The government is succeeding in breaking down the silo mentality at work with the creation of various task forces, including those related to the pandemic response, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Tuesday.

Nograles has defended that the formation of the task forces has fostered better “synergy” and coordination among government agencies in addressing the health emergency.

Workplace silos usually occur when employees in different departments do not work together and fail to communicate with one another, hampering company productivity.

"Actually, with this fight against the pandemic, COVID-19, what it actually underscores and emphasizes is the need for these strategic task forces to really synchronize and coordinate efforts," Nograles said during a televised press briefing Tuesday, Feb. 22.

"Ang style of management dito sa administrasyon ni Pangulong Duterte is we’re breaking silos between and among agencies. And through the task forces that are created, we are able to create synergy and coordination ng efforts ng lahat ng mga agencies and departments involved,” he said added.

So far, Nograles cited the progress in the collaboration among government agencies with the help of task forces.

"We’ve been quite successful in breaking those silos and creating better coordination," he said.

"Imbes na nagkakaniya-kaniya ang iba’t-ibang mga departamento at kagawaran eh, whole of government approach po iyong ginagawa po natin dito sa Administrasyon ni Pangulong Duterte (Instead of the different departments and agencies working on their own, a whole of government approach is implemented in the administration),” he said.

Nograles made the statement after announcing the creation of two more task forces during President Duterte's meeting with the Cabinet Monday.

A new inter-agency task force will focus on implementing the government's National Employment Recovery Strategy (NERS) after the pandemic displaced many workers. The new group will be co-chaired by the Department of Labor, the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

The President also approved the creation of a task force that will supervise the relocation of former rebels in places with idle government lands. Duterte also directed agencies to identify idle public lands that are ideal for distribution to rebel returnees.

Among the recent task forces formed by the President are the National Task Force against COVID-19, the Department of Justice-led task force probing corruption in government,  Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger, National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict, Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force, Task Force Bangon Marawi, Inter-Agency Task Force on Federalism and Constitutional Reform, and Presidential Task Force on Media Security.