WHEN the National Capital Region sneezes, the Philippines catches a cold.
More than a year battling Covid-19, the NCR remains the arena, especially with the emergence of the more contagious Delta variant. The logic comes from the region’s character as the center of commerce, finance and politics; where policies on the economy and health emanate.
In their concerted efforts, Metro Manila’s local government units (LGUs) fight as one to defeat the coronavirus. Local officials emphasize these efforts are under the guidance of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging and Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) and the National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19. While they adhere and follow the guidelines of the IATF-MEID and NTF, each LGU has its own approach.
“We try to make it our own in order to address the needs of San Juaneños right away. We also partner and work together with different agencies that will help us in our fight,” San Juan City Mayor Francisco Javier M. Zamora told the BusinessMirror.
Valenzuela City Mayor Rexlon T. Gatchalian’s view echoes Zamora’s.
Gatchalian told the BusinessMirror they come up with different strategies in response to the health crisis since the challenges experienced during the pandemic vary in each locality.
“Whatever the local government realm dictates, we act accordingly and provide for what our constituents need, especially during this time that we have to break the chain of infection within the city,” he said. “What one city needs may not be the same as what Valenzuela needs because magkakaiba kami ng pangangailangan sa aming nasasakupan [we each have different needs in our territory].”
Measures taken
ACCORDING to these officials, responding to any natural or man-made catastrophe is integrated in every locality in the country.
Be it a typhoon, earthquake, volcanic eruption, fire, or explosion, the city government or the municipality is always on the frontline to respond to these exigent conditions.
However, the Covid-19 pandemic shocked nations weeks after the outbreak was first reported in Wuhan, China, on December 27, 2019.
“Ang unang pumasok sa isip ko noong unang una palang na nangyari ito last year, syempre nag-worry ako,” Gatchalian said. [Of course I got anxious when I learned about the pandemic.]
“There was some point na uncertain ako kung anong mangyayari bukas kasi bago to ‘eh,” he added. [I was uncertain as to what will happen the following day because this is something new.]
So, he said, they just followed orders emanating from the national government.
This was one of the many “firsts” they did in accordance with government policies, such as having a localized targeted mass testing, as well as setting up a “Mega Contact-Tracing Center,” or MCTC, and multiple isolation facilities.
The Philippines was initially considered a laggard in terms of response compared to its neighboring countries when the pandemic started to hit globally in January 2020. Gatchalian conceded that “all have a fair share of lessons learned from the pandemic, though I don’t consider having a major ‘misstep’ from it.”
“The local government of Valenzuela, from Day 1, tried everything in [its] arsenal for [its] Covid-19 response. We didn’t skip anything,” he explained. “It may not be perfect. But we did learn along the road. Everybody learned from the whole battle.”
Angle of attack
VALENZUELA’S angle of attack holds true for the LGUs of San Juan and Muntinlupa.
“For one, we have better and faster mass testing now,” Zamora said. “And we also added new quarantine facilities to augment our existing ones.
The San Juan chief executive added they have also enacted different city ordinances—new normal ordinance, wearing of face masks and face shields, anti-spitting—that have helped in curbing the number of infections in the city.
Instead of general lockdowns, the mayor noted their imposition of granular or localized lockdowns in places with high cases.
“This allowed us to minimize their movement, keep others safe and still keep other areas open for business,” he said.
Similarly, the LGU of Muntinlupa, through its City Health Office (CHO), has intensified its detection, isolation and treatment strategies to prevent the virus from infecting more of the residents, according to Mayor Jaime R. Fresnedi.
“For communities with alarming rise of confirmed Covid-19 cases, the local government of Muntinlupa has imposed localized lockdown in a bid to prevent further transmission,” Fresnedi said.
Restrictions, responses
JUST like any emergency response, handling a crisis as immense as the Covid-19 pandemic needs an all-encompassing strategy from detection to surveillance and treatment.
“We’ve always said that our approach has to be consistent in the application of protocols, from Day 1—whatever the protocols the national government gave us we followed it to the dot; and even up to now we are still following it. [The b]ottomline is: we implement restrictions just like how [these are] written,” Gatchalian said.
The mayor pointed out that when somebody in Valenzuela is showing symptoms, has an exposure to someone who tested positive, or needs further medical attention, the city government will take care of the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing at its very own molecular laboratory. Called “Valenzuela Hope,” this facility initially processed 500 samples a day; now it’s 700 daily. The lab even processes samples from neighboring cities to help ease the workload of the Department of Health (DOH).
On the other hand, the Muntinlupa LGU has continued swabbing persons under investigation facilitated by the CHO, to ensure the safety of the public from being infected by the virus.
Meanwhile, the testing facility at the San Juan gymnasium has not ceased in conducting swab tests of local residents suspected to be Covid-19 patients or persons under monitoring—those showing symptoms or had had close contact with Covid-19 patients—since it began operating last year. The facility can test up to 2,000 individuals per day.
