The science of good politics
When politicians debate on what is good science, the matter is not resolved by scientific evidence but often by using the power that one wields over the other. Such is the case of Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia when she modified the IATF guidelines on overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs) arriving at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA).
In its Resolution No. 114, the IATF requires all arriving travelers to undergo a 14-day quarantine upon arrival. Travelers spend the first ten days in a quarantine facility, with the remaining days to be completed under home quarantine in their respective local government units (LGUs) of destination. They will be swabbed on the seventh day using the RT-PCR test, with Day 1 being the day of arrival. Even if they test negative, they must remain in the quarantine facility for the whole ten days.
This protocol does not sit well with the lady governor who branded the policy as burdensome. Garcia’s Executive Order 17 requires ROFs and OFWs to be swabbed upon arrival and undergo quarantine in a hotel only while waiting for the test result. She claims that Cebu’s protocols are better and tells the national government to back off. She defends her stand by invoking Section 105 of the Local Government Code, which provides that the national government, through the health secretary, “can temporarily assume direct supervision and control over health operations in any local government unit for the duration of the emergency, but in no case exceeding a cumulative period of six months.”
Garcia’s divergence from the national policies, which she claims as not defiance but a modification to suit the local needs, makes her famous nationwide. Rumors have it that the DILG is mulling on filing a case against her. Still, her popularity prompts the national government to respond by diverting all international flights bound for Cebu to Manila in what appears to be a move to sidestep her local policies.
Both the IATF and Garcia claim that their policies are based on science. However, during this pandemic, science is unusually uncertain as it constantly evolves as scientists gather more data on the virus and its variants daily, with their findings still subject to challenge. The COVID-19 science is being developed in the public eye and at speed, with theories tested in real-time and directly affecting people’s lives (https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/vision/vision-c19-needs-good-politics-too). While governments attempt to back their policies with available science, the uncertainty of available data makes political decisions follow the trial-and-error approach.
The public stands in awe as it waits for the resolution of this political drama. Garcia’s act of openly challenging the rules of the Duterte administration, while others follow his policies like horses in a herd following a dominant mare, shows that the current policies have adversely affected the most vulnerable sectors of our society. It is a reminder that the government’s response to ease the people’s suffering is not enough.
We should be wary, though, at throwing our hats on populist moves of politicians. At the current state of our politics, the idea of national interest seems to be bankrupt or corrupted. While the words ‘national interest’ and ‘common good’ come out of every politician’s mouth during the campaign period, these ideas are dumped into the abyss of oblivion when they are catapulted into the seat of power.
Good politics is best defined not in books or political journals but in every mouth with enough food to eat, in every family that has a place called home, and in every Filipino with a fair opportunity to live a worthy life. Many have paid lip service to these ideals but ended up opening a can of worms.