The COVID-19 pandemic is not over. If a new variant threatens another surge, there are better ways to respond than ordering another lockdown.
The first mistake the next president can make is to act as if the Covid-19 pandemic is over. The new government will need to prepare for the possibility of new variants threatening more surges and provide better protection to vulnerable Filipinos, said Mendoza.
“If we don’t have any new variants, it is good for the world and that’s what we hope for. But we cannot base public policy on hope,” he said.
“Already, the scientists are saying there is no real evidence to suggest that this is all over, and that Omicron is the worst one that we will face. There is evidence that vaccination helped us withstand the Omicron surge and it will help us withstand any possible surges in the future.”
Mendoza, who was critical of the government’s response to the pandemic, welcomed the elections as an opportunity for a good reboot. A new president and secretary of health could make positive changes overnight if they learn from what went wrong and what went right over the past two years, he said.
He pushed for evidence-based policies, social protection for the most vulnerable, and making sure public funds are not lost to corruption.
If there’s one thing Mendoza wants to get rid of immediately, it’s Duterte’s harmful rhetoric during his midnight speeches. Do you remember when he downplayed the threat from Covid-19 and when he pushed for local cures and practices without scientific basis?
Vaccination will continue to be an important aspect of the country’s fight against Covid-19, but Mendoza said the next president would need to correct the inequitable distribution of vaccines and continued vaccine hesitancy in some parts of the country.
And should another surge hit the Philippines, the next president should know that there are better responses than ordering another lockdown, he said.
“Lockdown is a signal of failure,” he said, citing the government’s flawed framing of the pandemic as a trade-off between public health and economy.
“Hindi ito either or, pipili ka, ekonomiya o pandemya. Hindi. Parehong napakahalagang asikasuhin natin ‘yan dahil kung hinayaan natin 'yung ekonomiya, tataob naman tayo dahil mawawalan naman tayo ng trabaho’t magugutom tayo.”
(It’s not an either-or situation where you must choose between the economy and the pandemic. No. It is important to manage both. If we neglect the economy, we’re going to capsize, and people will lose their jobs and go hungry.)
“Kung finocus naman natin 'yung ekonomiya lang at nagbukas tayo pero wala namang confidence-building, hindi rin lalabas 'yung mga tao kasi kakabahan pa rin sila na vulnerable tayo to surge, vulnerable tayo to the next strain.”
(If we focus instead on the economy and open up without confidence-building measures in place, the people will not go out because they will worry about the next surge and the next strain.)
Mendoza said one policy that would make a difference would be social protection for informal workers. In case of another surge in Covid-19 cases, they are not forced to go out and work to provide food for their families even if they show symptoms, he said.
“Ang evidence coming out of other Southeast Asian nations is 'yung may mga formal jobs, usually maayos iyan e. Pero 'yung mga informal jobs, 'yung mga “No work, no pay”, walang mga kontrata, papasok at papasok iyan kahit may nararamdaman. At therefore hindi natin mako-contain 'yung sakit,” he said.
(The evidence coming from other Southeast Asian nations is that those with formal jobs are usually in a better position to withstand the pandemic. Those with informal jobs who have “No work, No Pay” arrangements and have no contracts with their employees, they will be forced to report to work even if they know they are showing symptoms. We will not contain the disease if this is the case.)