By Robert B. Roque, Jr.
In a private chat, I had one of my friends say, “Ang titigas talaga ng ulo ng mga Cebuano!” – which means “Cebuanos are really hard-headed.”
Before this intro becomes a regionalistic chiding, let me underscore that the statement was a quip from a true-blue “Bisaya” – an educator, at that – who was looking inwards to our collective being as Filipinos.
Of course, the context of that comment is anchored on last week’s executive order issued by Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia, which makes wearing face masks in outdoor settings optional.
Remember, this is not the first time that Gov. Gwen’s actions had been called out by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for running counter to the national government’s pandemic response directives.
She relaxed beyond national government standard Cebu’s policy on the entry of unvaccinated tourists and, at a critical point, protested as “very restrictive” the pandemic status assigned to the province when it was aimed to arrest a pretty bad outbreak.
So, if there’s anyone to contest the charge of being “hard-headed” or stubborn, it’s pretty obvious who that person is not – certainly not all Cebuanos, but the most powerful locally elected official.
Needless to say, the lady governor always acts with the best interest of her constituents at heart. But in this case, I’m with DILG Secretary Eduardo Ano on stopping her policy-breaking streak, especially since her order carries the cost of distortion in the Philippine National Police (PNP) chain of command.
Backing down is hardly in Gov. Gwen’s vocabulary, and that’s one of her endearing traits as a leader. Still, a good leader knows when to listen to the voice of wisdom, especially from disease experts who make science-based projections on the spread of COVID-19.
One such expert is Dr. Rontgene Solante, who says local experts and the World Health Organization believe that “this is not the time” to drop the policy on mandatory masking.
Considering this development in Cebu, Dr. Solante warned against copying the United States or Singapore on ditching the face mask. Unlike the Philippines, these two countries have already stocked up on Paxlovid and Molnupiravir – drugs used to prevent severe COVID-19 infection – and are ready to administer them to their constituents for free.
Over the weekend, OCTA Research fellow Guido David projected a “weak surge” in COVID-19 cases in two to three weeks in Metro Manila. He attributes this to the very same reasons cited by the Department of Health: the new subvariants, waning efficacy of the vaccines, low coverage of booster shots, and complacency in terms of the general public’s compliance with health protocols, including the wearing of masks.
Cebu is a beautiful place of wonderful people. And like many regional centers in the country, it has had its share of the worst COVID-19 outbreaks since 2020. There’s no returning the valuable lives lost, but there’s a chance at not losing any more by not rushing into standout policies against expert advice.
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