Defense, security sectors’ cooperation key to beat Covid-19

“Vital to the success of this effort is the high level of Inter-Agency Coordination that the defense and security sector should implement,” Lorenzana said in a press statement. (PNA file photo by Joey O. Razon)

MANILA – Close cooperation between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police is needed to protect Filipinos from the effects of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Thursday.

“Vital to the success of this effort is the high level of Inter-Agency Coordination that the defense and security sector should implement,” Lorenzana said in a press statement.

Lorenzana was designated as chair of the National Action Plan (NAP) to address the threat of Covid-19 and its aftermath, with Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año as vice chair.

He said this coordination will be facilitated “in tandem with the National Government Agencies, Local Government Units (LGUs), non-government organizations, and civil society organizations so that a holistic approach to this challenge can be pursued.

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The NAP encompasses the whole-of-government response against Covid-19, with the AFP and the PNP taking the lead in implementing the enhanced community quarantine, ensuring the unimpeded supply of food and non-food supplies in the communities, as well as maintaining a systematic and orderly implementation of the measures to curb the spread of the disease.

Lorenzana added that the DND and its bureaus, in partnership with the DILG and in close coordination with the concerned agencies and organizations, are ready to implement the action plan.