By BenCyrus Ellorin
CAGAYAN de Oro City wins its third Gawad Galing Pook under the administration of Oscar S. Moreno.
For 2021, Cagayan de Oro submitted “Health is Worth Fighting For, the Cagayan de Oro Health Journey” (City Health Services Modernization and Accessibility Program)" as its entry.
The awards body introduced this year's winning entry during the awarding ceremonies last October 20 this way, "The pandemic challenged our health care system. But Cagayan de Oro fought for the health of its constituents by giving them access to health care and its expanded services and medical facilities…"
Great words of affirmation.
As a supporter of Cagayan de Oro Mayor Oscar S. Moreno, it is sometimes difficult to defend him.
He does not mind making unpopular decisions. Two years ago when almost everyone was clamoring to place the city into total paralysis or lockdown to impede the spread of Covid 19, he stubbornly said NO. He was cruelly attacked, trolled, bashed.
He could have appeased the public in panic with strong words they wanted to hear and unleashed unli-rice, unli noodles, and unli sardines.
Instead, he ordered reasonable restrictions on the movement of people and mobilized the whole City Hall bureaucracy for active surveillance in communities for people having Covid symptoms, staffing of quarantine control points, disinfection teams, and impromptu caregivers in isolation facilities.
People found with influenza-like and respiratory disease symptoms were profiled and given basic medication. Soon this group became the contact tracers and those with symptoms were sent to community isolation units.
To prepare for the worst, hotels that were not operating due to quarantine restrictions were contracted to operate as isolation units. To decongest the regional Covid 19 referral center, the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC), some hotels repurposed as temporary treatment and monitoring facilities for mild and moderate cases.
The city-owned JR Borja General Hospital (JRBGH) also stepped up by catering to maternity and other medical cases from the provinces which could have gone to the NMMC. In no time, when there was a surge, even if it is still a primary hospital, it accepted Covid patients.
When the flavor of the moment among local government units was to provide unli-rice, unli noodles, and unli sardines, Moreno thought there are other equally important matters to be addressed like acquiring Covid 19 testing capacity and improving the city's critical care capacity.
Who would have thought that a city in a developing country struggling to fight the pandemic would ambitiously build a 100-bed medical facility for Covid -- now known as the City Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Disease (CEREID) center in brgy. San Simon in less than a year.
And who would have thought that, at a time local government units whose resources are already drained by pandemic response and pandemic-plagued economy wanted the DOH to take over their local hospitals or renationalize their hospitals, the local government of Cagayan de Oro built and donated a medical facility to the DOH, through the NMMC. The CEREID and the vastly improved JRBGH more than doubled the critical care capacity of city.
Can anyone imagine the Covid 19 pandemic happening in 2011 or 2012? A time when health authorities have actually thought of demoting the JRBGH from a level 1 hospital into a rural health center because of its very bad condition?
Earlier this year, one of the most outspoken critics of the city's Covid 19 response, a medical doctor, made a public apology.
A few months ago, Mayor Oca had a spat with a wayward police colonel who criticized him for not implementing granular lockdowns. It was clear, this wayward policeman was doing a hatchet job for a local politician.
Mayor Oca has been heavily trolled and attacked by his political enemies' hatchet men in the media. Many people come to believe the falsities spread on social media and radio against Oca and the whole Covid 19 response.
What his critics want to project is that the city is suffering like no other from Covid, trying to negate the fact that we are in a pandemic and if figures are to be analyzed, Cagayan de Oro City has one of the lowest and one of the most effective Covid 19 responses.
True, the pandemic hit us hard, It is ugly.
But it would be a lie, a falsity to project the pandemic as isolated in the CDO and conveniently blame Mayor Oscar S. Moreno.
The fact remains that among the highly urbanized cities in the country, Cagayan de Oro City has one of the lowest cases and one of the best Covid 19 responses.
The Galing Pook Award is an affirmation of the best practices of local government units. It is the Oscars of Philippine local governance.
Many times in his political career, Moreno opts to make unpopular decisions. And like in previous times, this time he is proven right again.
Winning this year's Galing Pook Award more than affirms the fruits of Mayor Oca Moreno's work to reform and develop Cagayan de Oro City.
The 2021 Galing Pook for Cagayan de Oro is the city's third under Oca Moreno (2017 and 2018 the city also won). As local chief executive, this is Oca's 5th, having won two as governor of Misamis Oriental.
This Galing Pook award, though, is special for the people of Cagayan de Oro and more meaningful for Mayor Oca Moreno.
The award not only affirms Mayor Moreno's successful governance, but it also helps in truth-telling about the city's Covid-19 situation and redeems him from cruel and baseless criticisms.
This time, Oca wins again.
