As COVID-19 wrecks routines, it’s business as usual for AFP

Some members of the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region will augment the Philippine National Police in enforcing the community quarantine as cases of coronavirus continue to soar./ RICHARD REYES

MANILA, Philippines—As the novel coronavirus alters life as Filipinos know it, it’s still business as usual for members of the Philippine military.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has currently not announced a confirmed case of COVID-19 among its men, but some of them have undergone monitoring after showing symptoms.

The AFP Medical Center in Quezon City has quarantined more than 30 military personnel—including those with recent foreign travel—who have exhibited symptoms of the disease in recent weeks, but all tested negative so far.

Just like other government institutions, the AFP is grappling for measures to curtail the spread of the invisible threat.

Social distancing or avoiding close physical contact with other individuals is one of the measures suggested by health experts as a way to stop transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19.

This has prompted the government to impose a community quarantine in Metro Manila and to ban mass gatherings, suspend classes, and encourage telecommuting to prevent people-to-people contact.

The military headquarters and the defense establishment, institutions which require working closely together to function properly, have made some adjustments, too.

“We have directive to enforce social distancing. The military is easier to control because they are used to following orders,” Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told INQUIRER.net.

The Department of National Defense’s civilian bureaus will continue operations but with a skeletal staff.

Activities that require mass formations like regular physical exercises have been discouraged.

Service members were also prohibited from foreign travel “except when necessary” to limit the spread of the virus, AFP Chief Gen. Felimon Santos Jr. said.

“We take very seriously and proactively the President’s declaration of the state of public health emergency,” he said.

Lorenzana, however, believes COVID-19 will not compromise ongoing military training programs across the country.

“”Kung hindi naman sila makakasalamuha ng taga-labas at sila-sila lang ang nasa training area, ‘di kailangang mag social distance (If they won’t blend with outsiders and only they are in the training area, there’s no need for social distance),” he said.

“For as long as they are isolated, they are safe from infection,” Lorenzana added.

“Trips outside camp are prohibited. Yung mga trip nila outside camp ang ipinagbabawal. Hindi rin sila makakauwi during this period of emergency. (They also can’t go home during this period of emergency),” he added.

Military operations on the ground would continue, too, Lorenzana said.

The military’s newly added responsibility is to support the Philippine National Police in enforcing community quarantine in areas around the borders of Metro Manila.

Cancelled activities

As part of the military’s additional precautions against the virus, the Philippine Army, which is celebrating its 123rd anniversary this month, has cancelled some of its pre-anniversary activities.

The Philippine Navy has called off its ongoing recruitment, while the Philippine Marine Corps suspended a recruitment event in Palawan set for March 12-20.

The Philippine Military Academy, meanwhile, went ahead with its scheduled recognition rites for Class of 2023 last week, but without parents and relatives of the cadets in attendance. The activity was instead broadcast live on Facebook.

The military is set to host major events that would include the presence of foreign troops in the coming months— the joint Balikatan exercises and the International Fleet Review, both scheduled in May or more than a month from now. So far, there are no announcements if there would be changes.

Silent stalker

The virus has now infected 140 persons and killed 12 others in the Philippines as of Sunday (March 15), months after the disease first emerged in China in late 2019. Elsewhere in the world, more than 150,000 have been infected and over 6,000 have died.

On Sunday (March 15), some 2,500 personnel of the military’s Joint Task Force National Region (JTF-NCR) have been tapped to augment police force at checkpoints around Metro Manila for the community quarantine.

This is the first time that the military would be deployed to deal with a virus — a deadly enemy that cannot be fought with guns, said JTF NCR commander Brig. Gen. Alex Luna during the sendoff ceremony for troops taking part in quarantine enforcement.

“We’ve done this in table exercises, simulation exercises. This will be the first time we will be doing this in reality. We will not be fighting human beings here,” he said.

While authorities earlier assured that personnel deployed for quarantine duty would have protective equipment, Luna acknowledged that they could be susceptible to infection during their mission.

“Imagine, pag isa sa inyo got in contact later on, malalaman natin COVID-19 positive, hindi lang yung isa ang tatanggalin natin (Imagine if one of you got contact later on, and we learn you’re COVID-19 positive, we will deal not only with one),” Luna said. “The whole squad will be quarantined,” he said, reminding troops to protect themselves.

“We have to protect ourselves also. Otherwise, baka maubos tayo (Otherwise, we might be wiped out). I don’t want to go to that point.”

Edited by TSB