(We yield this space to the statement of the Promotion of Church People’s Response due to its timeliness. – Ed.)
AS QUARANTINE descends upon the entirety of Metro Manila and some surrounding provinces, a chill of concern shakes through the body of our nation. We are wary. We are unsettled. We worry for the elderly, the poor, and the physically vulnerable. We have seen with our own eyes the vast inadequacies of the public health care infrastructure in the Philippines. We know we have dedicated doctors, nurses, and other front-line health workers. Still the great inequity between the few rich and millions of poor will be laid bare as the COVID-19 virus descends upon poor communities.
Peering into a future that we pray will not be ours, we admonish the Duterte administration that it will be morally reprehensible for the government to militarize their response to the looming and present COVID-19 health crisis. Now is a time for government officials to prove themselves. Both elected and appointed officials should demonstrate, at this hour of need, that they are fit for office. The usual politics of the elite — the ones that have once again brought our nation to midnight-hour preparations — deserve no place in the pandemic.
The government must ensure social safety nets. Hospital, medical, and testing services should be provided to ALL who are in need. Even as China built entire hospitals in a matter of weeks, we shudder at the recognition of how ill prepared we really are. Budgets must be allocated and swift response engaged to prepare with haste for the possible, nay probable, outbreaks ahead. Not only should the poor, elderly, and other vulnerable Filipinos be assured that they will be properly treated should they fall ill to a serious case of COVID-19, but front-line health providers and workers must also be assured of proper safety standards and government support.
Given the drastic measures of the Duterte administration, we call for the inclusion of civil-society groups in the decision making and monitoring of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. Public participation will lessen the fears of the Filipino people that COVID-19 will be subterfuge to limit further the democratic freedoms of our people. Such participation will also underscore an important adherence to the right of the public to access information in a timely and efficient manner.
The focus of our preparation should be on effective and efficient delivery of health services as well as general public wellness. COVID-19 may not, yet, have a curative anti-viral or preventative vaccine, but proper support treatment can greatly mitigate the strength of the disease and allow those sick their greatest potential for beating the illness. Making sure that the poor have food to eat, access to water, and basic soap as well as other disinfectants can go a long way.
The Church and the Filipino people will remain vigilant, even as we pray that this crisis will pass over our communities. Our government must rise above their usual self-interests and politicking to work for the welfare and survival of our people. They should rule with love rather than fear. Metro Manila residents need the soothing relief of knowing their doctors will be there for them, not threats of what will happen to them if they do not “obey.” This is a moment for swift and accurate planning, persistent and principled implementation, and widespread compassion for the most vulnerable among our people.
