Ambush interview of Senator Win Gatchalian and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on the donation of medical supplies and flattening the curve

[start recording]

Q: What made the family decide to shell out money?

SEN WIN: Na-experience din namin sa Valenzuela na talagang mabilis yung paggamit ng PPEs, Personal Protective Equipment at iba pang mga medical supplies kaya dapat tuloy-tuloy yung mga supplies sa mga hospitals at medical establishments natin. Yung paggamit mas mabilis sa pagbili kaya in the spirit of bayanihan, nag-decide yung family natin to contribute and donate some PPEs. We requested from Secretary Lorenzana kung pwedeng magpatulong dooon sa pag pick-up nitong mga PPEs dahil mas mura po sa China ngayon at halos buong mundo sa kanila bumibili. So we contacted some suppliers doon at bumili tayo ng mga PPEs. I would like thank Secretary Lorenzana for helping us with the pick-up dahil mas mabilis via eroplano kaysa barko dahil barko will take about two weeks. Hopefully, itong mga donation natin ay makapagbigay ng karagdagang lakas ng loob at inspiration sa atin mga frontliners especially now that they are really in the thick of fighting covid. So this is just a small contribution to our frontliners to make them feel na andito tayo para tumulong at para maramdaman nila na hindi natin sila nakakalimutan.

Q: Priority kung sino o saan saan yung mga mabibigyan?

SEN WIN: We'll leave it to OCD to decide dahil meron silang database at inventory levels ng mga institutions. So we will go through those channels dahil mas alam nila saan po ang mas mga nangangailanan.

Q: Paano po yung naging process, diba this was a contribution, kayo po ba personally nag seek-out ng supplier?

SEN WIN: We contacted some suppliers from China kasi na-realize namin na lahat ng suppliers galing China. Ang presyo, if you go straight to the factory, sabi nga ni Secretary Lorenzana, factory price, mas mura ng almost 100% ang presyo neto kaysa locally ka bibili. So kahit i-add mo pa yung gasolina at yung iba pang costs, mas mura pa rin. So dumertso kami doon at nakahanap tayo ng supplier. These supplies are all medical-grade and approved by the DOH, pasado sila sa mga requirements ng DOH.

Q: Sir sino po ang nag shoulder ng expenses? Ang government ba?

SEN WIN: It's a partnership, government nag-shoulder ng gasolina at eroplano. Yung sa atin po yung PPEs and other equipment.

Q: Sir yung sa supplier list did you check doon sa accredited suppliers? Or these are personally picked?

SEN WIN: These are suppliers na nagsusuplay na sa atin. Kinuha lang namin yung name ng factory doon then we contacted them. We didn't go through the local suppliers dahil mas mura pag dumeretso na doon. I would like to thank the supplier also because sila na ang nag-pack, sila na rin ang nagayos at nag-load sa eroplano. Of course, I also thank the Philippine Air Force for lending us the airplane para ma pick-up kaagad yung mga equipment.

Q: How can we assure na safe yung mga supplies na galing China?

SEC LORENZANA: Safe yun kasi bago umalis ng China, na-disinfect na naman yung mga equipment na yun so I'm very confident na safe yan. Pagdating sa OCD another disinfection yan. Before they are issued another disinfection so all the way meron tayong disinfection process.

Q: Regarding supply, we are purchasing 900,000 from China on top of this may mga donations pa like this one. Bakit may mga exisiting reports pa rin ng mga shortages in some of the hospitals and how are they being addresed vis-à-vis na meron naman tayong natatanggap na ganitong mga supplies?

SEC LORENZANA: Palagay ko miscommunication lang dahil meron naman tayong stocks sa OCD. Sabi nga ni Senator kanina, kami ang magma-manage kung sino ang nangangailangan. Ngayon itong OCD meron din silang mga regional units, sila yung mga kumukuha ng mga data sa mga hospitals kung sino ang mga nangangailangan at sila magdi-distribute. Kung ang nangangailangan ay tiga Luzon or Visayas then we can fly those equipment there. Ngayon ang sabi mo kanina, bakit pa tayo bibili ng 900,000? In fact, hindi lang 900,000 we are procuring 1 million. Ito ay hinahakot ngayon ng ating C-130, three times a week yan, yung dalawa, tig three times a week. In fact, PS-DBM is procuring 3 million more kasi nga napakabilis ng gamit nitong PPEs. Siguro aabot ng mga ilang libo per day yan, I think mga 30,000 ang nagagamit natin all over the country. So kailangan natin yan, hopefully we will have enough transport to bring them in. Gusto ko rin pasalamatan si Senator Gatchalian, Cong. Wes, at yung buong Gatchalian family for this donation. Napakalaking bagay po nito sa ating fight against covid. Kanina binanggit ni Senator na nagpapasalamat siya sa aming kontribusyon, onti lang po yung aming kontribusyon. Yung eroplano, tapos yung gasolina at yung bayad sa mga piloto compared sa ginasta nila dito na almost 50 million pesos.

Q: Meron pa bang lumalapit sainyo na gusto mag-donate?

