LAST Tuesday, the National Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) confirmed that Benguet will still be under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) until May 15, 2020. I had been at the command post for a month now, and yes, another 15 days more. But, it’s okay. Everything is getting in its place eventually.
I must admit, there had been a lot of confusion on the ground when implementing the orders of the IATF provided for by the national agencies. We started with directives from the Department of Health (DOH), establishing municipal IATF, and the initial incident management team. Suddenly, the imposition of ECQ caused the issuance of various circulars, especially of the DOH and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) simultaneously. The effects, I want you to know right now.
Remember English 101 lesson on the “plot of a story”? The part where we analyze a story from its beginning, middle, and end, characterized by the exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, and the resolution? It’s happening, true to life, right now, in the Covid-19 pandemic.
The exposition, the introduction, basically is the identification of front liners after the first announcement of the Covid-19. In the first weeks, the DOH has already ordered the creation of a task force that shall serve as the main characters in fighting the then called nCoV. In the municipality, the MHSO lifted off with the operations. That was when there was no case in the Philippines yet.
“The conflict” started when a Covid-19 case was reported in the Philippines. While it is true that there was a created IATF, the DOH and DILG were simultaneously giving directives, thus, the problem, the protagonist was no longer identified. Let’s mention some of the examples; while there was no case yet, the checkpoints were strictly manned by Local IATFs, when suddenly, the DILG issued orders that only the PNP are authorized. It adds up some hurt to those who want serious security in their community when another order was enforced allowing food product trucks to go and fro. Oh, Benguet, for sure, can be easily entered by vegetable truckers, with this, and the virus too.
Then the rising action begins when there are already confirmed cases in the locality. Many things are happening in this part now. Notable ones, I would refer to, could be Relief operations that made some ranting in the social media. The Social Amelioration Program too started to cause fights against the government. The unbelievable part is, they almost forgot about the real enemy, until when some confirmed cases arise.
Yes, the locality had almost a 19-day no-case record. We thought the virus is contained until nurses and front liners begin testing positive in numbers. But this is not the climax of the story yet. There was a projection I was able to learn that the Cordillera Administrative Region is yet to experience the worst case. Accordingly, the real thing, the climax, might happen by the second week of May. Until then, the falling action should start, and, with strong prayers, decisive local officials, and a very good incident management team led by our energetic incident commander, sir Bartolome Baldas Jr., it will end with a happy resolution.
We work as one. We heal as one. Stay safe!