Contact tracing
TRACKING down possible coronavirus carriers in Valenzuela are 200 contact tracers. These locally-funded personnel call persons whom the positive Covid-19 patients had a close encounter with prior to testing.
Aside from contact tracers, San Juan City, meanwhile, also has a team that handles the LGU’s Covid-19 hotline. This team handless all queries about the illness as well as monitor the patient’s condition.
Contact tracing is now more efficient because of innovations.
In Muntinlupa, tracing close contacts was also strengthened using Staysafe.PH, the contact tracing application approved by the national government. Valenzuela’s very own QR-code system called “ValTrace” helps a lot in the surveillance of people who are likely coronavirus carriers, as well as in vaccination registration.
Currently, Valenzuela has a consortium agreement with Pasig City, Mandaluyong City, Antipolo City and the Municipality of Taytay for use of the QR-code system in their respective locality.
A strict “No QR Code, No Entry” policy is implemented in enclosed establishments in Valenzuela, as well as in workplaces, churches and government offices in Muntinlupa.
With regards to isolation, San Juan City has four quarantine facilities, to date, namely: the San Juan Medical Center’s Charlie Ward; the Kalinga Center; the San Juan National High School/PNP Quarantine Facility; and, the Bahay Kaagapay, for a total of 301 beds. To encourage Covid-19 patients to make use of these facilities, the LGU also provides financial assistance of P3,000 each, apart from the provision of food, medicine and vitamins.
Helping hand
VALENZUELA strictly prohibits home quarantine, except for people who are bedridden and those who have other medical conditions. Hence, it requires a bigger network of isolation units.
At present, it has around 14 facilities, with a total of 1,300 beds and provisions of everything needed by the confined patients.
“We just have to keep on setting up our facilities for Covid-19 response. These facilities have always been there so whenever we might need it, which is hopefully hindi na magtagal (not for long), [these are] always ready to be used,” Gatchalian said.
The local chief executive pointed out they have their own laboratory, own contact-tracing center and uses the digital platform for QR code contact tracing.
“Not to mention we also back this [system] up with our city ordinances,” Gatchalian said. “That’s how we do it.”
Financial aid
AKIN to other crises, providing relief assistance to the people and business establishments gravely affected by the pandemic is a top priority of both the national and local governments.
This could be in the form of food provision, cash assistance, jobs generation, loans and tax exemptions, among others.
Since the enforcement of the enhance community quarantines in Metro Manila and other areas with high Covid-19 cases last year, each family in San Juan has been extended with food packs of up to 16 waves, per Zamora’s order.
He added that the LGU has also provided alternative livelihood to those who have been jobless during the enhanced community quarantine and lockdowns through the “Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers,” or “Tupad,” program.
“The local government also facilitated the inclusion of Muslim traders and other micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) owners in San Juan to receive financial assistance from the Department of Tourism and the Department of Trade and Industry.”
Overarching concerns
IN Muntinlupa, food packs were distributed to displaced workers affected by retrenchments and the halt in business operations when lockdown measures were imposed.
To help achieve food security while under the pandemic, the city government said it entered into an agreement with the Department of Agriculture and the University of the Philippines (UP) Los Baños campus to strengthen an urban gardening program and launch the local edible landscaping project.
Further, the LGU launched its “Gulayan sa Lungsod ng Muntinlupa” program. It tapped the Department of Science and Technology and the UP Institute of Plant Breeding for the training of communities on SNAP [simple nutrient addition program) hydroponics training to promote urban agriculture.
“The city aims to revive urban agriculture and urban farming as a response to augment food security amid the Covid-19 pandemic,” Fresnedi said.
Because constituents need regular livelihood means to financially support themselves or their families in these trying times, he said the city’s Tupad program provides emergency employment for displaced workers, including transport drivers of tricycles, jeeps and pedicabs for a minimum period of 10 days.
Around 500 city residents, including returning overseas Filipino workers, who have lost their jobs during the community quarantine period, were registered to work for a delivery service provider. Also, a stimulus employment program engaged displaced seamstresses to make face masks and personal protective equipment that are distributed to local health workers and the general public.
Relief package
FOR enterprising individuals, Muntinlupa City provides P5,000 financial assistance to out-of-work youth, students and out-of-school youth who have started their own businesses during the lockdown,
The local government also provides entrepreneurship trainings on financial literacy and leadership, among others. Muntinlupa officials said MSMEs continue to enjoy a zero-interest loan assistance (“Tulong Negosyo” program) ranging from P2,000 up to P150,000. It also provides a 3-month extension of repayment period for borrowers with existing loans from March to June 2020.
Through its Public Employment Services Office, Valenzuela City continuously accommodates a couple of applicants and referring them to companies with vacancies, preferably people that were displaced due to the pandemic.
Gatchalian said they are currently working on a tax-relief package for operators and/or owners of barber shops, spas, personal care and gyms. He added that for those businesses usually affected every time a lockdown is imposed, “we are now coming up with a relief package wherein it may not be given to them in cash but rather it would be given to them in relief.”
