Planning makes the difference

WHILE we are inclined to accept the provincial government’s performance in containing the spread of COVID-19 as successful, there is no reason to be complacent and rest.

As we focus on contact-tracing and watching our borders today, our provincial government should prepare for the new normal which includes preparing for future waves of COVID-19 contagion. It is along this line that we laud the Espino administration’s decision to establish the province’s own laboratory to process tests of suspected COVID-19 cases, among persons under investigation and monitoring.

As our experience today has shown, the turnaround time for confirmation of test results is largely dependent on the capacity of an accredited hospital in the region. It is ironic that while the Pangasinan’s population is deemed bigger than two provinces combined, not a single hospital in the province has been accredited.

So, anticipating the continued spread of the COVID-19 and other viruses, the provincial government must begin to plan to address the need for permanent facilities to serve as quarantine and evacuation centers. Both facilities are already indispensable if we are to avoid disrupting public services each time a crisis hits.

If there is one critical lesson to be learned from this pandemic, it is making our national and local governments realize that planning, forward thinking and vision are what we sorely lack. While we are a resilient people that can easily cope with emergencies, this trait is no longer enough to make us move forward steadily.

It’s time we invest more time, more minds more resources for planning to serve a vision.

 

Suffering seafarers

IN his interview of two seafarers just days ago, broadcast icon Noli de Castro was shocked to learn that the two belonged to hundreds of overseas Filipino workers still stranded in either ships docked at Manila Bay or hotels in Metro Manila.  “Nino,” a seaman arriving from San Diego, California, has been at the ship for 20 days and “Mike,” returning from Miami, Florida, has been living in a hotel for 28 days.  Hundreds more are virtually languishing in their “hell holes” after undergoing Covid-19 tests since their arrival.  Alas, the test results, which normally are ready in two days at the most, had yet to be released—accounting for the poor seafarers’ extended “incarceration.”  Who is at fault but the OWWA under the Department of Labor and Employment.  While President Duterte is doing his damned best to contain the pandemic impact, some, if not many, of his men are sleeping on the job. Crack the whip, Sir!

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