I remember walking the tightrope between the pandemic response of preserving lives and saving the economy when I was a member of the Inter -Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. The incident exactly happened a year ago. As the spokesperson, I had the unenviable task of defending IATF decisions that were responsive at best, and tone-deaf at worst.

Critics lionized my strong opposition against a fourth nationwide lockdown (lobbied by some overzealous doctors) at the expense of our battered economy. They even broadcast an illegal footage of a secret IATF meeting wherein I assailed the lockdown recommendation. Many Filipinos have lost a loved one or an acquaintance to the virus. However, the reality is that we also need to keep our economy going. Ironically, these doctors wanted a lockdown to protect more lives. But a lockdown would have brought more suffering or perhaps death to countless unemployed, incomeless, and poor Filipinos.

My contention remains: The government should strike an acceptable balance between public health and the health of our economy. Maintaining public health standards is king. Nonetheless, we also need to spur economic activity to fast-track our country's socio-economic recovery. Dahil walang buhay kung walang hanapbuhay (Because there is no life if there is no livelihood).

Thank you, Mr. President

I applaud the decision of President Marcos Jr. to liberalize our mask mandate. Under Executive Order 3, we now have the option to mask up in open areas and non-crowded settings. The operative word here is "voluntary."

The directive has carefully weighed the economic impacts of mask requirements in the context of our high vaccination rate and decreasing number of Covid-19 patients. According to the Department of Health, 72.7 million Filipinos have been fully-vaccinated as of 11 September. The department has also administered 18.5 million booster shots. We are on the cusp of achieving herd immunity.

The EO makes complete sense since most of our Southeast Asian neighbors have either rescinded or relaxed their mandates. The United States and several European Union members have become "mask-free" countries.