WV touted as ‘model’ in war on COVID-19

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

National Task Force (NTF) on COVID-19 Chief Implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez hailed the efforts of local chief executives in Western Visayas in keeping the rates of confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients low.

Galvez was in Iloilo on June 2, 2020 upon invitation of Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas. He also held a meeting with local chief executives of the region.

Also present in the meeting were Governors Arthur Defensor Jr. of Iloilo, Samuel Gumarin of Guimaras, Esteban Evan Contreras of Capiz, and Rhodora Cadiao of Antique.

During the meeting, Galvez said he was impressed by the unity of the local chief executives in fighting COVID-19.

“What I saw here was the good partnership within Region 6. I regularly talk to Mayor Treñas. I’m here with the other governors in the region today, and I am thankful that for the preparations done by Region 6. You wouldn’t be able to reach the [Modified General Community Quarantine] if your performance wasn’t good,” Galvez said.

He said his impression was also based on the report given by Department of Health Center for Health Development-6 (DOH CHD-6) Director Marilyn Convocar.

Dr. Convocar reported that the region has had 113 confirmed COVID-19 cases, wherein 72 percent, or 81 patients, have already recovered.

Galvez and the NTF team also turned over 2,000 units of Personal Protective Equipment to the DOH CHD-6 yesterday.

They also visited the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) in Mandurriao, Iloilo City.

The WVMC is the first COVID-19 testing laboratory in the region to be fully accredited by the DOH central office and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).

 

After the visit, Galvez said he will report to President Rodrigo Duterte his impression on the region’s fight against COVID-19.

 

“We saw how well-prepared Region 6 is. I am so happy that I will be reporting to the President that Region 6 is one of our models, where we saw the active [COVID-19] cases going down,” Galvez said.

 

 

‘THE BETTER NORMAL’

During the opening of their meeting, Governor Defensor said that the present situation showed “the better normal”.

 

“In the past few weeks, we were able to work well, especially in facilitating our returning Overseas Filipino Workers and Locally Stranded Individuals, because of our partnership in the Regional Task Force. Right now, more than two months after the Enhanced Community Quarantine and General Community Quarantine, we are now under a Modified General Community Quarantine,” Defensor said.

 

He said that the MGCQ was “a new chapter”, which consisted of measures that could have been done a long time ago.

 

“We just entered a new chapter where our work is different now. Right now, incidence, transmission and distribution of COVID-19 in Panay and Negros Occidental is low because we worked hard to achieve it. We will push it. We have transitioned to a new regime of quarantine procedures, as well as to a new life, called ‘the new normal’, which we noticed is even better. Things we could have done before, like social distancing in public transport, we could’ve done that a long time ago,” he said.