IN ORDER to arrest the continued spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in Bacolod City, the local government should have been more proactive in tracing, testing and treatment.
This was the answer of mayoralty candidate Alfredo Abelardo "Albee" Benitez in one of the questions during the virtual townhall debate organized by the University of the Philippines Law Alumni Association Negros Occidental Chapter Saturday, January 15, 2022.
His opponent incumbent Mayor Evelio Leonardia was not able to attend due to a disagreement on the format of the debate.
Leonardia earlier asked the organizer that the debate should be held face-to-face instead of a virtual format.
Dr. Ronel Sario, president of the Philippine College of Physician-Negros Occidental Chapter, asked Benitez on his stand on the current situation of the city and its assessment on the way the local government unit handles the pandemic, and its long term plan to address Covid-19 and other health issues in the locality.
Benitez said the City Government has done its best on how to prevent Covid-19 cases, but he is hopeful that they should be more proactive in tracing, testing and treatment.
"We should create a bubble to ensure the balance between saving lives and protecting the economy," he said, adding that there is a need to protect the borders to ensure that people coming in from other places are properly screened and tested.
He added that for testing, the city should use the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test, which would take a couple of hours or days to find out a result, and the antigen test, which would take 15 minutes, to protect borders, livelihood and economy of the city.
'Albee clear winner'
In a related development, Benitez's camp said he was the "clear winner" in the debate.
"While his rival declined to participate in the debate, Benitez showed Bacolodnons that he is ready to serve them with no excuses," the camp said in a statement.
They said the mayoral aspirant answered the questions coming from different sectors confidently and demonstrated wide knowledge and presented clear solutions to existing problems in the city.
"I only wish I had more time to answer the many questions of the sectors, and elaborate on my plans to address their needs and concerns," Benitez said as he thanked the organizers and their partners for initiating the debate.
He said he welcomes any other forum, in whatever platform and format, where he could present his vision and highlight his plans for Bacolod City.
It can be recalled that the camp of his opponent, incumbent Mayor Evelio Leonardia, decided not to attend the virtual debate.
Leonardia, who is seeking reelection, suggested that the debate should instead be done face-to-face.
His debate coordinator George Zulueta said the term "debate" would become a "misnomer" if done virtually, saying that the camp of Benitez may be aided by a teleprompter.
In an earlier reply, Benitez said he is ready to "face anyone anytime and anywhere" in using whatever platforms.
The rivals' camp already had previous communication with the organizers months before the debate and they were actually surprised with its withdrawal, his camp said.
In defense, the debate organizers said they have consistently communicated with those who have misunderstood their mechanics and those who insisted on their preferred format by responding to them directly in private.
"We hope that you are as excited as we are as we collaboratively provide a platform for the public to know who the candidates are, their positions on certain issues and to help them make informed choices in the lead up to the May 2022 elections," the organizers said.
