Representatives, explaining that ABS-CBN’s closure was considered “the best possible solution at that time”. The commission also argued that having an expired franchise, among other legal issues, would have “insurmountable obstacles” should they issue provisional authority, contradictory to an earlier promise to grant said authority.
Distributing aid
More than 50 areas shifted into the Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) last May 16 with corresponding work resumptions. As such, the COVID-19 Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) decided to re-allocate Social Amelioration Program funds from the MGCQ areas to areas that remain under either ECQ or MECQ until May 31.
“Limiting the coverage of financial assistance under the Bayanihan Law will be discriminatory and unfair to poor families in the provinces who are under GCQ,” Cagayan de Oro Second District Representative Rufus Rodriguez lamented. Cagayan de Oro is one of eight regions moved to MGCQ status.
Weather out the pandemic
Typhoon Ambo brought with it heavy rains and strong winds as it dragged northward through Visayas and Luzon. The typhoon complicated pandemic response efforts, as power outages struck entire provinces like Eastern Samar.
“Psychologically, the people are already struggling with [COVID-19], and now we have this typhoon,” lamented Eastern Samar Governor Ben Evardone. Northern Samar Governor Edwin Ongchuan, meanwhile, had to account for physical distancing measures—more buildings were used as evacuation centers for displaced residents, attempting to minimize close proximity transmission of the virus.
Inclement weather also disrupted testing, taking out of service Bicol’s only accredited laboratory for COVID-19 detection. The remaining 146 unprocessed samples will be shipped off to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Metro Manila.
Testing improvements
With 30 facilities certified for COVID-19 testing nationwide, daily tests in the country have ranged from around 6,000 to 11,000 this past week. However, IATF Deputy Chief Implementer Vince Dizon remained adamant that the testing capacity for the country must be increased to 30,000 tests per day by the end of May.
Additionally, hospital bed capacity to accommodate COVID-19 patients also grew from 12,929 last May 7 to 13,456 as of May 15, while over 44,000 beds have also been made available in temporary isolation facilities.
But while the number of facilities increased, health workers at the front lines dwindled; 1,431 healthcare professionals still actively have the disease as of May 15, while 35 COVID-19-positive healthcare workers have died.
Inconsistent data
Yet the DOH’s promising progress had been cast with a shadow of doubt as inconsistencies in their own records were unearthed by UP’s pandemic response team last May 12—516 individuals were recorded in wrong or imaginary cities; 75 cases changed their age, while one patient who was reported dead one day was reported alive on the next.
DOH issued an apology on May 13 and assured that such discrepancies were insignificant and “[do] not prejudice the overall interpretation of data and decision making.” Continuous improvement of their recording system and increased transparency were also promised, as the department announced collaborations with the World Health Organization on COVID KAYA—a phone application reporting system that automates data collection to minimize errors.
