Bataan Gov. Albert Garcia exchanges notes with Secretary Carlito Galvez during IATF meeting with local officials. With them at the presidential table is Mariveles Mayor Jocelyn Castaneda.
MARIVELES, Bataan — Secretary Carlito Galvez, chief implementer of the national task force on coronavirus disease 2019, on Tuesday said that the country has to open up its economy despite the risks from the virus, emphasizing the need to protecting oneself and the good leadership of public officials.
Galvez was in in this town with other officers of the Coordinated Operations To Defeat Epidemic (CODE) and met with local officials led by Gov. Albert Garcia and Mariveles Mayor Jocelyn Castaneda.
“We can beat Covid, we can knock out Covid for as long as we obey the minimum health standard. Kaya natin ito,” he said.
He made himself as an example being exposed to the danger of contacting the dreaded disease but having his immune system strengthened. “I think we can beat this virus if we can protect ourselves,” the secretary said.
He was all praises for the governor and the mayor in their fight against Covid–19. “Para maging successful ang isang local government unit, very prominent is leadership. Kaya makikita natin why in Bataan it is so low in active cases. This is because of the leadership of the governor,” Galvez said.
He said that Castaneda almost shed tears because of the surge more than a month ago of the virus in Mariveles: “A municipality with 800 cases napakahirap but she was able to manage and bring it down to 120. Napakalaki ng nagagawa ng leadership.”
Bataan, he said, has brought Covid- 19 active cases down to almost 300, very low number compared to many places in the country.
He said that his team will study the “kindness station” of Castaneda and the “kusina sa barangay” as well as the free hospital billing of Garcia in helping constituents in the fight against Covid–19.
He said these are good innovative practices worth-copying.
Turning to the need to open the economy, the secretary said “may potential na malaki ang Bataan to contribute to our economy because it is an economic zone. Sa ating Phase 3, we need to open up despite the risk. We cannot lock down anymore because for every lockdown, malaki nawawala.”
“We have to concentrate on prevention and detection. The 85 percent of our work should be dedicated to prevention. People have to protect themselves to protect their livelihood and the economy,” he noted.
“Beat the virus and open the economy. If we will not open our economy, we will die from hunger. Mas marami namamatay sa ibang sakit kesa Covid. We cannot survive without our economy,” Galvez added.
He urged local government units to identify and appoint their own prevention, detection, testing and isolation czars to efficiently delegate responsibilities.
He said that one of the best practices of Bataan was its aggressiveness in terms of testing and isolation. Galvez considered testing very important, the virus being an unseen enemy. He said that testing and contact tracing are good weapons in the fight against the virus.
The governor said that he met Galvez more than a month ago when Bataan was problematic about the surge in Covid-19 cases.
“Nag-alok noon ng tulong si Secretary Galvez tungkol sa biglang paglobo ng virus sa Bataan at sa Mariveles at nangakong dadalaw. Pero nagagalak akong sabihin sa inyo na malaki na ang ipinagbago since that time,” Garcia said.
Per Monday night report of Dr. Rosanna Buccahan, chief of the provincial health office, Bataan has 2,552 confirmed Covid–19 cases with 329 active, 2,176 recoveries, and 47 deaths. There were seven new confirmed cases and 12 new recoveries.
CODE is a response initiative to give support to LGUs with limited capabilities and resources in order to mitigate localized transmission through enhanced surveillance strategy and expanded testing capacity. It is under the National Inter-Agency Task Force on Covid–19.
With the CODE team in Mariveles were Local Government USec. Jonathan Malaya, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong, Health ASec. Maria Francisca Laxamana, among some others.
Dinalupihan Mayor Maria Angela Garcia, president of the League of Municipalities – Bataan chapter, thanked the CODE Team for the visit.
