Tugade’s A.I.R. in DOTr

When the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic reached our country earlier this year, many of us have become hypochondriac, if not paranoid, over this deadly virus. So much so, we now follow the so-called “7 Commandments” to avoid or prevent getting COVID-19 infection.

Now on our eight month of COVID-community quarantines, the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging and Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) – the lead agency in the government response against COVID-19 – have imposed the “7 Commandments” to be strictly implemented and followed all over the country.

Guided by the recommendations culled from various health and medical experts and taking the cue from the IATF, Secretary Arthur Tugade ordered all agencies under the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to ensure the full compliance of the “7 Commandments” for passengers, drivers and operators while aboard all public utility vehicles (PUVs) in land, air, and sea all over the country.

As IATF member, Tugade issued the marching order last month following the start of the gradual easing of community restrictions as approved by President Rodrigo Duterte. The seven-point minimum health protocols to prevent COVID-19 transmissions were issued by the DOTr in its website on Oct.16. “For the sake of our loved ones, and ourselves, let us take these ‘7 Commandments’ to heart, in order to beat COVID-19 soonest, and we get on with our amazing lives,” the DOTr urged.

To heighten the awareness and ensure full compliance of all transport stakeholders, most especially the riding public, the DOTr Secretary recited the “7 Commandments” during our weekly Zoom Webinar of the Kapihan sa Manila Bay last Wednesday. Speaking in Tag-lish, or mixed of English and Tagalog, Tugade urged:

1. Magsuot ng face mask at face shield;

2. Bawal ang pagsasalita, pakikipag-usap o pagsagot ng telepono;

3. Bawal kumain;

4. Kailangang may sapat na ventilation;

5. Kailangang may frequent disinfection;

6. Bawal magsakay ng symptomatic passenger;

7. Kinakailangang sumunod sa appropriate physical

distancing.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Tugade reassured us the DOTr is exerting their best to keep on track with the timelines of various projects under its Build, Build, Build infrastructure program. The DOTr website includes a display of the “countdown” of days left of the Duterte administration. With this in mind, Tugade keeps close tab of the status of projects compared to the timelines set.

As of today, the DOTr countdown should read 604 calendar days “to fulfill the promise of a comfortable life to Filipinos.”

The DOTr implements these projects under Oplan: A.I.R. which stood for: A – Add more routes, franchises, PUVs; I – increase public transport speed and capacity; R – reduced passenger waiting time and travel time.

Tugade candidly admitted though several of these projects being implemented have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. To a certain degree, he noted, some of these ongoing projects were delayed due to the lockdowns instituted by the IATF earlier this year.

While controlling the spread of COVID-19 contagion, Tugade cited, the onslaught of typhoons “Quinta,” “Rolly,” and now “Siony” coming in one after the other, likewise caused some problems for these projects located in Bicol region and other provinces that were directly hit. Tugade heaved a sigh of relief though after receiving field reports from concerned DOTr officials on these projects and facilities, especially those located in hardest hit provinces of Albay, Catanduanes, Camarines Sur, all in the Bicol region.

At the instance of Tugade, eight of DOTr officials and heads of its attached agencies joined us at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay Zoom Webinar. They were, namely, undersecretary Benny Reinoso (DOTr Planning); Usec Garry De Guzman (Finance); assistant secretary (Asec) Narciso Vingson (Maritime); Director-General Jim Sydiongco (Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines); General Manager Junn Magno (Philippine National Railways); Asec Giovanni Lopez (DOTr Procurement and Project Implementation); Alberto Suansing (DOTr Road Sector senior consultant); and, National Capital Region regional director Zona Tamayo (Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board).

Tugade expressed anew his gratitude to the text message sent to him by fellow Cabinet Secretary Delfin Lorenzana of the Department of National Defense (DND) days before typhoon “Rolly” made landfalls in the Philippines. This is because the Office of Civil Defense, an attached agency of the DND, acts as the administrator of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRMMC).

Tugade quoted Lorenzana’s text advisory sent to him on Oct.20: “Guys, it’s better to over-estimate than underestimate the typhoon.” Calling it as Lorenzana’s “clarion call,” Tugade cited, all DOTr agencies were “put on full alert” for disaster preparedness before “Rolly” struck. This, he pointed out, helped lessen the damages of “Rolly” in the aviation, maritime, roads and rail tracks facilities under the supervision of the DOTr. However, Tugade reported, at least three seaports, including Roll-on-Roll Off (RORO) ports in Bicol were seriously damaged. Also severely affected were the trains and rail tracks of the PNR Bicol Express.

Tugade though vows to use the same Lorenzana “template” to mitigate destruction of these facilities from the incoming typhoon “Siony” that is expected to intensify as it crosses today Northern Luzon all the way to Batanes.

Tugade reported the same to President Duterte at the NDRRMC meeting held at Malacanang last Monday. And at one point of their meeting, President Duterte ribbed Tugade that our weather forecasters should honor the DOTr Secretary by adding “Arturo” in the names of typhoons.

Being his former classmate at the San Beda College of Law, President Duterte could afford to tease the DOTr Secretary. Tugade concedes public perception of him as being loud and airy. Now we know why DoTr calls it “Oplan: A.I.R.,” with pun intended.