By Genalyn Kabiling

With the safety and welfare of Filipinos as the main priority, the government has readied an initial 100-day action plan, including enhancing the county’s healthcare system, to address the coronavirus pandemic.

Presidential adviser on the peace, reconciliation and unity Carlito Galvez Jr. said the government aims to "flatten the curve" or stop the spread of the infections and alleviate the suffering of the people amid the “vicious" disease threat.

Galvez has recently been designated by President as chief implementer of the national policy against the coronavirus outbreak.

"Nakita natin yung sa historical basis, puwede itong tumagal dahil ito ay isang pandemic. Wala tayong kontrol. Lahat ng mga bansa either US, China even Europe ay hindi nakapag-prepare kasi nga biglaan ito. (We have seen the historical basis, it may last longer because this is a pandemic. We don't have any control. All countries including the US, China even Europe were not able to prepare because this was sudden)," Galvez said over government radio.

"So 'yung preparation natin sa ating national action plan. Ang maganda po mayroon tayong national action plan na gagawin ay ano po ang atin dito 'yung first 100 days kasi nakikita natin hindi pa natin na-arrest yung mga cases ng pag-contaminate. 'Yung ang plano namin sa action plan. Ang pinaka-immediate talaga is to flatten the curve, arrest yung contamination (That's our preparation in our national action plan. We have a national action plan for the first 100 days because we have not yet arrested the cases of contamination. That's our plan. Our immediate plan is to flatten the curve, arrest the contamination)," he said.

To quell the spread of the new coronavirus disease, Galvez said the government intends to improve the capacity of the Department of Health (DOH) in terms of resources and logistics. Strengthening the DOH and the volunteers would facilitate effective healthcare for the coronavirus patients, he added.

"Ang first na trabaho po namin is to empower, to make DOH work kasi lahat po kinukuha na po namin ang logistics kami na ho ang nagsusupport para concentrated na ho ang ating mga bayaning mga doctors para mapaliit ang new cases. Para mapataas po ang recovery ng ating mga COVID patients at ang pangatlo po ay ma-reduce po natin ang deaths (Our first job is to empower, to make DOH work because we're getting all logistics to support them so our hero doctors can concentrate so we can lower new cases, increase recovery of COVID patients and reduce deaths)," he said in another radio interview.

Galvez recognized that the government must swiftly implement measures to address the coronavirus emergency since the national survival is at stake.

"Our focus is to save humanity. Itong health crisis na ito ay talagang napaka-vicious  at highly contaminated. Ang focus namin ngayon is mas mataas ang survival natin (This health crisis is really vicious and highly contaminated. Our focus now is our survival)," he said.

He added that the President wanted authorities to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus on the people and the economy.

"For the people to survive this crisis, for our economy to survive kailangan mabilis, gusto namin mapabilis kasi alam namin kapag umabot ito ng tatlong buwan o dalawang buwan, the economy will suffer, our people will also suffer. Ang gusto ni Presidente ma-alleviate ang suffering ng ating mga tao (we must act fast because we know if this lasts two or three months, the economy will suffer, our people will also suffer. The President wants to alleviate the suffering of the people)," he said.

War council

According to Galvez, the inter-agency task force for the management of emerging infectious diseases will act like a "war council" to the President amid the coronavirus emergency. 

He said the IATF will be the policy-making body in dealing with the latest public health emergency. The task force is currently chaired by the Department of Health (DOH) with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) as members.

The National Task Force COVID-19, on the other hand, shall serve as the operational command to be chaired by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. The task force vice chair is Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año.

"Itong pong National Task Force COVID – 19 under kay Secretary Lorenzana at Secretary ng DILG ito po ang mag iimplement ng lockdown (The National Task Force COVID-19 under Secretary Lorenzana and DILG Secretary will implement the lockdown)," he said.

(Ito po ang mag iimplement na dapat tayo nasa home quarantine lahat ng mga tao. Ito rin po ang mag iimplement ng mga tinatawag nating mga check point at ito rin po ang mga implement sa mga LGUs na kailangan tulungan nila ang lahat ng kanilang mga constituents (They will implement to ensure all people are on home quarantine, implement the checkpoints, ensure local government units are helping their constituents)," he said.

Galvez, former military chief, said he will be "third man" in the operations command.

"I will make sure that all the directives issued both operational and political will be implemented by our group," he added.