BATANG  MAYNILA By MAYOR ISKO MORENO Manila Mayor Isko Moreno While the city of Manila continues to reel from the countless adverse effects of COVID-19, we in the city government had to take at least a couple of drastic actions as part of our relentless efforts to contain the spread of the virus. As of this writing, the entire first district of Tondo had been put on “hard lockdown,” meaning all quarantine passes are temporarily cancelled and no one, as in no one, will be allowed to leave their homes while our health personnel will go around to conduct a health assessment of the Tondo populace, possibly trace those who may have symptoms and isolate them at once while administering all possible treatment for them. The area being highly populous (it has 136 barangays) and laden with “pasaways” or stubborn residents, a total of 803 policemen had to be assigned by Manila Police District (MPD) Director Gen. Rolly Miranda to enforce the lockdown that began Sunday and will end tomorrow (Tuesday) at 5 a.m. This had to be done, for the sake of the residents themselves whose welfare is our primary concern. Why? Since the start of the community quarantine, Tondo had been consistently number two in the areas in Manila with the highest number of confirmed COVID cases as well as persons under investigation (PUIs), next only to Sampaloc, which we already put under a similar lockdown a week ago. Before the move to enforce a hard lockdown in Tondo, we had to temporarily close down the emergency room and triage area of the Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center (GABMMC). This is the very hospital which services the residents of the first district of Tondo. The closure took effect last week, on April 28 and will last until May 5, after its director, Dr. Ted Martin, reported that eight of their health care workers, that include doctors and nurses, got infected by the coronavirus. In spite of this though, patients already confined in the GABMMC will still be fully taken care of while we will just take advantage of the closure to clean and disinfect the affected areas. And since the GABMMC is also home to the biggest dialysis center in the country, we will continue serving the needs of the dialysis patients. Anyway, the dialysis center is located in an annex building and far from the emergency room and triage area. Emergency cases are now being referred to the five other city-run hospitals, namely, Ospital ng Tondo, Justice Abad Santos General Hospital, Ospital ng Sampaloc, Ospital ng Maynila, and Sta. Ana Hospital. Sadly, a huge factor why health care workers get infected is some patients lie about their real medical condition, instead of telling the truth so that they can be properly attended to. I have been repeatedly calling on the residents who go to the hospitals to tell the truth, particularly if they are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. This is the only way that you, as patients, can be taken care of appropriately. If you lie, you will only mislead the health personnel and risk their lives and yours as well. These health care workers sacrifice their very own safety and even that of their loved ones to save lives, so the very least that we can do to return the favor is to be honest to them. This way, you get to help them and yourself as well. Speaking of which, I thank once again the Manila City Council, led by Vice Mayor and Council Presiding Officer Honey Lacuna, president pro tempore Jong Isip, and majority leader Joel Chua, for their support in our effort to honor and show utmost gratitude, albeit posthumously, to our health workers who died in the line of duty, battling the coronavirus. Under Ordinance 8639 authored by Isip and Chua and titled, “Bagong Bayani Endowment Benefit Fund of 2020,” the families of those who succumbed to COVID-19 in the line of duty will each be granted ₱1 million. In addition, any surviving children of the concerned health worker will be given scholarship either in the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila or the Universidad de Manila. All those engaged in health and health-related work and all persons employed in all city-owned hospitals and Manila Health Department (MHD), regardless of their employment status, are covered by the ordinance. The funds for this will be sourced from monetary donations to the City of Manila and other available funds as certified by the city treasurer. Covered by this ordinance are the families of health care workers who lost their lives to the coronavirus from the time the declaration of public health emergency throughout the Philippines was declared on March 8, 2020. It will continue to be in full force and effect until a vaccine for the COVID-19 has been developed and certified by the Food and Drug Administration. I know no amount of money can provide comfort to the bereaved families. This is just our small way of thanking them from the bottom of our hearts. To the residents of Manila, let us all heed all government orders. Stay home. Stay safe. Stay healthy. This way, our healthcare workers who passed on would not have died in vain. * * * Gaya ng paulit-ulit kong sinasabi, kailangan ko ang tulong ninyong lahat. Walang magmamalasakit sa Maynila kundi tayo ding mga Batang Maynila. Manila, God first! * * * For updates on latest developments in the city of Manila, please visit my Facebook account — ‘Isko Moreno Domagoso.’