PR
METRO MANILA, (30 October 2020) — “In all crises — whether man-made or natural calamities — leadership is key.”
This has been the guiding principle of National Task Force against COVID-19 (NTF COVID-19) Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. as he has helped lead the government’s battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Crisis is like managing the unknown and it is imperative that we have to effectively communicate the government’s policy direction at once,” Galvez said during a webinar today hosted by the International City/County Management Association – University of the Philippines National College on Public Administration and Governance (ICMA UP – NCPAG).
As a former military man, Galvez shared his experiences in the Armed Forces of the Philippines which honed his leadership skills: the 1989 coup attempt; Typhoon Ondoy in 2009; the Zamboanga siege in 2013; the Marawi siege in 2017; and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
People-centric responses
The virtual forum, attended by local and foreign leaders coming from diverse fields which included Vice President Leni Robredo, aimed to highlight the importance of leadership during crisis situations, and to share best practices which can be adopted.
“Our strategy is centered on being nationally-managed, LGU-led, and people-centered during the first phases of our pandemic. But now we reverse it: we make it first as people-centered, then LGU-led, and last nationally managed,” Galvez explained.
The chief implementer was referring to the National Action Plan against COVID-19 (NAP COVID-19), the national government’s blueprint on how to prevent the spread of the disease and mitigate its impact on the nation’s economy.
Pasig Mayor Victor Ma. Regis “Vico” Sotto, who was also among the forum’s participants, agreed with Galvez, saying that the city government is focused not only in localizing the NAP, but also changing the mindsets of people by utilizing people-centric approaches.
“So it’s a matter of not just consulting the people per se, but also a matter of renewing mindsets as we push for this kind of change on more inclusive and participatory governance, or a more people-centric approach,” Sotto said.
Localization of NAP
Galvez explained that the national government enforced stringent measures during the first phase of the NAP, such as lockdowns in order to contain the further spread of the disease and avoid a major spike in cases.
In the plan’s second phase, the government allowed the gradual reopening of the economy, as it adjusted policies and protocols to enable business establishments to resume their operations since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Now on its third phase, Galvez said the NAP aims to create an equilibrium between protecting the public’s health and breathing life into the nation’s economy, while sustaining the gains of the earlier phases.
And in order to make the plan more responsive to the socio-political situation in the Philippines, the NTF decided to localize the plan in which LGUs can implement measures and recalibrate them based on the actual health conditions in their communities.
“Mas maganda po kasi ‘yong mayor at barangay captains, sila po ‘yong nanduon sa baba. So what we did is really to localize the response up to the barangay level. On this level, the people can now feel the presence of the government,” Galvez said.
Lessons learned
Galvez mentioned four takeaways during the seven months he has served as chief implementer of the government’s national declared response against COVID-19.
“First is to continuously provide strategic focus in a fast-changing dynamic environment,” he said.
“Second is the government’s ability to unify and inspire everybody to join the fight in a people-centered approach from the beginning to end. Third, we must be bridging leaders,” Galvez said.
The last lesson, he said, is how the National Capital Region (NCR) has emerged as a perfect example of how to balance people’s health and the economy.
“We are very thankful that we have leaders who bonded themselves as brothers, and make decisions collectively to protect the lives of their people,” Galvez said.
