SEC. ANDANAR: Magandang umaga po sa ating mga minamahal na kababayan sa loob at labas ng bansa. Muli ninyo kaming samahan, alamin ang pinakahuling balita tungkol sa COVID-19 dito sa Pilipinas. Ako po ang inyong lingkod, Secretary Martin Andanar ng PCOO. Good morning, Rocky.
USEC. IGNACIO: Good morning, Secretary. At mula pa rin po sa PCOO, ako naman po si Usec. Rocky Ignacio kasama ninyong aalam sa mga totoo at tapat na impormasyon tungkol sa mga hakbang ng ating pamahalaan laban sa nakamamatay na sakit na ito.
SEC. ANDANAR: Basta laging handa at sama-sama, kaya natin ito. Kaya naman halina at samahan ninyo kami dito sa Public Briefing #LagingHandaPH. Mamamaya ay makakasama natin si John Mogol ng Philippine Broadcasting Service sa pagkalap ng mga balita sa iba pang bahagi ng bansa; kasama rin sina Regina Lanuza ng PTV Davao at Alah Sungduan ng PTC Cordillera.
Samantala, balita muna tayo. Sa ikawalong pagkakataon ay muling nag-ulat ang Pangulo sa taumbayan at sa Kongreso bilang bahagi ng kaniyang weekly report ayon na rin sa Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.
Kagabi ay muling idiniin ng pamahalaan ang kahalagahan ng pagbabalanse ng ekonomiya at kalusugan ng ating bansa.
Sa unti-unting pagbubukas ng mga establisyimento at negosyo sa bansa, sinabi ni DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez na kailangang ipatupad ang minimum health standards at dapat magkaroon ng health declaration ang mga pumapasok na empleyado. Tanging ang mga suspected cases lang ang required na mag-PCR test na sasagutin naman ng PhilHealth o ng kanilang mga pribadong HMO. Sinabi rin ni Secretary Lopez na naglabas din ang DTI ng one billion pesos para sa micro financing ng mga MSME na may .5% monthly interest.
Sa naging ulat naman ni National Task Force Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. ay sinabi niyang tumaas ang kapasidad ng DOH dahil sa pagdami ng mga COVID referral hospitals sa bansa – mula sa apat, ngayon ay nasa 23 na. Umabot na rin sa 1,578 ang ventilators, habang nakapag-distribute naman ng 600,000 PPE sets sa buong bansa. Asahan daw ang kabuuang bilang na one million sets of PPEs sa katapusan ng buwan ng Mayo. Dagdag pa ni Secretary Galvez na mas papaigtingin pa ang contact tracing sa bansa sa tulong ng AFP at PNP at dadagdagan din ang testing capacity sa bilang na 30,000 test kada araw.
Nasa 97% naman daw ang SAP distribution ayon sa naging ulat ni DILG Secretary Ed Año. One hundred and eighty-three barangay officials ang kasalukuyang iniimbestigahan ng PNP-CIDG at 48 mayors naman ang pinagpapaliwanag dahil sa mababang accomplishment rating ng mga ito.
Kagabi ay binanggit ni Pangulong Duterte ang isang COVID-19 vaccine na ginagawa ng Moderna Biotech Firm na nagpapakita umano ng magandang resulta sa clinical trials nito. Aniya, maaaring maging available ang bakunang ito sa unang buwan ng taong 2021. Siniguro ng Pangulo na maglalaan ng sapat na pondo ang pamahalaan para agad na makabili ng vaccine kapag ito ay naaprubahan na.
USEC. IGNACIO: Samantala, pagtatayo ng quarantine facility sa bawat rehiyon sa bansa isinusulong ni Senator Bong Go. Mahalaga umano ang pagiging handa sa bawat sakuna at sakit na maaari pang dumating sa hinaharap gaya nalang ng kasalukuyang pinagdaraanan ng bansa dahil sa COVID-19. Kaya naman bilang tugon dito, inihain ng Senador ang panukalang Senate Bill 1259 o ang Mandatory Quarantine Facilities Act of 2020.
Ayon sa proposed bill, bukod sa pagtatayo ng mga pasilidad sa bawat rehiyon, kailangan din ang bawat quarantine facility ay naglalaman ng sapat na kagamitan gaya na lamang ng mga damit, pagkain, means of communication at kumpletong medical equipment. Dapat din na malapit ito sa mga DOH hospitals sa bawat rehiyon at nasa strategic locations para masiguro ang kaligtasan ng mga kalapit na komunidad.
Pangungunahan naman ng DPWH ang pagtukoy ng mga lugar na maaaring pagtayuan ng pasilidad at maging ang mismong pagtatayo nito sa pakikipagtulungan na rin sa mga lokal na pamahalaan. Mahalaga aniya ang pagkakaroon ng isolation facility sa bawat rehiyon para agad na maagapan at hindi na mauwi pa sa isa na namang pandemiya ang mga sakit na maaaring dumating sa bansa sa hinaharap.
At para naman po sa pinakahuling tala ng COVID-19 sa bansa, kahapon, Secretary, naitala ang dagdag na 224 COVID-19 cases sa Pilipinas sa kabuuang bilang na 12,942; 2,843 naman po ang bilang ng total recoveries matapos itong madagdagan ng 114 kahapon, habang 837 naman po ang kabuuang bilang ng mga nasawi na nadagdagan naman ng anim. Sa Metro Manila nanggagaling po ang mataas na bilang ng mga bagong kaso na ito.
SEC. ANDANAR: At patuloy at paulit-ulit po naming paalala: Huwag nang lumabas ng tahanan kung hindi naman kinakailangan, ugaliin ang pagsuot ng face mask at paghugas ng mga kamay, at laging panatilihin ang isang metrong layo mula sa ibang tao.
Para po sa iyong mga katanungan at concerns tungkol sa COVID-19, maaari pong i-dial ang mga numerong 02-894-COVID o kaya ay 02-894-26843. Para naman sa PLDT, Smart, Sun at TNT subscribers, i-dial po ang 1555. Maaari rin ninyong tawagan ang hotline numbers ng iba’t ibang ahensiya ng ating pamahalaan na nakikita ninyo sa inyong TV screens.
