INDEED, reason comes to age as it passes simple to complex apprehension, reasoning and judgment.
So does the decision-making process of Bacolod City government in dealing with Covid crisis.
Casting away old practices of imposition and deception in pursuit of the trickly route of participatory governance, its decision came after series of consultations with major stakeholders, especially the basic sectors, small and medium businesses, medical community, and the church sector.
The city government decision to keep the present curfew from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m., strengthen the enforcement of health protocols, expand the RT-PCR (reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) tests, and calibrate the vaccination campaign – is more sensical now as it continues to give the Bacolod people and those transacting business in the city a wider breathing space to recover from the economic devastation of covid.
I am not alluding to the provincial government’s move to return to stricter quarantine measures. Such a move may be justifiable, sensical in some aspects, but it can also be debilitating to local economy and social life of people.
Imposing stricter inbound travel measures seems effective. It can also intensify local enforcement of health protocols, monitoring and preventing local cases and transmission. It should also intensify medical prevention actions in every LGU to the barangay, focusing on strengthening citizens’ immune systems utilizing popular and effective local herbs and oriental medicine systems.
So, there is no need for stricter control of citizens movements and restricting business activities, like longer curfew and the scary atmosphere and the intimidating police, tanods’/force multiplier’s behaviors at checkpoints, especially those in remote towns.
Bacolod’s move is more sensical as it is now giving more weight to the local economy recovery, spurring business activities, creating new livelihood opportunities, and gearing for better delivery of basic services – without relaxing on anti-Covid campaign, and at the same time improving the police and local enforcer’s relations with citizens.
The improved performance of the Bacolod City Inter-Agency Task Force under Vice Mayor Elcid and the increased participation of the business sector, the CSOs/POs/NGOs, the Diocese of Bacolod and the efficient and effective responses of the medical community have contributed to the more sensical management of Covid crisis.
I know there are more and better responses to be done, but for as long as the decision-making process of the city government is more participatory, down to earth and sensical, its responses will continue to reap gains.
The much-hyped bragging of the political geniuses, brilliant operators and business wizards from the province that they could run Bacolod better is nothing but hot air–filled public relations operation tied to the next electoral exercise.
If they are truly concerned about arresting the pandemic, local economy and the welfare of the people, they should instead offer their best minds, skills and talents to help improve the conditions of Bacolod City and the province.