Tackling the pandemic at the barangay level
Ialways had the belief that there can be local solutions to problems that are national, or even worldwide, in scope. Localize the problem, localize the solution. The coronavirus pandemic is undoubtedly overwhelming when viewed from a worldwide and national perspective, but effective ways to tackle the health crisis and resulting economic upheaval should emerge by “localizing” the gargantuan problem and subjecting it to sharper focus.
Of utmost importance to “localizing” efforts are the country’s local government units consisting of 82 provinces, 146 cities, 1,488 municipalities, and 41,931 barangays. And of all these LGUs, it is in the barangays where tackling the coronavirus is most crucial.
President Duterte indeed got it right when he stressed the vital role of barangay leaders. “I have articulated here time and again, in case of emergencies, in case of mobilization, the role of the barangay captains cannot be overemphasized,” he told a meeting last March of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases in Malacañang.
Everyone ought to be concerned about the crucial role of the barangay government as barangay citizens pay real property tax and other barangay, municipal or city, and provincial taxes, as the case may be.
The barangay government gets a monthly or quarterly share from the National Tax Allotment, real property tax, and financial support for non-barangay budgeted programs and projects. For 2020, the Department of Budget and Management said the share of the 41,931 barangays around the country totaled R129,784,249,200 to be distributed equitably to them following a formula in the Local Government Code. A barangay can have a range of 2,000 to 400,000 population.
In times of calamities, natural or man-made, the barangay government is very critical and strategic in providing immediate response, rescue, and rehabilitation work as it is the level of government that immediately sees the problems and can provide immediate solutions, which can be facilitated, harmonized, and enhanced by the municipal or city government to which it belongs, and the provincial government which has jurisdiction over it.
To be effective and efficient in fulfilling its functions, each barangay government ideally must have a barangay database which can be tailor-fitted to specific situations, aside from being a barangay general information system.
For COVID-l9 mitigation measures, the information system will come in handy if there is a barangay database which must contain the following data: List of household/ families actually residing in the barangay, their addresses, number of members of each family or actual occupants in the house or address, age of each member/occupant and relations, status of each person, work or profession, and presence of PWDs.
The barangay government, thru manual or digital means, must gather data – whether daily, or twice or once a week – on the presence of COVID-19 suspected, probable, and confirmed cases in the barangay. Those suspected and probable must immediately be placed under home quarantine, observe all health protocols, and be given the opportunity to consult a doctor, through telemedicine, and given prescription via digital platform. Where self-quarantine is not possible, such as in depressed areas, a quarantine building must be made available, either per barangay or cluster of barangays.
When mass testing is feasible, the barangay government must inform and rally households to have their members tested by the government.
The barangay COVID-19 database will also be useful in finding out whether all social amelioration measures being provided by DSWD, barangay, or city government are actually received by qualified barangay residents. Such may be validated against the list of barangay households and the information may clearly indicate residents’ receipt of these measures or support.
The widespread complaints regarding payments of the Social Amelioration Program can be easily addressed through the updated barangay database that forms part of the barangay general information system.
With the impending move to gradually lift community restrictions and classify more areas in the country from enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) to modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) and general community quarantine (GCQ), it is essential that barangays are capable of controlling the spread of the coronavirus after lockdowns are eventually lifted.
With the capacity of the coronavirus to travel at lightning speed in this age of globalization, doing everything to prevent a flare-up of cases is of utmost importance. The barangays are at the forefront
of preventive efforts. And barangay leaders should ensure their constituents follow preventive measures like wearing face masks in public, social distancing, and observing personal hygiene, especially washing hands with
soap and water as often as possible.
Indeed, local solutions are essential to addressing the worldwide dilemma of the coronavirus.
finding.lina@yahoo.com