THE City Government of Baguio can be accused of many things, alleged shortcomings and perceived errors in the administration of local governance. But it can never be accused of failing in its mandate to fully inform the public about the real situation with respect to the Covid-19 pandemic and the implementation of measures to prevent, contain, manage and mitigate the effects of the virus.
In fact, this has been the oft repeated advice of City Mayor Benjamin Magalong to his city managers as they continue to tackle the pandemic head on and discuss various ways and means to address it.
Come to think of it, with an unexpected and unprecedented crisis of enormous proportions striking most parts of the world the value of reliable and accurate information has reached a critical peak and of top level priority in terms of necessity if a government or country is to remain afloat and survive the Covid-19 catastrophe. By having reliable information governments and countries will have a better grasp of the real situation on the ground and will be placed in a better position to study and evaluate measures needed to resolve the problem. Now in terms of the public being provided with true and accurate data and information it can only mean reinforcing their trust and confidence in the system of governance being applied to them.
The need for transparency then coming from the government, especially during this time of continuing crisis, must be made an integral part of the so-called "new normal" if a government is to succeed in its endeavor to put an end to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Here in the city, we can only reiterate that from day one of the virus outbreak in the country, Mayor Magalong already declared that the people of Baguio have to be honestly and truthfully informed about the real Covid situation in the locality and the steps being taken to address it. This is vital in the collaborative effort to combat the dreaded disease. Anything less than that will invite the suspicion that something is being kept hidden away from the prying eyes of the public and will just degrade the trust and confidence reposed upon the authorities.
By being made fully aware of the situation the public, and not only the government, will be better equipped to grapple with the challenges and difficulties ahead and this is where better collaboration and partnership is established between the public and private sector.
At this time of the crisis, everyone will need the help of everybody else if we are to get a glimpse of that so-called light at the end of the tunnel or the silver lining behind the cloud. Transparency can be equated with effective management since everyone who has been made fully aware of the situation can be deemed to be on the same page and wavelength as everybody else. This facilitates any proactive steps to be undertaken and diminishes or avoids confusion and lack of any coherent and reasonable response.
A good and effective crisis manager, like what the City Mayor is doing right now, is able to engage and empower everyone below him so that there is a concerted effort towards one unified and uniform objective or course of action.