BAGUIO CITY – Vice Mayor Faustino A. Olowan urged the public to help the local officials in coming out with the guidelines governing the upcoming transition of the ongoing enhanced community quarantine and the lifting of the same so that policy makers and decision makers will be guided on coming out with future decisions on the matter.
He underscored that the inputs from the public will play a vital role in guiding the local officials to come out with the appropriate decision on how to undertake the transition period so that there will be no abrupt lifting of the quarantine that could create more problems for the local government instead of having gained sufficient ground in the fight against the spread of the Corona Virus Disease (COVID) 2019.
The presiding officer of the local legislative body claimed that local officials are willing to listen to the clamor of the people on the advantages and disadvantages of the ongoing Luzonwide enhanced community quarantine that is why people should not be afraid to come out in the open and voice out their issues and concerns which should be addressed by the concerned local officials or the heads of government agencies tasked to implement programs, projects and activities related to the implementation of the transition period.
According to him, the inputs from the public is important to serve as their concrete basis in the formulation of whatever guidelines that will be applicable in the local level in time for the transition period once the Luzonwide enhanced community quarantine will be lifted to guide everyone not to flock to the city and create more problems that would ruin the gains that had been achieved during the quarantine period.
The vice mayor asserted that the public should not be afraid in giving out their negative insights on what is currently happening where the same must be accompanied by their suggestions and recommendations on how to improve the prevailing situation once the quarantine period will be lifted.
He admitted that there are some concerns that might have been passed upon by the barangay and city officials on the prevailing situation that is why it is incumbent upon those who are aware of the situation on the ground to bring the same to the attention of the concerned government agencies and the local government for appropriate action and for them not to wait for the situation to worsen before calling the attention of all those who are concerned.
Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte declared the entire Luzon under an enhanced community quarantine upon the recommendation of the inter-agency task force on the management of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases to enhance the government’s overall campaign to fight COVID and subsequently placed the country under a state of calamity to allow barangays and local governments to access the use of their quick response funds to provide the needed relief assistance to the people that have been heavily impacted by the virtual stoppage of economic activities in their places.
The Luzonwide enhanced community quarantine is expected to end on April 12, 2020 but the inter-agency task force is currently studying recommendations to either extend the lockdown or gradually lift the same so as not to ruin the gains of the enhanced community quarantine that will create more problems than solutions to the local governments in the future.
By Dexter A. See
