President Rodrigo Roa Duterte lauded the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) for the creation of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Manual for COVID-19 Response at the City and Municipal Level.

In a message signed by the President, he congratulated OPAV for publishing the manual which is “designed to help the local implementers of our COVID-19 response in the Visayas, (and) will truly standardize our procedures in combating this disease.”

EOC was first established in Cebu when the surge of cases occurred last year.

“I am pleased that our local EOCs will serve as the integrated hub for contact tracing, data gathering and analysis, vaccination roll-outs, and the dissemination of best practices among local government units,” read the message of the President.

The President also wishes the frontliners in the Visayas to “continue to be more responsive to the needs of the general public, especially the sick, as we continue to overcome and defeat this pandemic.”

“Together, let us work hand in hand in implementing and observing health protocols for the safety and well-being of all Filipinos,” he added.

The EOC manual was crafted by IATF-Visayas Chief Implementor Maj. Gen. Mel Feliciano and his wife, Mia Feliciano.

It helps local government units (LGUs) establish an integrated, centralized, harmonized, synchronized, coordinated, collaborative, and data-driven approach in Covid response.

The manual is specifically designed for LGUs and public health offices from the provincial level down to the barangay.

Aside from capacitating the LGUs with the knowledge, skills, and abilities, it helps cities and municipalities address challenges by establishing an EOC that is more responsive in the fight against COVID-19.

The EOC Manual will help equip LGUs with the appropriate systems and processes for a sustainable swift response against COVID-19.

EOC is one of Cebu’s best practices in COVID-19 response at the community level.

The manual calls for the creation of dedicated clusters that result in data-driven, strategic, effective, and efficient virus containment and protection in the community.

In June 2020, Cebu was dubbed as the epicenter for COVID-19 since it recorded the greatest number of cases in the entire country.

"The manual will showcase some of the best practices of the LGUs towards establishing an Emergency Operations Center which have been the result of the experience of the EOCs in Cebu, Bacolod, and Pagadian," said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III in his message.

The manual received a lot of appreciation messages coming from the officials of the National Task Force Against COVID-19.

This includes NTF Chairperson Sec. Delfin Lorenzana, Vice-Chair Sec. Eduardo Año, Chief Implementer and Vaccine Czar Sec. Carlito Galvez, Jr., and IATF Co-Chairperson Sec. Roy Cimatu.

"Despite these difficulties, it was also a learning point which paved the way to a convergence of all sectors of society. It was fundamental that the public, private, medical, political, and economic sectors would work together and have a unidirectional approach so that solutions would be holistic, harmonized, and efficient," said Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Sec. Michael Lloyd Dino.

The Secretary also thanked Pres. Duterte, and Sen. Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go as well as Feliciano for the consistent support in the rollout of the manual in the Visayas and share the best practices with LGUs.

"It is important that the operationalization of the EOC reaches the barangay level especially the populous communities. We hope that this EOC Manual will serve as an effective guide to our leaders in setting up their system in managing transmission as we move on and move forward in the new normal," Dino reiterated. (PR)