Responsive governance requires responding efficiently and effectively to the needs of the ordinary Filipino. Due to the increasing numbers of COVID-19 patients, our healthcare system is already struggling and our hospitals are running out of beds, ventilators, isolation rooms, test kits and other essential medical supplies. At the same time, the country concurrently faces another issue – economic recession. The Philippine economy too is suffering as businesses close and movement of goods and people are limited as part of measures to slow the spread of the virus.
The inefficiencies of the government’s response plans and programs are amplified and made obvious by the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its repeated extension of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) for instance is one clear example of this. If it does not adapt to the situation, the country is unlikely to make it out of this pandemic without suffering tragically.
To respond to the needs of Filipino during the pandemic and our post-COVID “new normal” government must adapt to the situation and seek adequate solutions for societal issues in cooperation with private partners.
More initiatives such as the Department of Health’s Taskforce T3 (Test, Trace, and Treat) are needed. Taskforce T3 is a public-private initiative between the government, Asian Development Bank, and private sector participants such as AC Health and MPIC Hospitals, that aims to heighten the government testing capacity from 5,000 tests to 30,000 tests a day by May 30.
Eventually, the country will also be facing economic challenges due to the economic slowdown during the ECQ. To generate jobs and support local SMEs and industries, the government must again make the most of Public-Private Partnerships.
The government should remain open to partnership with the private sector on programs and projects such as its Build Build Build infrastructure project, since the benefits of these projects are cascaded across industries and classes.
Democracy Watch firmly believes that multi-sectoral partnership is key to effectively and efficiently respond to the needs of Filipinos during and after this pandemic. We hope that the government can adapt to its situation and that it seeks adequate solutions for societal issues in the nexus of public and private partnership.
Paco A. Pangalangan
Lead Convenor, Democracy Watch Philippines
Executive Director, Stratbase ADR Institute