"The implications are tremendous."
"The implications are tremendous."
Copies of Resolution No. 11 series of 2020 dated March 12 of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease were already circulating in various chat groups before President Rodrigo Duterte went on air on March 12 to address the nation on the New Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19).
This resolution contained the inter-agency recommendations to the President in order to address the disease the biggest of which is the lockdown of the entirety of Metro Manila. Thus, there were loud whispers about the impending lockdown. When after more than two hours of delay President Duterte finally addressed the people, he merely read and translated to Filipino the contents of the resolution that, as of Thursday (March 12) afternoon was signed by Secretaries Francisco Duque (Health), Año (Interior and Local Government), and Guevarra (Justice).
I would have wanted Duterte to delve more on what his administration is doing and will do (outside of the lockdown) to address COVID-19. For instance, I would have wanted to know the specifics of how government will prevent the spread of the disease in various poor and congested communities in the country; how the livelihood of affected ordinary and poor workers will be protected; government plans to acquire much needed commodities that have disappeared from suppliers and groceries like: Masks especially for health providers who, in helping others, risk getting the disease themselves, alcohol, and hand sanitizers; when government expects to have more testing kits; how government is fast tracking the process so the test kits developed by University of the Philippines scientists can be used; and, how government plans to address the huge economic losses caused by COVID-19.
Outside of what has been said by the President, it would have been more complete and inspiring if he explained these things, too.
Still, locking down Metro Manila is a huge undertaking. More importantly, this will change how we in the metro live our lives in the next month at least. The major rationale for the lockdown is social distancing to prevent the rapid widespread of COVID-19. The plan prevents unnecessary travel to and from Metro Manila.
Specifically, according to Duterte:
• sea and air travels are banned;
• congregating is prohibited;
• staying home is strongly encouraged;
• work from home is encouraged;
• classes are suspended so home study till the end of the school year will be the norm;
• the Executive Department will only have skeletal force to perform the work;
• the Legislative and Judiciary Departments will need to come out with their own plans on social distancing;
• Filipinos coming from outside the country are welcome to come home (but if air travels are banned, I wonder how this will be done);
• MRT, LRT, and PNR will remain operational but social distancing will be observed;
• based on the resolution local government units may declare their own lock downs, and
• the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines together with LGUs and Barangay Captains will implement these measures.
There were many gaps in what Duterte said which immediately gave rise to questions on very specific situations in terms of implementing the Metro-wide lockdown. Will workers who live outside of but work in Metro Manila be allowed in and out? What about the delivery of supplies needed like food? Will workers who get paid daily but are asked to not report get paid? If not, will they be helped by government since businesses are expected to incur significant losses?
To respond to these questions, Cabinet members went on air and clarified things. Some of the things they said were:
• workers from outside but work in the Metro will be allowed in and out provided they present proof such as company identification cards;
• delivery of supplies to the Metro will be allowed (but there is no word yet on deliveries from the metro of commodities needed outside of it); and
• provincial buses will still be allowed in and out but social distancing must be observed.
There will be checkpoints that will check if people can be allowed in or out of Metro Manila. Because this will be done on an individual basis, expect long lines and delays. I hope traffic would be lighter to compensate for this. I hope, too, that PNP and AFP personnel will respect people’s rights as they go about managing the checkpoints.
What became evident after Duterte’s address is the fact that the guidelines for the implementation of the lockdown are yet to be developed. This, to me is a big let-down. The inter-agency that came up with the resolution should have already formulated the guidelines before the President faced the nation. The absence of such guidelines brought (and bring) about speculations and many questions that could have been prevented.
These guidelines must be made public before the lockdown officially starts on March 15 to prevent confusion and further disinformation.
As the lockdown is implemented, our lives as Metro Manilans will change. I hope this succeeds in containing COVID-19.
Moreover, as government implements this and addresses the disease, we should all prepare for the huge economic implications of the lockdown. Production of goods and delivery of commercial services will definitely suffer a big slump as people choose to stay home. This can lead to further lay-offs; unemployment can go up significantly. Government needs to be ready. First and foremost, workers and the poor must be assisted.
As we try to avoid getting COVID, we should already prepare for the difficulties that lie ahead beyond the lockdown. Let us, in whatever way we can, help those who need help.
Locking down Metro Manila has tremendous implications. We need government to lead the way, in a responsive and comprehensive manner, in responding to the lock down’s impact.
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