Patuloy po kayong makibalita sa mga pinagkakatiwalaang sources ng impormasyon tungkol sa COVID-19. Maaari po ninyong bisitahin ang www.covid19.gov.ph.
USEC. IGNACIO: Samantala, makakausap natin sa ating public briefing ngayong araw sina Police Lieutenant General Guillermo Eleazar, ang Commander ng Joint Task Force COVID Shield; Arlene Magtibay, ang Senior Vice President and General Manager ng Robinsons Malls; Mr. Joey Concepcion Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship; Graham Coates, First Vice President and Head of Megaworld Lifestyle Malls; at si Consul General Gina Jamoralin mula po sa Chicago, Illinois.
SEC. ANDANAR: Rocky, sa unang araw ng implementasyon ng Modified Enhanced Community sa Metro Manila, dagsa agad ang mga sasakyan at motorist sa mga kalsada. Marami na rin sa mga kababayan natin ang nagbalik sa trabaho kahit pa walang masakyan.
USEC. IGNACIO: Bukod pa diyan, dinagsa rin, Secretary, ng mga tao ang ilang mga malls sa muling pagbubukas nito; ang social distancing protocol ay hindi umano nasunod. Iyan po ang mga bagay na – tatanungin natin si General Eleazar – nagpasakit sa ulo ng ating mga kapulisan.
SEC. ANDANAR: Okay, para pag-usapan nga iyan, makakapanayam natin ngayon si Police Lieutenant General Guillermo Eleazar, ang Commander ng Joint Task Force COVID Shield. Magandang umaga po sa inyo, General.
GEN. ELEAZAR: Magandang umaga sa inyo, Sec. Martin, Usec. Rocky, ganoon din po sa mga nakikinig at nanunood sa inyong programa.
SEC. ANDANAR: Kitang-kita po ang mabilis na pagsikip na daloy ng trapiko sa mga boundaries ng siyudad at mga checkpoints sa pagbabalik trabaho ng ilan sa ating mga kababayan. Dahil na rin diyan, kumusta po ang pagbabantay ng PNP sa ating mga kalsada?
GEN. ELEAZAR: Sec. Martin, inasahan naman po natin na itong March 16, dahil nga from ECQ naging MECQ na tayo dito po sa Metro Manila at ibang lugar ay naging GCQ na, so inasahan natin itong pagdami ng mga tao at pati na rin mga sasakyan sa lansangan. Kaya nga po tayo sa ating checkpoint operation ay nagsagawa din tayo ng modified checkpoint so that we can accommodate itong pagririkisa sa mga sasakyan na hindi naman masasakripisyo itong pagbubukas ng ating ekonomiya dahil sa napakatinding daloy ng trapiko.
At the same time, iyon nga nakita natin na sa unang araw noong Sabado, weekend, katatapos ng suweldo so nagdagsaan ang mga tao sa iba’t ibang mga malls na in-allow na para mag-operate. At iyan ay na obserbahan no less than our SILG, si General Ed Año, at nagbigay nga ng direktiba para siguraduhin na hindi mauulit ito.
At base na rin sa atas ng ating Chief PNP Police General Archie Gamboa kahapon ay kinausap po natin itong mga security managers nationwide para paalalahanan ng mga probisyon na dapat nilang tupdin base na rin sa Omnibus guidelines at sa iba ang mga direktiba ng DTI.
At napakaganda po ng ating pag-uusap na naisagawa at nakita natin noong last Sunday at even Monday at kahapon ay nagkaroon naman ng improvement and observance of physical distancing. Pero ang ating police po ay patuloy na nagmu-monitor dito po, hindi lamang sa mga mall kung hindi sa similar establishment na hinayaan na ng ating pamahalaan na ito ay magbukas para po ibalik nga ang sigla ng ating ekonomiya.
SEC. ANDANAR: Tuluy-tuloy din po pagbisita ninyo sa mga checkpoints natin. May mga protocol pa rin po bang hanggang ngayon ay hindi nasusunod ng ilang motorista?
PLT.GEN. ELEAZAR: Mayroon pa rin po tayong naobserbahan na ibang mga motorista na hindi naman authorized ay nasa labas. But base sa report ng ating Highway Patrol Group, sa kanila pong mga random checking, siguro po sabihin natin mga 2% na lang iyong nahuhuli nila. Ibig sabihin, marami talaga po ay authorized na nasa labas at iyon po iyong challenge sa atin.
Kaya nga ang ginagawa po natin, dahil sa haba nga ng queue sa mga checkpoint natin, ginagawa natin iyong modified checkpoint. Meaning magtsi-check tayo ng mga sasakyan, proper checking pero kapag nakita natin na mahaba na ang pila, puwedeng i-release na natin siya freely and then after that kapag medyo maluwag na, magtsi-check ulit tayo.
At gusto nating ipaalam sa ating mga motorista na kapag tayo ay nagtsi-check, eh talagang kapag mayroong violation, iyan po ay atin pong kukumpiskahin ang lisensya at sasampahan ng kaukulang kaso para maging deterrence sa iba pang mga motorista na dapat hindi sila mag-violate; at the same time eh nandoon pa rin po iyong protocol na ginagawa natin.
So, we still have more than 4,000 quarantine checkpoints all over the Philippines at aside from itong mga mobile checkpoints na isinasagawa ng ating Highway Patrol Group.
USEC. IGNACIO: Opo. General, na-mention ninyo nga po na nagkaroon kayo ng pagpupulong with the mall owners. Ano po iyong guidelines na ipatutupad natin sa mga shopping malls at iba pang essential establishments bukod po doon sa no quarantine pass, no entry?
PLT.GEN. ELEAZAR: Opo. Unang-una nga po, mayroong mga guidelines na talagang binigay ang DTI at kasama doon na ang puwede lang pumasok, iyong maximum number na mga customers base sa computation noong floor area nila. So ito po iyong at least 2 square meters bawat customer, at kapag iyon po ay pumasok doon sa loob, iyon namang mga shop na bukas sa loob ay dapat mayroon ding maximum number na puwedeng pumasok doon, and at all times, anywhere in the mall or shops ay dapat po inoobserbahan iyong physical distancing at mayroong mga marshal naman itong mga malls.
