Polegov

 In the previous post, we presented two of the major health-related functions of local government units under the COVID-19 pandemic, namely the identification of infected individuals, and the prevention of the spread of the virus. All LGUs in the country are, in one way or another, implementing these only that some are innovative enough than the others. 3. Referral and self-hep systems . Once the individuals suspected with Covid-19 virus are identified, they are automatically isolated and tested. If the result comes out positive, they are referred to medical institutions that can treat patients with the virus. Some LGUs, mostly cities, operate their own hospitals while the others rely mainly on arrangements between the local government and the nearest tertiary hospital in the area. In almost all cases though, especially when contact tracing is not fully functional, sick patients or those who experience COVID-19 symptoms but would like to be certain, would just the nearest hospital. Thi

When the Philippine government took Coronavirus disease (COVID) -19 as a real threat, among the first few directives of President Rodrigo Duterte is to mandate the local government units (LGUs) to take charge. So, apart from ensuring the social and economic aspects of the pandemic, local government units are also in-charged with health-related functions.  The President's mandate is just consistent with the Local Government Code particularly the devolution of some government's tasks and functions. Unfortunately, while these tasks and functions are real, the resources necessary remains largely in the national government. Even then, there are LGUs that are innovative enough to perform what is expected of them.  The primary health-related tasks under the COVID-19 pandemic and the LGU performers are as follows: 1. Prevention of the spread of Coronavirus. There is no vaccine against COVID-19 yet so prevention of its spread is dependent on everyone's cooperation particularly in ma

One of the problems highlighted, if not created, by the Coronavirus disease (COVID) -19 pandemic is food insecurity or the lack of access to a sufficient, affordable and nutritious food. The pandemic disrupted the economy and caused unemployment which in turn affected the purchasing power of the people. Further, the community quarantines also affected the transportation systems that the delivery of food supplies from the farms to the consumers were cut or, if not, diverted to areas where local governments are not strict.  COVID-19 has no vaccine yet and as such, it is expected that the virus will still be around for some time and that community quarantines and lockdowns might be implemented from time to time. As such, there are some sectors in the country as well as local government units that tried to adapt to the situation and innovate ways to ensure that food reaches the table.  Below are some of these innovations. 1. Distribution of food relief packs. This had been the common resp