Last week, the Island Garden City of Samal government placed the city under the state of calamity due to the high cases of dengue.
Based on the resolution, which Mayor Al David Uy signed on July 8, the number of dengue cases during the first six months of the year was up by 730%, or about seven folds, compared with the same period the previous year.
The resolution pointed out that the increase in the number of dengue cases was due to the onset of the rainy season.
The city government pointed out that because of the situation, there is an urgent need to adopt quick response measures” to ensure that the people of the island-city are protected.
The city is considered the main tourist destination in this part of the country and placing it under the state of calamity will allow the city government to access its fund for calamities and find ways to arrest the problem.
The situation is not unique to Samal as this is also happening in the city and other parts of the country and sometimes the situation is even worse.
Since the situation has been recurring – and this is not the first time for this newspaper to come out with this call – it would be prudent for both the national government and the local government units to come up with a comprehensive program that will not only address a problem when it presents itself, but will become a proactive approach that will eventually minimize, if not totally eliminate the problem.
Also, the solution does not only lie in the capacity of the government and its instrumentalities to address it, but another big part of the solution is on the shoulders of the people. Any attempt to eliminate the breeding grounds of mosquitoes is a step in the right direction.