Well, in fairness po sa kanila, naghanda naman po talaga kaya lang siguro nagdagsa. Kaya nga iyong additional na proposal natin na napag-usapan doon is that, dahil po ang Metro Manila, nasa MECQ tayo at only 1 member per household ang puwede lang lumabas to avail the goods and services provided by the permitted industries, so maganda na gamitin natin ito. Itong mayroong mga quarantine pass na siyang isa lang sa bawat household, sila lang po ang puwedeng pumunta doon. So itsi-check po natin sila and they should go to the mall in their locality or adjacent locality.
At the same time, maganda rin iyong sa parking area napag-usapan po natin. Kasi ‘di ba pagpasok pa lang sa parking area, itsi-check na natin. Eh dapat ang nandoon lang, isang member ng pamilya. Kung nakita natin na more than one iyan, tatlo o lima eh lakwatsa na iyan. So, puwede nating i-check doon at huwag na nating i-allow sila doon. So tandaan po natin na ito pong pagbubukas, na hinayaang magbukas itong ilang establisyimento ng ating pamahalaan, ito po ay para sa ating ekonomiya at hindi para gawin para sa paglalakwatsa.
USEC. IGNACIO: Opo. General, pero magtutuluy-tuloy po ba iyong pagmo-monitor na gagawin ng PNP sa mga malls at ikinukonsidera pa rin po ba iyong pagsasara ng mga malls sakali pong makitaan ng violation ang mga ito?
PLT.GEN. ELEAZAR: Yes, tama po iyon. Ang atin pong mga pulis sa lahat ng lugar ay nagmo-monitor dito sa mga malls and similar establishments na mag-observe ng physical distancing. At malinaw naman po ang direktiba ng ating SILG, at alam naman po iyon ng iba’t-ibang malls na kasama po sa provision iyon na pagbubukas nila na i-observe itong mga health protocols including the physical distancing. At kapag may nakita po tayo na mayroong kapabayaan, eh iyon po ay magiging ground natin para i-facilitate natin iyong closure ng mall na iyon base na rin po doon sa mga makukuha nating mga ebidensiya.
SEC. ANDANAR: General, mayroon na po bang update doon sa mga repatriated OFWs na tumakas sa quarantine facility?
PLT.GEN. ELEAZAR: Well, ang atin pong pulis ay nakikipag-coordinate naman po sa OWWA at saka sa concerned agencies regarding this, at patuloy po naman ang ating ginagawang paghahanap sa kanila. Iyon nga po, nagdagdag pa tayo ng mga personnel sa atas na rin ng ating Chief PNP para po magbigay nang tamang proteksiyon at seguridad sa mga lugar kung saan doon naglalagi ang ating mga OFW para aside from the protection eh iyon nga po, maiwasan itong pag-alis nila dito sa mga quarantine facility na ito na walang arrangement or paalam.
USEC. IGNACIO: Opo. General, alam namin na kayo po ay abalang-abala sa paglilibot dito sa Metro Manila at iba pang mga lugar, eh kasama rin iyong mga malls. Ano na lang po iyong mensahe ninyo sa ating mga kababayan, kasi talagang iyong COVID-19 ang kalaban natin dito?
PLT.GEN. ELEAZAR: Opo. Sinasabi po natin na ito nga po, ito na iyong pagkakataon na ipakita natin iyong ating kooperasyon. Subalit sa nakita natin noong mga unang araw, eh hindi po maganda at katanggap-tanggap, buti na lamang ito po ay nag-improve. Alam ninyo po at sinasabi nga natin, do not let the mall be the ground zero of the next wave of infection. So stop unnecessary movement, stop unnecessary travel and trips or visit dito sa malls and other places.
Lagi po nating tatandaan na sa atin po nakasalalay ito pong tagumpay ng ating programa. So, sa ngayon po dahil nga po napakaganda ng koordinasyon ng ating pulis with the mall managers, ang ating pakiusap na lang sa atin sa publiko eh sana po ay sundin natin itong mga simpleng guidelines na ito. At kung kayo po ay lalabas ng bahay at kayo ay authorized, laging mag-wear ng mask at laging i-observe ang physical distancing nasaan man kayo, anumang oras ito.
USEC. IGNACIO: Okay. Maraming salamat General Eleazar for always making time for us – mag-ingat po kayo lagi…
PLT.GEN. ELEAZAR: Maraming salamat din at magandang umaga po sa ating lahat. Mabuhay po kayo!
SEC. ANDANAR: Napag-usapan na lang din ang malls Rocky, kausapin na rin po natin ang isa sa pinakakilalang pangalan ng mall sa bansa, ito pong Robinsons. We have on the line Miss Arlene Magtibay, the Senior Vice President and General Manager of Robinsons malls. Magandang umaga po sa inyo, ma’am.
MS. MAGTIBAY: Magandang umaga Secretary Martin and Usec. Rocky at sa lahat ng ating mga televiewers.
SEC. ANDANAR: Ma’am marami pong kumakalat na mga pictures online tungkol sa alleged overcrowding ng ilang malls on the first day of the MECQ kung saan hindi na o-obserbahan ang physical distancing – ito po ba ay totoo o ito po ba ay fake news?
MS. MAGTIBAY: Secretary Martin, in the case of Robinsons, may mga kumalat na mga photos ‘no, sa social media. Pero ang mga ito ay fake news because these were old photos taken in one of our provincial malls na ginamit ng LGU para maging venue for the distribution of the Social Amelioration Package, at noong panahon na iyon ay sarado pa po iyong nasabing mall.
So we would like to correct that impression dahil noong unang araw po ng pag-MECQ ng ating mga Metro Manila malls, lahat po ng Robinsons malls dito sa Metro Manila ay naging very peaceful at naging very orderly po. Lahat ng ating mga customers and shoppers ay naging very cooperative in terms of social distancing, pagpapakita ng kanilang mga quarantine pass at pagsusuot po ng face mask.
SEC. ANDANAR: Sa Robinsons po Ms. Arlene, we are sure you also have to make certain adjustments in the guidelines. Anu-ano po ito exactly at how do you make sure that these will be strictly followed by the mall-goers?
