‘CHALLENGING AND DIFFICULT’: Iloilo leaders describe the year that was and visions for 2021

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

 

2020 was one heck of a ride for the city and province of Iloilo after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hit the world.

Before the first case even reached the shores of Panay Island, local governments of the city and the province instituted the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), patterned after the lockdown schemes implemented by the national government in Manila.

The way of living of the Ilonggos changed from that moment, as many public and private establishments closed down, and most people, if not all, stayed in their homes, due to the threats of the virus.

Many lost their jobs, and some relied on aid to survive.

Currently, the city is under the General Community Quarantine (GCQ) while the province has been under Modified GCQ since October.

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas and Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. talked to Daily Guardian on Wednesday to give their assessments on what could be the most challenging year in local history.

For Defensor, 2020 has been “difficult” as COVID-19 was something new for the country and the world.

The governor said it is hard to describe the situation in one word.

Still, Defensor said the province did well amid the pandemic because of the “prompt” actions of the provincial government against COVID-19, such as collaborations with local and national officials as well as the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.

He issued Executive Order No. 28 on Jan. 23, which provided for mechanisms to be implemented on the Iloilo International Airport in Cabatuan and mobilization of barangay volunteers in monitoring travelers from COVID-hit countries.

As of Dec 29, the Provincial Health Office reported that the province has 3,027 confirmed cases including 272 active cases, 95 deaths, and 2,660 recoveries.

The figures include 2,336 (77 percent) locally-transmitted cases, 427 (14 percent) Locally-Stranded Individuals (LSI), 229 (8 percent) Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROF), and 35 (1 percent) Authorized Persons Outside of Residence (APOR).

“2020 has been difficult for all of us. We are facing a problem that we are confronting for the first time, and this is a new experience for the Philippines and the whole world in the past 100 years, this COVID, so we were preoccupied with that. But if you look at our situation with COVID-19 and go back to the 10 months which we worked on, we can say that our performance has been good,” Defensor told Daily Guardian.

Treñas, who was whisked to the national spotlight because of Iloilo City’s response to the pandemic and his quotable outbursts, admitted that the year has been “challenging”.

He echoed Defensor’s sentiments, saying that this pandemic was something he had not experienced since he started public service as city councilor in 1986.

Data from the Department of Health-Western Visayas Center for Health Development (DOH-WV CHD) indicated that as of Dec. 29, the city logged 4,652 confirmed cases, with 116 active cases, 149 deaths, and 4,386 recoveries.

The mayor added that the newness of COVID-19 was the most difficult part, as the city government did not know the extent of the disease and how they would be able to respond.

He said that once they had knowledge of the disease, they knew what to do, but stopped short as other emergencies may still arise amid the pandemic, such as natural calamities.

“I have been in local government since 1986. I have not experienced anything like this, up to this year, and I could have never imagined what the city went through before this happened. The hardest part was because we couldn’t understand what this is, and how we were going to handle this, until such time that we saw what we needed to do, and everything became easier for us. But even then up to now, we continue to find situations where we need to quickly decide on what to do,” Treñas told Daily Guardian.

 

 

GOOD PARTS

Despite the pandemic, local leaders still found some “bright spots” which they capitalized on.

Defensor took pride that some of the projects which they had put in place before the pandemic were accomplished albeit differently.

These include the “Limpyo Iloilo” projects which consisted of cleanup drives and roadside clearings, and Tanum Iloilo, where they planted trees in Iloilo donated by the Capiz provincial government last July.

The province also fast-tracked its molecular laboratory at the Iloilo Provincial Hospital in Pototan, which was part of its regular budget, but had to be pushed aggressively to respond to the pandemic.

The laboratory was inaugurated last Dec. 18 and was given a license to operate by Dec. 23.

“What is good about 2020 is that despite COVID-19, we were able to do some of what we wanted to do in ordinary conditions. It means that we have continued to implement projects and programs, like Limpyo Iloilo, Limpyo GCQ, Limpyo Dalanon, those are just some of the many programs which we implemented even if there was COVID-19. So, that was what was good with 2020, we were able to conquer the problem, not only by controlling it, but to do what we need to do as the provincial government for the people. That, for me, is the proper view of the year 2020,” the governor said.

For Treñas, the pandemic was an opportunity to showcase the collaboration by the city’s sectors to keep it steadily afloat.

The city’s response programs, which were supported by the private sector, were featured in the national media as some of the “best practices” in response to the economic effects of the pandemic.

The mayor also touted the city’s doctors, which he coined as the “COVID Team”, in identifying and isolating confirmed COVID-19 cases in the city.

The city also inaugurated its molecular laboratory in Molo district in November, delayed from its target opening in July, which the city government says could test up to 300 specimens within 24 to 48 hours.

“First of all, I think we were able to show everyone that Iloilo City can work together and move as one. Second, our COVID Team has been doing a great job identifying, isolating the positive cases. Another good thing that has happened to us, we had trained [Medical Technologists] now because of the Iloilo City Molecular Laboratory and we can test and have results right away,” the mayor said.

 

 

LOOKING FORWARD

The two leaders also shared their visions for 2021, which are still anchored on responding to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aside from their continued COVID-19 response, Iloilo province also has projects lined up, such as new slaughterhouses, repairs on provincial roads and building new road networks, and continuing environmental projects particularly in the management of forest and water resources.

Defensor also shared opening the Provincial Civil Defense Office, which aims to be an institutionalized office to respond to emergencies such as climate emergencies and public unrest.

The governor took the opportunity to call on the public to “continue their sacrifice” in setting aside their usual activities in the new year, so that the province may be able to contain the virus.

He said it would be better to stay home instead of pursuing non-essential activities so that they may lessen restrictions and get the province’s economy “back on track” for the “new normal”.

“Many are expecting, our national government and the world is expecting a surge in January, so we are continuing to ask our people to set aside their usual activities during the Christmas and New Year, to sacrifice, set aside, and have understanding because these times are different. We are facing a problem, and if we can stop ourselves and improve the situation in 2021, it would be better for us because we can already pursue the goals we have for the economy and the people of the province under in a ‘new normal’. More practically, we can lessen restrictions on the economy when our situation gets better,” the governor said.

The Iloilo City government, meanwhile, has its primary focus on the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines, in line with the national government’s goal of “100 percent immunization”.

The city government also has infrastructure projects waiting on the wings for 2021.

These include improvement of the city’s plazas through the 2021 local budget, with Mandurriao Plaza also being budgeted by the national government.

Improvements on the city districts’ markets, the proposed city hospital, and the legislative building, will be shouldered through a loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).

Other projects pipelined for 2021, which will be financed through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), include improvements on the city slaughterhouse in Jaro district, improvements on the Iloilo City Central and Iloilo City Terminal Markets, a new waste-to-energy facility, and a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.

Treñas called 2021 as a “year of consolidation”, pertaining to his aim to administer the vaccine to all stakeholders by the end of the coming year.

The mayor was recently named as the chairperson of the Committee on Vaccine Availment by the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), which has started to coordinate with national government officials this week.

Their goal is to get the vaccine available to the cities at the soonest possible time and speed up vaccination processes.

The city government has earmarked P200 million to buy the vaccines, but the mayor said that the budget may be increased should there be a need for them.

Local businesses have also expressed interest in buying vaccines to be administered on their workers.

“Well, 2021 is a year of consolidation. At the moment, the [LCP] is already talking to the national government so that, together with the [LCP], we can provide vaccines for everyone, because the national government’s plan is to have everyone, 100 percent immunization,” Treñas said.