GOVERNANCE MATTERS
The government’s communications office has shared, on several media platforms, the contents of the National Action Plan (NAP) against COVID-19. The acronym could not have been badly done. But that is the least of my concerns.
The NAP may be diplomatically described as ambitious in scope and scale. It does not lack for goals that are stated rather ambiguously. NAP Phase 1 was unveiled in late March, or some three months after the first case of coronavirus was reported. An update – labelled “milestones” – was provided in the presentation, and its contents are unabashedly self-serving. It showed that NAP Phase 1, despite the odds, proceeded with few hitches, ably implemented by a government machinery working efficiently and quickly to meet the goals.
The Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) is apparently pleased with itself and its accomplishments that it announced on July 2 the approval of a second NAP, which it billed as NAP Phase 2. According to a government handout, NAP Phase 2 “aims to rehabilitate the Philippine economy while ensuring that the health system of the country will be able to cope with spikes in the number of cases as the economy reopens.” The handout added: “The overarching policy goals of the Philippine government now are not just one but two – to save lives and to ensure an economic and social recovery that can thrive in the post-pandemic era.” The plan’s implementation, however, has been derailed by the two-week return to a Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) in Metro Manila and key urban areas.
I’m sorry to say that the biggest weakness of NAP is its ambition. The plan is not grounded on the shifting terrain of a battle waged against an invisible enemy. It proceeds from the framework of conventional warfare when we are clearly engaged in guerrilla warfare that requires unconventional approaches.
The inefficiency and inflexibility of some government agencies have been the plan’s weakest links. The shoddy execution has resulted not only in wasted opportunities but wasted government resources. By relying on outputs instead of outcomes, it also encourages a false sense of accomplishment. Note that government officials keep harping on the number of rapid tests conducted, the increase in testing targets or the number of facilities built, rather than the overriding objective of flattening the curve.
A German military strategist is credited with the expression, “No plan survives first contact with the enemy.” The NAP seeks to fight the battle on two fronts. On the economic front, the outcome is disheartening and would indicate that NAP Phase 1 has failed to meet its goal of mitigating the pandemic’s impact on the economy.
In its second quarter report, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that the economy contracted by 16.5% from April to June, the peak of government’s severe lockdown. The sharp drop defied even the most pessimistic forecasts of sluggish single-digit growth. An international publication even described the economy as “now officially on its knees.”
This ushers the country into a recession, and a recession would mean harder times for millions of Filipinos and thousands of small and medium-sized enterprises.
The news is equally dreadful on the health front. NAP Phase 1 set out to “prevent, contain, and eliminate COVID-19.” Today, the Philippines is regarded as the epicenter of the coronavirus in Southeast Asia. We have displaced Indonesia, a country with a population of over 270 million. The number of infections continues to spike. Doctors and nurses are exhausted, and are being infected or dying from the virus. As a result, our hospitals are overwhelmed by new cases and the entire public health system’s capability to continue caring and treating the infected is under threat.
Government yielded rather reluctantly to a request from our frontliners for a two-week return to MECQ. It would be wise for the task force to use this period to review and recalibrate. I suggest they start by accepting one fact: government is not in control of the situation. The unseen enemy is redefining the terms of engagement almost on a daily basis. Government must be able to adapt quickly if it hopes to even catch up with the virus.
Government has chosen to ignore accepted leadership practice by refusing to accept responsibility and admitting that it has failed. Admitting failure leaves one unburdened by expectations and false assumptions. It is a signal to begin anew and see the situation with fresh eyes. Failure is a great teacher, but government must start by accepting that it has, thus far, failed.