MS. MAGTIBAY: Unang-una Secretary Martin, naglabas po tayo ng mall reopening guidebook para po sa ating mga retailers at ating mga restaurants. So dito po dinetalye namin kung ano ang kanilang mga preparasyon na dapat gawin in terms of making sure na iyong kanilang mga tindahan ay magkakaroon ng social distancing, mayroon pong mga visual cues ‘no. At sa ating mga restaurants dahil walang dine in, lahat pong kanilang mga tables and chairs ay pinasantabi po muna. And we also gave them guidelines on screening, the health screening of their employees and all the sanitation and disinfection that they will have to do.
Sa mall naman po, during the time of the ECQ marami po tayong ginawang paghahanda, lalung-lalo na po pagdating sa disinfection, sa deep cleaning ng mall, ng ating mga air-conditioning systems and most especially, napakarami po naming prinipare na mga visual cues, floor markers, reminders, posters, signages na kapag pumunta po kayo sa mga Robinsons malls, makikita ninyo po itong lahat ‘no sa ating mga elevators, reminders sa escalators na kapag pumunta po kayo sa mga Robinsons malls, makikita ninyo po itong lahat ‘no, sa ating mga elevators, reminders sa escalators. At iyong entry protocol po ay talagang pinapasunod natin according to the guidelines of the various government agencies. So no mask, no entry; kailangan magpakita ng quarantine pass; kailangan dumaan sa ating foot bath to disinfect your footwear; and we also do temperature checks; and we also have provided alcohol or sanitizer sa mga entrances.
So marami po tayong pinapatupad na mga bagong protocol; sabi nga po nila, this is the new normal. And we are trying our best to educate the public to adapt to this new normal.
USEC. IGNACIO: Ma’am, kasi isa po sa mga naging guidelines ng IATF ay iyong masiguro pong lilimitahan ang bilang ng mga pumapasok sa mall. Paano ninyo po masisiguro talaga na mahigpit na itong ipinatutupad?
MS. MAGTIBAY: Usec. Rocky, nag-deploy kami ng mga marshals or security guards ‘no, and for each mall ay iba iyong bilang nito. Kapag mas malaki iyong mall at mayroong malls na mas matao, then definitely we increase the number of the marshals to ensure that social distancing is observed. Lahat po ng aming mga malls ay naka-compute na po ang maximum carrying capacity. And I’m glad to inform you na so far lahat naman po ng mga malls ay they’re well within ‘no the maximum carrying capacity. So trained po iyong ating mga guards na kapag po marami na ang tao, like for instance sa supermarket, kung napansin ninyo matagal po ang waiting time kasi kinu-control po natin iyong bilang ng tao. There’s only a certain number based on the gross floor area of the supermarket and even (garbled) so hindi po maiiwasan na maghintay po ang mga tao.
USEC. IGNACIO: Opo. Ma’am, kasi alam po namin na kinu-consider ninyo iyong retail partners ninyo pero paano po kayo nakikipag-coordinate sa kanila to make sure na iyong pong proper health and safety protocols naman po ay naipatutupad at nasusunod?
MS. MAGTIBAY: Mayroon po tayong mga mall safety protocol officers na lumilibot po sa buong mall. And we do constant checking with our mall partners, iyong atin pong mga retails to ensure na iyon pong mga patakaran na pinapa-prescribe ng mall ay nasusunod. So there is constant monitoring that is being done.
SEC. ANDANAR: Iyong ini-launch ng Robinsons ang RPersonal Shopper, what exactly is this and how does this work?
MS. MAGTIBAY: Ito po ay isang service para po doon sa ating mga … mainly the restaurants which are just on delivery and take-out. So dalawang bagay po ito ‘no, maaari po kayong tumawag doon sa mga restaurant, at ang Robinsons po ay nag-partner with delivery service; ang restaurant po ay hindi na po mahihirapan na tumawag pa ng magdi-deliver at nandoon na po sa mall iyong mismong magdi-deliver, so napaka-convenient po.
And the other one is a partnership with an app based personal shopper kung saan magri-register po kayo, ida-download ninyo po itong app na ito, mamimili po kayo ng inyong mga bibilhin, you will be connected to a personal shopper who will do the shopping for you. So very convenient po iyan. And the items that you purchased will all be delivered to you. So iyan po iyong mga ginagawa natin para—yes, Usec?
USEC. IGNACIO: Follow up lang din po diyan sa delivery service in general. So paano ninyo po mas pinadali at ginawang mas efficient iyong delivery services ng ibang courier sa inyong mga malls?
MS. MAGTIBAY: Usec., nag-designate tayo ng exclusive parking area para sa kanila, para nasa isang lugar na lang sila at ito po ay libre ‘no, libre po iyong parking na iyan. So it’s very convenient for them.
Tapos mayroon din po tayong curbside pick-up para po naman sa mga customers na gusto pong mag-order online or tumawag, maaari po nilang pick-up-in iyong kanilang mga in-order curbside ‘no, sa tabi lang po ng sidewalk ng mall. So nandiyan po iyong convenience, kung ayaw po nilang magpa-deliver dahil malapit lang sila, puwede rin po silang pumunta sa mall, hindi na po sila kailangang pumasok sa loob kasi nandoon na lang po sa tabi ng mall ‘no, sa sidewalk po ng mall nila pi-pick-up-in.
USEC. IGNACIO: Okay. Maraming salamat po, SVP and GM Arlene Magtibay ng Robinsons Mall. Stay safe po, ma’am.
MS. MAGTIBAY: Thank you rin.
SEC. ANDANAR: Mahalaga rin ang partisipasyon ng private sector para maging matagumpay ang efforts ng pamahalaan sa pagpigil sa tuluyan pang pagkalat ng pandemya sa bansa. Kaya naman para pag-usapan iyan ay makakapanayam natin si Ginoong Joey Concepcion, ang Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship. Magandang umaga muli sa inyo, Ginoong Concepcion.
SEC. CONCEPCION: Hi, Martin.
SEC. ANDANAR: Since you launched Project ARK, antibody rapid test kits, ilan na po ang total rapid test kits at PCR equipment ang nai-donate ng Project ARK?
SEC. CONCEPCION: So ngayon dumating, I think, over Sunday or yesterday the rapid test kits. So they are delivering now all the rapid test kits to the 205 companies, the first 205 companies that ordered. So this is about close to 500,000.