“We understand that MSMEs are hurting that’s why we need to provide the economic relief that they need,” the local chief executive added.
Winning slowly
COMPARED to the first time when the ECQ was rolled out in Metro Manila and other high-risk areas nationwide mid-March last year, things were different with the implementation of the NCR-Plus Bubble from March to April and the ongoing community quarantine: this time, business activities have continued though at a limited scale.
Hence, the country’s economy rebounded in the second quarter and posted a level of growth not seen in over three decades, according to data released last August 10 by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Gatchalian said that, surprisingly in Valenzuela, there was just a gradual decrease in the number of businesses last year at 19,842 from 19,895 in 2019. He attributed this to the LGU’s ease-of-doing-business platform called “Paspas” [rush] permit issuance.
“This system has been utilized during the business renewal season per quarter in 2020 where the city managed to get at least near to 3,000 accounts now using the system compared to when we launched it,” Gatchalian told the BusinessMirror. “It is one way of providing our business taxpayers with the convenience of using online payment options with the community quarantine in place.”
Hence, the mayor said, they were still able to hit their business-tax target for 2020.
“Remember most of our industries here in Valenzuela City are in manufacturing and factories,” Gatchalian noted. “Most of these industries are essential in nature so they were operating ever since.
Assurance, certification
IN a bid to increase compliance of private establishments with minimum public health standards (MPHS) set by the national government, Muntinlupa has launched its safety seal certification program.
This initiative ensures the public that an enterprise is strictly implementing MPHS in their stores and workplaces, such as proper wearing of face shields and face masks, and disinfection. The certification program also requires businesses to use the StaySafe.ph contact-tracing system.
Fresnedi urged private business owners to apply for the safety certification as, he said, it helps assure the public that their establishment adheres to health protocols.
And this will be vital for the safe reopening of the economy, he added.
For Zamora, keeping the businesses open amid the pandemic helps San Juan City’s economy to recover.
He recently signed Executive Order (EO) 81 that encourages the vaccination of all employees of businesses that are allowed to operate in the LGU, whether or not said employees are residents of the city. Once the employees are fully vaccinated, their store will get a “100-percent Vaccinated Approval Seal.”
Meanwhile, EO 82 or the San Juan City Vaccine Incentive program urges enterprises that are allowed to operate in the city to provide whatever incentives or discounts they can give to customers who are vaccinated.
“The city hopes that these will make customers feel safer when they shop and/or eat inside the establishment,” emphasized the local chief executive. “So far, businesses are starting to recover from last year’s dip in sales due to lockdowns.”
Run–up to immunity
AS the nation grapples to achieve herd immunity or inoculating at least 70 percent of the country’s population, Metro Manila LGUs are also doing their share to help attain this national goal.
Just recently, San Juan City announced that it has already attained this objective after fully vaccinating 74.4 percent of its target population. As of August 9, the LGU has fully inoculated 98,590 individuals. The number exceeds the target based on the PSA’s 2020 census (where 70 percent is 88,443) and the Asian Development Bank’s projected population of the city at 92,759. Meanwhile, 147,421 local residents have received their first dose in the city’s three vaccination centers.
The recorded active Covid-19 cases in the city have stood at 315, with 9,388 recoveries and 234 deaths.
During the same period, Muntinlupa reported that the total number of vaccines administered in the city’s 16 inoculation sites has already reached 353,802. More than half (54.9 percent) or 211,808 of the 385,725 target population to be inoculated have received at least one dose of vaccine, while 146,353 (37.9 percent) are now fully inoculated.
Since August 10, the LGU has posted 1,072 Covid-19 active cases, 14,357 recoveries and 397 casualties.
In Valenzuela, the number of doses of Covid-19 jabs administered at its 17 vaccination hubs has aggregated to 406,285 as of August 7, of which 246,200 were first dose and 160,085 were second dose. Of the 476,000 residents targeted to be inoculated, 52 percent and 34 percent have received their initial and second shots, respectively.
As of August 9, there have been 842 active cases, 21,368 recoveries and 575 deaths in Valenzuela.
Doubling up
METRO Manila mayors believe that the Covid-19 vaccination is the “game-changer” in the fight against the pandemic.
“We believe that as long as we continue to vaccinate more people at a faster rate, we will be able to experience some sense of normalcy over the next few months as the country reaches herd immunity,” Zamora said. “This is why we are very persistent in improving our vaccination process so we can vaccinate more individuals per day; and are coming up with different plans to encourage more people to take the vaccine.”
Gatchalian remains hopeful.
“With the rise of the new variants, we don’t think that this [pandemic] will end sooner,” the local chief executive told the BusinessMirror. “But we are hopeful that we get to double up the vaccination progress in the local level so we can reach herd immunity.
He believes that vaccination will always be a key to gradually end the pandemic.
“Right now I think the bigger challenge would be trying to convince 100 percent of our population to be inoculated,” Gatchalian said. “But now, it is getting better.”