A total of 3,375 Covid-19 cases were logged by the Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday bringing the total number of infections in the country to 276,289.
Of the confirmed cases as of 4 p.m. of September 17, 63,408 (22.9 percent) are active cases, 208,096 (75.3 percent) have recovered and 4,785 (1.7 percent) have died.
The top regions with cases in the recent two weeks were National Napital Region (NCR) with 742 or 29 percent, Region 4A (482 or 19 percent) and Region 6 (249 or 10 percent).
To encourage more citizens to have individual self-discipline, especially now that there are reports of deliberate violation of health protocols set by the government and even flaunted on social media, the Department of Health (DOH) and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) formally inked their partnership with the private sector and local celebrities in the BIDA ang May Disiplina: Solusyon sa Covid-19 national advocacy campaign on September 16.
BIDA is part of the government’s quest for positive behavior change to drastically reduce cases and prevent further transmission of Covid-19 pandemic. B stands for bawal ang walang mask or not wearing of a mask is prohibited; I stands for i-sanitizeang mga kamay,iwashawak sa mga bagayo or always wash or sanitize your hands, and avoid touching things; D means dumistansya ng isang metro or maintain a distance of at least one meter from other people near you; and A stands for alamin ang totoong impormasyon or know the correct information and updates about the pandemic.
According to Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III and DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año the participation of the private sector and local celebrities in the campaign will significantly boost its cause and encourage more citizens to have individual self-discipline.
“Public-private cooperation is indeed an ideal solution to our present situation to defeat Covid-19 as it augments both local and national government’s efforts and resources,” Duque said.
Año said the highlight of the event is the signing of Memorandum of Agreement dubbed as “BIDA ang May Disiplina: Harnessing Private Sector Support to Defeat Covid-19.”
He said that even more laudable is that all the assistance extended by these companies in the said campaign are pro bono or for free.
“Hindi po matatawaran ang tulong na kanilang ibinibigay sa atin kaya lubos po ang ating pasasalamat.” he added.
Among the private sector entities lending their expertise and resources for the BIDA ang May Disiplina campaign are Ad Standards Council; Digital Out-of-Home, Inc. and Macgraphics Carranza International Corporation; and Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas.
Duque also expressed his gratitude saying, “Lubos po tayong nagpapasalamat sa ating mga private sector and local celebrities partners for their support. Kayo po ang tunay na simbolo na we can all BIDA solusyon sa Covid-19!”
Local Actress Regine Tolentino will be officially launched as one of the new female Disiplina Muna (DM) Ambassadors. Other ambassadors such as Diether Ocampo, James Deakin, Jiggy Manicad, and Paolo Bediones also graced the occasion along with Alden Richards, DOH’s BIDA Solusyon Ambassador.
Last September 2, 2020, Local Chief Executive DM Ambassadors such as Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, Baguio City Mayor Benjie Magalong, Dipolog City Mayor Darel Dexter Uy, and Ormoc City Mayor Richard were launched on Kuwentuhang Lokal aired on DZMM Teleradyo.