Iyong PCR testing equipment namin, iyong auto extraction and iyong PCR, dumating din kagabi ‘no for about six government hospitals that we are helping. So ang tulong namin really is – from the private sector – to equip the companies who—by the way, all the rapid test kits are paid by the private sector; the employees are not paying; nothing is charged to government or to PhilHealth, so I’d like to make that clear. So all these testing will be done starting today, onward for the next two weeks. So we hope that many of these people, these companies will be able to finish that.
Now, the PCR test equipment that arrived last night, together with seven Chinese nationals who will install the equipment (garbled) able to do that. But with our help, that will increase the chances of them attaining that level of testing ‘no, Martin.
SEC. ANDANAR: Pagdating po naman kahapon ng PCR equipment sa bansa ay ngayong araw daw po inaasahang sisimulan ang pagse-set up ng automated laboratories which is also part of your project. Saan at kailan po expected na magiging fully functional itong mga dumating na equipment kahapon?
SEC. CONCEPCION: So ngayon, there are now bringing it to Cebu, Zamboanga at iyong isang sponsor namin, iyong LBC, tumutulong ngayon sa pagdi-deploy ng mga equipment na ito ‘no sa mga iba’t ibang government hospitals. Congresswoman Janet is the one running the project. She told me maybe she’ll try her best to get it out in about seven days. And the other areas, we will have a meeting Vince Dizon later on this afternoon to align on how the government will procure the test kits that are very important.
So, I think, maybe in two weeks, we should see this already running. And of course, iyong training ng mga medtechs nila ‘no, these Chinese nationals are here to train them in the use of the equipment, sa training so that will take some time.But the way Congresswoman Janet is working with the private sector, we are all really moving very fast and you can see how—and with the help of Secretary Galvez and Lorenzana, they made available the C-130. And also tomorrow, there will be another plane load – ito naman iyong mga equipment ng Red Cross at Ayala Groups, so na-arrange namin ni Congresswoman Janet.
Lahat ito pati iyong mga eroplano ng pribadong sektor, sumama na rin iyong Red Cross, so malaking tulong talaga ito na lahat ng government at private sector ay tulung-tulong para tumaas itong testing capacity ng RT-PCR, ng swab test.
Iyong rapid test naman, madali lang iyan – wala namang laboratory iyan, madaling i-execute. So that is being done right now, and we hope to get the first results by next week from the private sector companies.
USEC. IGNACIO: Opo. Sir, alam po namin tuluy-tuloy ang pag-iikot ninyo sa mga LGU to help them in COVID-19 testing. And so far, ang natulungan na po, ang Makati, Quezon City, Manila, Antipolo at Pasig. May target number po ba tayo ng LGUs na tutulungan ma-test? At sinu-sino po iyong mga LGU na susunod ninyo pang pupuntahan
SEC. CONCEPCION: So, iyong Manila natapos na rin at iyong Antipolo natapos rin. Nakita natin sa Manila ay medyo mataas iyong mga level of infection, pero sa ibang area ng Manila ay medyo mababa na rin. Pero iyong Antipolo ay nasa GCQ, nakita natin halos walang infection; mga tatlo lang yata diyan. Iyong Makati is ongoing; iyong Quezon City, today we have a presscon to announce the results; iyong Pasig is still ongoing; Taguig is still going to start.
So far, these are the—may iba’t ibang papasok rin, I don’t know … iyong chief, iyong si Ginggay Hontiveros is handling the LGUs. Pero aside from that, Martin, we are … Vince Dizon and MMDA and the mayors have agreed to do a zero prevalence test.
What does it mean? The 16 cities of NCR plus Laguna will be taking part of this study that we will measure the level of infection using rapid test kits. This is going to be supervised by PSRC, a research firm that will monitor and create the protocols on how we will do this research.
So, every month makikita natin kung nag-i-improve at tumataas ba ang level of infection or bumababa iyong level of infection. So, this will be done over a period of I think four months. Kung successful ito, baka lalaguin natin ito, buong Luzon and eventually, kung may mga donors pa baka kaya natin iyong critical areas within the Philippines.
That’s very important na itong testing na ginagawa natin, kasi by the end of month we are expected to move towards a GCQ and the more you open the economy kailangan mas lalago iyong testing mo, mas frequent, hindi lang once. Iyong challenge lang sa RT-PCR, the cost is about P4,000, some of them are even charging as high as eight thousand, so medyo mahal iyan eh.
So, our objective in—the reason why we have the government hospitals is, we want to see that the testing cost to go down. Iyong rapid test, P450 per test kit, iyong RT-PCR kapag charge ng mga iba, mga P4,000 iyan, hindi kaya ng private sector iyan per employees, so ang mahal noon. So, what we want to see is sana ma-approach natin halos kalahati ang i-target natin sa mga government hospitals. Kasi iyong mga equipment naman nila idino-donate naman namin sa mga government hospitals. So, we have to make testing not only accessible but affordable.
USEC. IGNACIO: Opo. Sir, mayroon lang po tayong question from Cedric Castillo from GMA 7: Yesterday daw po in a presscon, various medical organizations including the Philippine Medical Association are unanimous in saying rapid test kits are not reliable as back to work screening measures. In fact, sayang daw po ang gastos kung ito ang i-implement sa private at government offices – ano daw po ang reaction ninyo dito, sir?
SEC. CONCEPCION: You know, iyong private sector, itong mga may-ari, entrepreneurs ito, medyo matalino naman sila. Hindi naman sila … they’re not …they’re street smart, tingnan natin ito dito.
Sa PSG, ginamit ng PSG iyong rapid test kits, so they were able to identify positive. Pagpasok mo sa Malacañang, kailangan ng rapid test kits. So mismo iyong Presidente ay naniniwala siya sa rapid test kits. Iyong mga entrepreneurs, iyong may-ari ng Ayala, iyong may-ari ng SM, iyong may-ari ng Lucio Tan Group of Companies, lahat ng mga conglomerates pati kami, lahat ng malalaking corporation believe in rapid test.
Now, saan galing ba itong mga rapid test? Sa China. May rapid test now galing ngayon sa America. So hindi naman—these people are intelligent, iyong mga scientist, researchers. Matagal na itong mga rapid test, so proven na rin ito.
