AFTER Cebu City local executives declared wearing face masks as optional in outdoors and open spaces, I have been sleepless and restless due to the far reaching implications of this local government unit policy. Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama issued Executive Order No. 5 last Wednesday, which makes the use of face masks optional in the city.

Personally , I think it is “too premature” to remove the mask mandate when the country has yet to fully upgrade its wall of immunity in a time where there is an increase in mobility. We have observed as well an “anemic response” to the PINASLAKAS booster campaign of the Department of Health (DOH) apparently buoyed by the President ‘s call during the SONA to end lockdowns to fully reopen the economy. This lackluster performance stems from failure to address vaccine hesitancy, the lack of a persuasive program to educate the public, and the absence of an innovative approach to the pandemic response.

We are still reeling from the sad news that the private sector has lost an estimated P5.1 billion last July from expired vaccines as the government dilly-dallied in expanding coverage for a second booster shot. We will be seeing more people taking matters in their own hands if a clear plan of action and strong leadership are not established as soon as possible. Setting the example as genuine leaders is key. It’s about doing what you say, practicing what you preach, following through on commitments, keeping an alignment with the national and global health policy , and walking the talk.

Thus, I am appealing to our Cebu City leaders to reconsider its new policy once the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. completes its goal of administering at least 23 million booster shots within his first 100 days in office.

Looking beyond this new development is the recent return of in-person classes which might lead to a new spike in COVID-19 infections. We urge our government to consider a more innovative approach that would bring the boosters closer to the public, such as putting up mobile buses and vans to different areas, instead of having people flock to vaccination centers.

The people are slowly losing hope of meeting the target goal in the first 100 days of the administration. But shifting from pandemic to an endemic state would require sustained action on our booster program.

Patience is important. We should try one more time to roll out a booster program with a deadline. The DOH should remember that shelf life is a key factor in the expiry of vaccines and thus agile boosting is needed to prevent wastage of these precious and expensive vaccines.

From there the DOH through the FDA can move on to register the chosen vaccines for commercial use so those who are willing to purchase out of their own pockets and with full acceptance can do so and set up the country to be ready for the “living the virus “ event.

After the powerful SONA of PBBM, the DOH has yet to present a coherent COVID national plan at the moment with definite timelines.

We don’t have an official health secretary. This is disturbing.

The moves of the government and the private sector are fragmented.

A vision without a plan is fantasy.

A plan without a vision is mediocrity.

A good goal of genuine leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better.

We are losing precious time to accomplish our big audacious SONA goals.

Time is money.

Peso closed at ₱56.77 to a dollar last Friday , a new all-time low. The previous record was ₱56.45 set on October 14, 2004, nearly 18 years ago.

Tough times. We need to move with a sense of urgency to end the pandemic and shift to an endemic state. But we can’t accomplish this objective if we will continue to make moves without thinking of public safety and overall government strategy. Haste makes waste.

The domain of leaders is the future. The work of leaders is change. The most significant contribution of leaders is not today’s bottomline; it’s the long term development of our people and institutions so they can adapt, change, prosper, and grow.

I always found that plans are useless without visionary leadership; and planning is indispensable for success.

Management guru Peter Drucker once said, “Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes; but no plans.”

Meeting the leadership challenge is a personal and a daily challenge for everyone. We know that if you have the will and the way to lead, you can.

Dear readers , please supply the will. We will do our best to keep supplying the way. By Dr. Tony Leachon

Anthony C. Leachon, M. D.

Independent Health Reform Advocate

Past President , Philippine College of Physicians

Chair, Kilusang Kontra Covid (KILKOVID)

Email address : [email protected]