By Atty. Egay Uy
AS also a member of the Law and Order Cluster of the city's covid-response operation center, I have seen several ways how health protocols are violated, neglected, or simply taken for granted. And I am not referring only to the subjects of regulations, but also to those who are supposed to implement those protocols.
Oftentimes, reports of violations, when referred to barangays, are immediately acted upon, and results readily reported back. Instant accomplishments, they may be considered. But oftentimes, too, barangays, being in the forefront of this war against the dreaded coronavirus, become suffocated with requests or referrals for immediate action.
But true to the oath that they took when they assumed office, barangay officials, from the puno to the tanod, are not complaining nor are they passing the buck. They simply do what is expected of them. Of course, the results of their actions would vary.
When we started responding to the pandemic last year, everybody was groping what would the best course of action be. Then as the men and women of the emergency operation center of the city government were able to learn the ropes, so to speak, everybody followed suit, the barangays included.
It was not an easy task, far from it. The pandemic was everyone's biggest challenge, for, after all, we were facing an unexpected call to action. The pandemic was a new significant item in the supposed lined-up programs, projects, and activities for the year. It was not found in the annual investment program. It was something new for everyone.
But the barangays stood up and faced the challenge, and have since then become an indispensable cog in the machinery that now combats the coronavirus.
Salute to the Barangays!
