Making changes in the IATF
>> Thursday, May 6, 2021
EDITORIAL
Some senators lasts week suggested that the
Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management Emerging Infectious Diseases, or
simply IATF, be abolished or comprehensively overhauled due to their inefficiency but Palace and IATF
spokesman Harry Roque said this was not a good move
to address the raging Covid-19 pandemic.
Even some top officials said there may be great deal of merit in it and that comprehensive changes to the IATF and the government’s overall approach to the pandemic should be carefully considered.
The “abolish the IATF” suggestion was first raised by Sen. Maria Imelda Josefa “Imee” Marcos, who said the effort against Covid-19 should be led instead by public health experts following a “true science-based approach.”
Indeed this should be the case. The IATF should be composed of medical experts, not aging military and police generals whose orientation is to fight crime, not diseases.
Senate President Vicente Sotto 3rd and Sen. Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros agreed with Marcos’ view. Sotto accused the current leadership of the Dept. of Health of “gross incompetence” in handling the pandemic, which as of Tuesday has resulted in 677,653 total cases of Covid-19 infection and 12,992 deaths in the Philippines.
But Roque defended the IATF’s handling of the pandemic, citing the country’s 86-percent recovery rate and lower number of deaths compared to other countries are “proof” of the IATF’s effectiveness. Roque also detailed a number of positive actions directed by the IATF in response to the current surge in cases, such as increasing quarantine and testing capacity as if these were the only top solutions to stop spread of the pandemic
On a comparative basis, as of Tuesday the Philippines ranked 129th out of 221 countries or territories in total cases per 1 million people, 30th in terms of cumulative positive cases, 32nd in total number of deaths, 118th in deaths per million people and 141st in Covid-19 tests per million people.
These figures are according to the well-known Worldometer Coronavirus Tracker, which compiles the data daily from official government sources.
The comparisons with other countries are a poor evidence of the IATF’s effectiveness or lack thereof. The coronavirus pandemic is a global crisis, not a competition.
The main reason why a change in the structure of the government’s pandemic management should be seriously considered is that the IATF has since the onset of the pandemic been placed in a role it was never intended to fill and, for all intents and purposes, usurps that of an existing government organization.
The IATF was conceived as an ad hoc planning and advisory body on emerging infectious diseases (emphasis intended), hence its name. Actual implementation and oversight of the plan would then be the responsibility of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) since the proposed Cabinet-level Dept. of Disaster Resiliency has not yet been created.
Even though many of the officials who make up the IATF are also part of the NDRRMC, shifting authority, responsibilities and resources to another body has undoubtedly led to delays and inefficiencies in the government’s pandemic response.
Another critical shortcoming of the IATF when compared with the existing NDRRMC is that the latter includes a substantial amount of representation and input from local government units, which, as we have seen time and again with every calamity the Philippines suffers, are absolutely vital to a successful response.
Making fundamental changes in relation to the IATF, whether that would involve abolishing it entirely or something less than that, is needed now as Covid-19 cases are drastically going up.
Observers point out changes should be implemented immediately in the IATF but these should be carefully assessed and applied. Let medical authorities and experts head the IATF, not former generals
After all, this is all about fighting a pandemic -- not a war against crime or insurgency.
Even some top officials said there may be great deal of merit in it and that comprehensive changes to the IATF and the government’s overall approach to the pandemic should be carefully considered.
The “abolish the IATF” suggestion was first raised by Sen. Maria Imelda Josefa “Imee” Marcos, who said the effort against Covid-19 should be led instead by public health experts following a “true science-based approach.”
Indeed this should be the case. The IATF should be composed of medical experts, not aging military and police generals whose orientation is to fight crime, not diseases.
Senate President Vicente Sotto 3rd and Sen. Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros agreed with Marcos’ view. Sotto accused the current leadership of the Dept. of Health of “gross incompetence” in handling the pandemic, which as of Tuesday has resulted in 677,653 total cases of Covid-19 infection and 12,992 deaths in the Philippines.
But Roque defended the IATF’s handling of the pandemic, citing the country’s 86-percent recovery rate and lower number of deaths compared to other countries are “proof” of the IATF’s effectiveness. Roque also detailed a number of positive actions directed by the IATF in response to the current surge in cases, such as increasing quarantine and testing capacity as if these were the only top solutions to stop spread of the pandemic
On a comparative basis, as of Tuesday the Philippines ranked 129th out of 221 countries or territories in total cases per 1 million people, 30th in terms of cumulative positive cases, 32nd in total number of deaths, 118th in deaths per million people and 141st in Covid-19 tests per million people.
These figures are according to the well-known Worldometer Coronavirus Tracker, which compiles the data daily from official government sources.
The comparisons with other countries are a poor evidence of the IATF’s effectiveness or lack thereof. The coronavirus pandemic is a global crisis, not a competition.
The main reason why a change in the structure of the government’s pandemic management should be seriously considered is that the IATF has since the onset of the pandemic been placed in a role it was never intended to fill and, for all intents and purposes, usurps that of an existing government organization.
The IATF was conceived as an ad hoc planning and advisory body on emerging infectious diseases (emphasis intended), hence its name. Actual implementation and oversight of the plan would then be the responsibility of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) since the proposed Cabinet-level Dept. of Disaster Resiliency has not yet been created.
Even though many of the officials who make up the IATF are also part of the NDRRMC, shifting authority, responsibilities and resources to another body has undoubtedly led to delays and inefficiencies in the government’s pandemic response.
Another critical shortcoming of the IATF when compared with the existing NDRRMC is that the latter includes a substantial amount of representation and input from local government units, which, as we have seen time and again with every calamity the Philippines suffers, are absolutely vital to a successful response.
Making fundamental changes in relation to the IATF, whether that would involve abolishing it entirely or something less than that, is needed now as Covid-19 cases are drastically going up.
Observers point out changes should be implemented immediately in the IATF but these should be carefully assessed and applied. Let medical authorities and experts head the IATF, not former generals
After all, this is all about fighting a pandemic -- not a war against crime or insurgency.
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