President Rodrigo Duterte has designated Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. as chief implementer of the country’s national policy against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.

“Further to the declaration of a State of Public Health Emergency and State of Calamity throughout the Philippines due to the Covid-19 situation, please be informed that the President has designated Secretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr. as the Chief Implementer of the Philippines’ declared national policy against Covid-19, effective immediately,” stated in a memorandum issued by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, by order of the President, on March 24.

Galvez will be tasked to ensure strict compliance and adherence of both the public and private sector to guidelines and protocols issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Infectious Diseases.

He will also be in charge of protecting and promoting the safety and welfare of the public at all times and ensure the efficient and expeditious distribution of government assistance to the public, especially citizens in most need.

On Wednesday, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles announced that Duterte has “approved in principle” the National Action Plan (NAP) drafted by the IATF-EID to curb the spread of the highly-infectious disease.

Under the NAP, the IATF-EID will serve as the policy-making body of the operations, while the National Task Force (NTF) Covid-19 will act as the operational command.

Nograles said this is meant to ease the IATF-EID’s burden, and streamline operations in minimizing the risk of catching and spreading Covid-19

The plan provides that the conduct of operations against Covid-19 pandemic when it comes to human resource, logistics, and finance should also be sustained.

It also seeks the mitigation of consequences and impact of Covid-19 pandemic to the “social, economic, and personal security of the Filipino people.”

The NTF Covid-19 would be composed of task groups on response operations, resource management and logistics, and strategic communications, Nograles said.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana was designated to lead the IATF’s National Task Force to address the threat of Covid-19. (PNA)