So why is it that they are exporting this and why are they using it in their own country and they were able to control the virus? So, these doctors if they have a better solution, what is the better solution? We can use the PCR pero kung—may capacity ba tayo? Eight thousand lang iyan a day, so kung papasok iyong private sector, walang capacity.
So ngayon, they’re saying you can only test symptomatic patients. How will you do that? Kung hindi ginawa ng PSG head dito na i-test lahat ng mga PSG, paano nila malalaman kung may infection? Kasi ang problema nitong mga doctor salita nang salita, wala namang ginagawa, complain nang complain.
Ang mangyayari ditto, kung magsasarado uli iyong ekonomiya ng Pilipinas, maraming mawawalan ng trabaho – ang dami niyan. Ngayon halos ang mga micro at small, umiiyak na dahil iyong capital nila nawawala na rin eh. So, ito lang ang puwede naming gawin, itong rapid test, kung mayroon silang ibang test na puwedeng gawin eh di gagamitin namin. Pero iyong PCR, paano natin gagamitin kung wala namang capacity ngayon eh.
Kaya tumutulong ngayon ang private sector na umakyat ang capacity, iyong Red Cross tumutulong rin para iakyat. Pero wala pa tayo diyan sa 30,000 a day. Ang kailangan natin diyan eventually, 50,000 a day. So itong mga grupo na ito, ingay nang ingay, wala namang ginagawa. So anong gagawin ng buong private sector, maglo-lockdown tayo ulit? Kapag maglo-lockdown tayo ulit, masisira buong ekonomiya; kapag masira ang ekonomiya ng Pilipinas, mawawala lahat ng trabaho; at ano bang mangyayari dito sa mga tao, kukuha tayo uli ng social amelioration? Masisira iyong stimulus package nila kasi hindi umaandar ang economy, so we cannot afford another lockdown.
So my appeal to all of these doctors, if you have a better alternative, why don’t you tell us that better alternative. You want us to get the capacity of the PCR test? Well, there’s none eh. What can we do? So if I were you, I mean I would tell them, “Look, let’s save the livelihoods of these people as well as the health.” And the reason why we are doing this testing is because as we open up the economy, we want to be sure that the health is not affected and that’s the only method.
So, if in the case of the President that his own health is protected because of the rapid test then if the President believes in it and the PSG believes in it and if all the entrepreneurs and the top entrepreneurs of this country believe in it, then it does work. It’s better to test than not to test.
USEC. IGNACIO: Okay. Maraming salamat po, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship, Mr. Joey Concepcion. Stay safe po.
SEC. CONCEPCION: Salamat.
USEC. IGNACIO: Als0, nasa kabilang linya rin po ang ating executive from one of the biggest names in the mall industry, si Graham Coates, the First Vice President and head of Megaworld Lifestyle Malls.
Good day to you, Mr. Coates.
MR. COATES: Hi, Martin. Nice to meet you and nice to be here.
SEC. ANDANAR: It’s great to have you. How was the reception of the people during your first day of reopening?
MR. COATES: Well, I’m glad to say that we were very excited to open and get business back to normal, the new normal. We were very happy with the response from our customers. Of course, the numbers are down on what we would normally expect and this is verily to be expected because of all of the controls that have been put in place.
I think the customers are a little bit cautious at this point and they prefer to have less frequent trips to the mall which is understandable. But I would say that we were very happy with the response of our customers with all the procedures that we put in place. We had no major shortfalls in terms of social distancing. We have many measures that we have put into the mall that really give us the confidence that the customer can have a very safe and happy experience when they come to the mall.
SEC. ANDANAR: What were the adjustments that you had to implement to comply to the IATF guidelines in making sure that mall goers and your employees are safe?
GRAHAM COATES: Well, I’m glad you asked that question, because really everything we do is paramount in terms in health and safety and obviously following the government requirements. Megaworld Corporation is one with the government in fighting the spread of COVID-19.
In the Lifestyle Malls as we resumed operations, the company took many steps towards health and safety for its employees, its guest and of course its tenants and most importantly our customers.
As part of our effort, the company did conduct rapid antibody testing, we just heard Sec. Joey speak about that now. All our employees in Megaworld have undergone anti rapid test and this includes our frontliners as well.
And again, with all the regular health and safety measures that we have been installed, the mall entry protocols have been adopted which includes the reduction of entrances to the mall, enforcement of the no mask, no entry policy is crucial. I’m here in Uptown Mall, everybody I can see is wearing a mask; you cannot enter to the mall unless you have mask.
We have disinfectant stations in operation for the feet, for the cars. We have a unique disinfectant chamber which we put into place to improve on the existing procedures that we have. We are rolling out in all our other malls, sanitation in the common areas is being done together with our tenants and of course social distancing, which is very crucial in terms of making sure the numbers that come in to the all are controlled; and the numbers once they are in the mall, they are managed.
And we have what we call social distancing ambassadors who are strategically located around the mall, again a unique proportion that we have done and this one really is to make sure we educate the customers as they go around their shopping experience. Ultimately, we want a happy, safe shopping experience for our customers.
USEC. IGNACIO: Hi sir, one of the guidelines issued by the IATF is to limit the number of mall goers at a time at approximately one person per two square meters. How do you make sure that this will be strictly implemented and properly monitored?
GRAHAM COATES: Thanks to that question, Undersecretary Rocky. Well, firstly the control of the people coming into the mall is coordinated together with all the authorities. So we have strict guidelines. Each specific mall has an ultimate carry number of density of costumers. This has worked out per the square meter of each mall and this is closely monitored from the entry point to the exit. So, this is real time. So, our central admin department is charged with making sure that we always keep below the minimum requirement.
I’m glad to say at this point we have really been adhering to that, because as you would expect the numbers are really not at par with what we would were having previously, this is partly due to the fact that tenants not fully participating yet because they are undergoing their own sanitation or control procedures. And of course the number of people coming into the mall as I mentioned earlier is less.
But nevertheless, we staffed our facilities up to a point where we are very confident this has been managed very, very well. We have no issues today. We are very happy, and we would like to compliment all the authorities that helped us implement this procedures and of course our customers for making sure that they adhere to everything.
USEC. IGNACIO: Megaworld Malls pride itself for its lifestyle and leisure centers and activities which are not allowed to operate as of yet. Did this pose a problem in your overall operations, sir?