SEC LORENZANA: Araw-araw meron gustong mag-donate kasi merong business organization dito na tina-tag ni Joey Concepcion na ginagawa nila, nangangalap sila ng donasyon at every day, araw-araw din sila nagre-report sa amin at kinukuha lahat ng OCD yung mga donations nila. Siguro mga ilang libong PPEs, ilang libong masks pero kinukuha rin namin yan pangdagdag sa aming mga supplies. Ngayon, kung yung donor ay may gustong specific hospital na pupuntahan yung kanyang dinonate, dadalhin namin yun ng buong-buo pero kung wala, we will distribute them according to our list.

Q: Ano pa yung ido-donate ng Gatchalian family?

SEN WIN: Nagusap kami ni Secretary Lorenzana at Secretary Galvez, we're also looking at donating laboratories. Again, drawing from our experience sa Valenzuela kahit na after May 15, tuloy-tuloy pa rin yung paglaban natin as covid. So hindi naman mawawala yung virus after May 15. So importante na meron tayong laboratories not only in Metro Manila but regional. So may kausap rin kaming mga suppliers and our family is also going to donate some laboratories outside of Metro Manila naman no para matulungan natin yung mga LGUs outside of Metro Manila.

Q: How far along are we in trying to flatten the curve?

SEC LORENZANA: We are getting there. Maganda na yung curving, imbes na matulis, medyo gumaganun (declining). Ano mangyayari after 15th of May? Depends on a lot of factors, a pinaka-single factor natin diyan is if na-flatten na ba talaga yung curve natin at medyo pababa na, then there will be decisions to be made kung i-ease up ba itong ECQ at ano ba ang gagawin. Now, suppose mag-spike yung cases, kung tumaas yan o mag triple yan, mag-doble every two days, ngayon the doubling used to be about five tapos naging 7 ngayon konti na lang, pakonti na yung bilang. So maganda yung ating lockdown kaya ako ay nananawagan sa ating mamayan, onting sakripisyo na lang po, onting sakripisyo na lang at ito'y magugupo natin itong covid.

Q: confident kayo Sir na on the 15th or before the 15th about the numbers we're talking about, dealing at the moment?

SEC LORENZANA: Yes, at the moment pero there might be changes in the coming days, yun ang problema diyan.

Q: What can influence that change?

SEC LORENZANA: Mass testing na ginagawa na natin ngayon. Pangalawa, yung kooperasyon pa rin ng mga tao na kung ikaw ay nakakaramdam ng mga pananakit ng katawan or if you suspect that you have a symptom, pumunta kayo kaagad sa health center para kayo ay matignan at kung positibo kayo, malalagay kayo sa quarantine. Yun, dalawang bagay yun; mass testing at cooperation of everybody. Now, the mass testing, ito ay para ma-segregate natin yung mga positibo sa hindi, para ma-capture na natin yung mga positive so we can segregate them para hindi na sila maka-infect ng ibang tao.

Q: Outside Metro Manila, the Cebu situation sir? Medyo nagspa-spike yung cases doon? Are we seeing it as a possible hot zone? What actions are we looking at to address this?

SEC LORENZANA: Actually we are aware of that situation in Barangay Luz in Cebu City. Medyo yung isang barangay na yun mukhang maraming infected so naka ECQ ngayon yung lugar na yan at nagdagdag pa tayo ng mga military to augment the policemen para maipatupad natin lahat ng protocol to fight the covid. So social distancing, lockdown, stay in your home atsaka yung wearing of masks.

Q: Ano yung nakikita niyo sa Cebu? Kasi dumadami yung numbers? Not just in Barangay Luz but also in city jails and other areas and I understand also one of the areas is for evaluation is for ECQ or GCQ? Is it accurate to say that it is an emerging hot zone?

SEC LORENZANA: We hope not, that it will not go into a full-blown infection yung buong cebu. But as of now, we have isolated these areas, yung jail atsaka yung Barangay Luz and others naman wala naman tayong nakikita kung hindi suspect lang. So we will determine what will happen from now, from now up to April 30, from GCQ pwede pa nating iakyat ang Cebu to ECQ.

Q: It's possible pero hindi pa ganun?

SEC LORENZANA: We need the last days of April to monitor everything kaya nga itong darating na mga araw kung pwede sana tayong mag-cooperate sa ating mga protocol, follow the protocols so that we can get out of this ECQ and GCQ once and for all.

Q: Flip ko lang yung coin for NCR, if in the coming days, there are some areas that are for evaluation, if the situation of Metro Manila improves in the next few days, pwede ba sir na ma-downgrade from ECQ to GCQ?

SEC LORENZANA: Yeah, posibleng ma-downgrade kaya ito yung period natin for observation, lahat ng lugar. Yung mga GCQ pwede rin umakyat to ECQ. Itong mga ECQ pwedeng bumaba sa GCQ.

Q: Sir posible na ma GCQ ang NCR, even before May 15?

SEC LORENZANA: Yeah pwede.

Q: On what parameters?

SEC LORENZANA: Basta bumaba yung mga cases na bago. Importante bumaba yung cases na bago tapos marami tayong recoveries, mag-shoot up yung recoveries tapos oonti na lang yung mga mamatay. But the number one parameter is bababa o mag-level off yung new cases or it would go down.

Q: Reference ko kasi diyan Sir, Quezon City walang recent confirmed cases?

SEC LORENZANA: That's good, we're happy to hear that. It means gumagana na rin yung mass testing diyan. Congratulations to Mayor Joy.

[end recording]