The UP Manila Health Policy Development Hub (HPDH) Team of the National Institutes of Health has started developing the Pandemic Response Playbook during the first Focus Group Discussion held on June 10 at the UP Manila Board Room.

National Economic and Development Authority Undersecretary Rosemarie G. Edillon, during a virtual appearance at the FGD, said that they tapped the UP Manila team to create the playbook, considering its experiences in this pandemic. The team is composed of Dr. Hilton Y. Lam, director of the National Institutes of Health’s Institute of Health Policy and Development Studies; Leonardo R. Estacio, Jr, former dean and faculty at the UP Manila College of Arts and Sciences; Ma. Esmeralda C. Silva, faculty at the College of Public Health; and Dr. Michael A.F. Mendoza, faculty at the College of Dentistry.

The playbook will guide government and non-government policies and non-government stakeholders’ contribution in case a similar national crisis occurs in the future. The timeline for its development includes at least five focus group discussions spread across May through September. After the first FGD at UP Manila, the next FGDs will be as follows: July 20, 2022 with NEDA, DOH, IATF or equivalent committee; August 10, 2022 with MMHRDC members, Metro Manila LGUs, and reservists/retirees; September 10, 2022 with selected Visayas LGUs; and September 20, 2022 with selected Mindanao LGUs.

During the FGD, Dr. Lam summarized the context on how the crisis started in the Philippines. COVID-19 began as an outbreak of a pathogen. Then, it turned into an epidemic of cases and mortality. Later, it became a disaster overwhelming the local systems in place. Soon, it became a worldwide pandemic of cases and deaths.

Today, it is a syndemic that involves political, economic, social, cultural, and other disruptions. Dr. Lam believes that to “bounce back better” in terms of reaction to a disturbance, there is a need for an effective playbook and system resiliency against shocks and stresses. The Philippine Pandemic Response Playbook formalizes how to access or work the system and allows stakeholders to practice their parts in an orchestrated manner.

The Philippine Pandemic Response Playbook has eight general elements:

1.Constant, vigilant monitoring of events nationally and internationally with Big Data Analytics

2.Epidemiologic rating

3.Rapid containment at our borders

4.Rapid containment in community hotspots

5.Risk-based national responses with LGU implementation

6.Risk communication to community

7.Mass vaccination, boosters

8.Post implementation evaluation

“This is a gem,” Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa, former UP Executive Vice President and National Task Force on COVID-19 Response member, said. “We need to pass it on to the other countries.” Dr. Herbosa advised a review of what happened and to follow its trail. Leadership and governance cannot be given to just the Department of Health and it should be very clear that it is a whole of government and whole of society kind of plan. The problem lies in that there are regions with emergencies, hence it is very important that the framework is very clear – strengthen it. The national action plan should be resource mobilization. Dr. Herbosa called attention to stockpiling of things needed like test kits or PCR. Most importantly, the timeliness and appropriateness of a policy should be looked into; one cannot study something in a time of crisis.

Another important reaction focused on the communication side of the playbook. Dr. Anthony Geronimo Cordero, director of the UPM Community Health and Development Program, spoke of the need to think of a way to package it so that it will be read. For example, when looking at the playbook’s language, they can ask how the value systems would be incorporated. He stated that it is possible that the system would not be given much value because it was created with a hospital setting mindset. “We should not be doing things for the people, but with the people,” he said in answer to the question on who is involved in the project. Dr. Cordero thinks it is good to have a social scientist, a communication expert, and economists, and to not limit it to medical scientists.

“The Playbook should eventually specify what is appropriate for the country,” Dr. Carlo Erwin A. Panelo explained. Though he was not directly involved in the COVID response, Dr. Panelo knew that there is still the need to sift through it to see which points are applicable to our setting and to further specify some details. He agrees that rapid containment is the way to prevent and mitigate economic effects. As to financial support like “ayuda”, he asked how long can it be sustained and stated the need for a more efficient way to provide support by having several dimensions on social support and timing.

Haziel May C. Natorilla