GRAHAM COATES: Yes, thank you for the questions. As you know there are certain tenants which are prohibited at the moment this includes gyms, bar, night life, amusement and of course cinemas. But again, we are one with the government here; we will support the government directives here. We fully understand why this is the case at this point, with the need to have controls on social distancing.
So, yes it has affected us and those tenants have been hard hit. But as a company, we’ve supported those tenants with many concessions in terms of rental and we will continue to support to them, to the point when this goes back to normal, hopefully in the near future, they can resume their business and everybody can get back to a profitable situation.
SEC. ANDANAR: You also launched this new program Megaworld New Reality. Can you tell us more about this Megaworld New Realty?
GRAHAM COATES: Sorry, I am not hearing the question.
SEC. ANDANAR: I believe, your company launched the new program called Megaworld New Reality. Can you tell us more about this, sir?
GRAHAM COATES: Yes. Of course, everybody talks about the new normal; we talk about new reality. We used this terminology, because we have to accept that this is a very disruptive period of business for the mall industry. And with this disruption, often comes a lot of change and as a company, as Megaworld as a company, we would like to think that innovate and react to the change in a very positive way.
So, as a group we are undergoing a major review of all our businesses and how we react to this new reality. I think e-commerce is going to be a major component of how the malls interact with their costumers in the future. So, yes, welcome this, we welcome the fact that we have to be nimble and have a lot of agility in how we do our business.
Although a lot of people are having a hard time at the moment, including ourselves, with rental concessions that we’ve given and the drop in revenue that we have. We embrace the new change and we look forward to working out new innovations to really get the business back together and serve our customers.
USEC. IGNACIO: Sir, everybody is looking at the effectivity, convenience and safety of cashless payment transactions and it’s even being considered for our public transportation. Would you say this should be also be part of the new normal in malls moving forward?
GRAHAM COATES: Absolutely. As I just mentioned e-commerce is really gonna be a big factor as we move forward and as we conquer this pandemic. This will definitely herald a new era of e-commerce initiatives. Actually we are currently working on a number that will be announced in the next months or so. As a company, we would like to look forward to new initiatives and yeah, we embrace this and we will work closely with our tenants to make the new environment of the mall better and stronger.
USEC. IGNACIO: Thank you very much for your time Mr. Graham Coates, the first Vice President and Head of Megaworld Lifestyle Malls. Take care, sir.
GRAHAM COATES: Thank you so much. Stay safe everyone.
SEC. ANDANAR: Rocky, kumustahin naman natin ang lagay ng ating mga mga kababayan sa Chicago, Illinois. Live kasama po natin si Consul General Gina Jamoralin. Magandang umaga po sa inyo, Consul General.
CONSUL JAMORALIN: Magandang umaga Secretary Andanar and Usec. Ignacio.
SEC. ANDANAR: First of all, let’s do a COVID-19 check. As of today, how many positive cases are we looking at in Illinois?
CONSUL JAMORALIN: Well, right now in Illinois, we have around more than 90,000 cases. And Illinois ranked the third in the number of cases in the whole Unites States, after New Jersey and New York.
SEC. ANDANAR: Mayroon po bang mga Pilipino na nagpositibo?
CONSUL JAMORALIN: Of course mayroon po. As of now, we have recorded 42 Filipino-American with COVID cases in the whole Midwest. I cover kasi ho 12 Midwest states and this 42 covers 12 states. And out of the 42, there are recorded 17 casualties; and out of that 42 cases, half of them are in Illinois and half of them are in Michigan. And unfortunately din po, half of those deaths are fr0m our health care workers.
SEC. ANDANAR: The State of Illinois already issued a disaster declaration early March. Aside from this, what are the early measures that the Illinois Federal government implemented to further help mitigate the effects of COVID-19?
CONSUL JAMORALIN: Actually, Sec, already now we are on the phase 2 of a 5 phase plan meant to restore, you know, in the Illinois state. Right now, Illinois was able to do a lot of testing. Earlier the goal was to have 10,000 tests per day and at this moment, they were able to test more than 10,000 testing per day.
So, that’s a milestone as far as Illinois is concerned and we are now on phase 2 which is they are flattening the curve. So, the number of cases are stabilizing if not declining, so we are looking forward by next month to go into phase 3 which is, we call that a recovery period. So the hospitalization rate is declining but still you know, 90,000 is a lot of cases so we are—the Governor of Illinois is working towards recovery in the near future.
USEC. IGNACIO: Opo. Consul, kumusta naman po iyong general welfare ng Filipino Community diyan, we understand na marami pong Filipino events ang na-cancel dahil sa pandemic, so kumusta na po kayo diyan?
CONSUL GENERAL JAMORALIN: Opo. Mabuti naman ho, actually since March 21, the Illinois State issued a stay at home order and actually almost all of the Midwest States, we are currently on stay at home order, except 3 States of Iowa and Dakota. But all the people particularly, the Filipinos are staying home except the, of course, the frontliners and the essential services.
And, you know the bayanihan spirit here in the Midwest is alive because the Philippine Consulate started a social media campaign to help disseminate the humanitarian projects that our Filipino organizations have been doing. While they are also affected but many of them have done a lot of good things like donating food, milk teas to the frontliners in many Midwest states, some of them – organization – they also donated humanitarian assistance to some selected communities in the Philippines and some of them were involved in making and distributing free face masks and PPE supplies for the frontliners.
They are really doing their job to help each other and that’s what we really wanted – to stay united and help each other.
USEC. IGNACIO: Opo. Ma’am, I understand you are also under work-from-home arrangement. Paano ninyo po patuloy na tinutugunan iyon naman pong mga pangangailangan ng ating mga kababayan na may kinalaman pa rin po dito sa COVID-19?
CONSUL GENERAL JAMORALIN: Yes, of course. As I said, after the Illinois State issued a stay at home order, we started the work-at-home arrangement. Pero hindi naman ho natigil ang aming mga serbisyo, patuloy pa rin kaming tumatanggap ng some consular services like civil registry, ito ho iyong mga report of birth, report of marriage. They can do it by mail – they send it to us by mail and we respond. And also, we also continue to reply to all the queries ng ating publiko, we have an emergency number ready to response to all public queries. In fact we received queries from almost … many, even outside our state of jurisdiction.
And as you know, may mga stranded ding mga Pilipino dito and we’re able to help these Filipinos particularly the J1 visa holders, and 21 of them actually already in the Philippines. We have helped, repatriated them, actually 8 of them – we used our standby ATM fund. And the rest of the stranded Filipinos, many of them opted to stay here for a little while to wait it out or to, you know, another reason why some of them cannot go home because of, you know, for fear that in the Philippines—so there was this closure of NAIA. So, some of them deferred their coming back to the Philippines. But the rest, those who asked for our assistance in coming back, we responded to their requests.
SEC. ANDANAR: Because of the extended lockdown, until May 30, apektado po ang kabuhayan ng ating mga kababayan. Are the immigrants, especially the Filipino community, part of the recovery plans na inihanda ng State of Illinois pagkatapos ng pandemya, kasama rin po ba iyong mga OFWs na Pilipino sa plano?
CONSUL GENERAL JAMORALIN: Of course. In fact, in the City of Chicago, they don’t make any exemption whether you are an immigrant, you are undocumented. You know, if you want to—you can always find assistance if you ask, you can go to a food bank to—you can get free testing. So these are the measures that City of Chicago is really doing for the immigrants; not only for the Filipinos but also for the Latino group, for the other ethnic minorities.
USEC. IGNACIO: May mensahe po kayo sa ating mga kababayan diyan sa Illinois at saan po at paano nila kayo puwedeng ma-contact in case mayroon po silang mga kailangang ipaabot sa inyo?
CONSUL GENERAL JAMORALIN: Madali ho kaming ma-contact, mayroon ho kaming official website, chicagopcg.com and in that website, nandoon ho lahat ang aming mga hotlines, email addresses. And so far that system has really worked for us because we also receive a lot of queries. And also we have a Facebook page, just search for Philippine Consulate Chicago and you can reach us. I assure you that someone will be answering your call.
Masasabi ko na rin ho na after the phase 2, as soon as Illinois government announces the lifting of the ECQ, we are also planning for a gradual opening and resumption of our services. But maybe in line with social distancing and some guidelines, we will continue to, you know, to make sure that the public and also our staff are also protected.
USEC. IGNACIO: Maraming salamat po, ma’am, sa inyong oras at sa inyong serbisyo. Consul General Gina Jamoralin mula po sa Chicago, Illinois. Stay safe po, ma’am.
CONSUL GENERAL JAMORALIN: Maraming salamat din.
USEC. IGNACIO: Secretary, ngayon naman alamin natin ang COVID-19 count sa ASEAN region at sa buong mundo. Sa kasalukuyan ay naitala na ang kabuuang bilang na 71,042 COVID-19 cases sa buong rehiyon ng ASEAN kung saan nananatiling nangunguna ang Singapore, sinusundan ng Indonesia at ng Pilipinas.
Singapore pa rin ang may pinakamataas na recovery rate habang ang Indonesia naman ang may pinakamataas na mortality rate. Kapansin-pansin na nadagdagan din ang kaso sa Vietnam at ng Myanmar pero nananatiling mataas pa rin ang recovery rates sa mga bansang ito kaysa sa bilang ng mga nasawi. Nananatili naman sa parehong bilang ang mga bansang Cambodia at Laos.
Sa buong mundo naman, umaabot na sa 4,889,287 ang kabuuang bilang ng COVID-19 habang nasa 1,679,155 naman po ang naka-recover at 322,683 ang nasawi. Ang Estados Unidos pa rin po ang may pinakamaraming COVID-19 positive at umabot na sa higit 90,000 ang nasawi sa nasabing bansa.
SEC. ANDANAR: Samantala, alamin naman natin ang mga balitang nakalap ng Philippine Broadcasting Service mula sa ating mga lalawigan. Go ahead, John Mogol.
[NEWS REPORTING]
SEC. ANDANAR: Maraming salamat, John Mogol ng PBS.
USEC. IGNACIO: Samantala, puntahan natin ang Davao sa balitang nakalap ni Regine Lanuza.
Go ahead, Regine.
[NEWS REPORT]
USEC. IGNACIO: Maraming salamat sa iyo, Regine Lanuza ng PTV Davao.
[NEWS REPORT]
SEC. ANDANAR: Mula po naman sa Davao, dumako tayo sa Cordillera.
SEC. ANDANAR: Okay. Maraming salamat. Salamat, Alah Sungduan ng PTV Cordillera.
At sa kabila po ng lungkot at takot na hatid ng COVID-19 sa bansa, ilang mga balita ng tuwa at pag-asa pa rin ang hatid ng ilan sa ating mga kababayan, bagay na nakakapagpagaan ng loob sa gitna ng banta ng pandemya.
Panoorin po natin ito.
[VIDEO PRESENTATION]
USEC. IGNACIO: Maraming salamat po sa ating mga naging panauhin ngayong araw, sa ating partner agencies sa kanilang patuloy na suporta at walang sawang paghahatid balita at impormasyon. Maraming salamat din po sa Filipino Sign Language Access Team for COVID-19 sa inyong araw-araw na pakikiisa sa ating programa. Mabuhay po kayo!
Happy birthday kay Chito Cabatuando, Secretary, isa sa ating director dito sa Laging Handa PH.
SEC. ANDANAR: Happy birthday, Chito. Nandiyan ako mamaya sana mayroong pansit pagdating ko. Pero kung walang pansit, okay lang din walang problema.
Binabati rin natin 98.5 Radyo Kaibigan sa Valencia, Bukidnon. Si Pastor Dan Dongallo at si Zander Lumanta, DepEd Surigao; Councilor Salvador Acedilla, District 4 Division ng DepEd at Oscar Pasaporte ng RPN; DWIZ si Edwin Eusebio. Maraming salamat po sa inyong pag-simulcast.
At diyan po nagtatapos ang ating programa para sa araw na ito. Ako po muli ang inyong lingkod, Secretary Martin Andanar, mula sa Presidential Communications Operations Office.
USEC. IGNACIO: At mula pa rin po sa Presidential Communications Operations Office, ako naman po si USec. Rocky Ignacio.
SEC. ANDANAR: Hanggang bukas muli dito sa Public Briefing #LagingHandaPH.
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Source: PCOO-NIB (News and Information Bureau-Data Processing Center)
