Amid looming House probe, OCTA Research reiterates: We are ‘one with gov’t, nation’

FILE PHOTO: Health workers spray disinfectant as they make their way through Barangay 628 Zone 63 in Santa Mesa district, Manila, which has been placed on lockdown for four days because of an increase in COVID-19 cases in the village in March. Coronavirus infections are also rising outside Metro Manila, the independent research group OCTA reported on Wednesday, March 17, 2021. INQUIRER/RICHARD A. REYES

MANILA, Philippines — In the face of an impending House investigation, analytics group OCTA Research on Thursday stressed it is “one with government” and that all its efforts on the COVID-19 pandemic are part of its service to the nation.

OCTA Research said in a statement that it “welcomes public inquiries and fora that serve as opportunities for us to engage the public and disseminate our research work as well as to elaborate on the importance of scientific and evidence-based policymaking.”

“OCTA reiterates that it is one with government, the private sector, and the entire nation in our collective efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic,” it said.

“Likewise, we affirm our commitment to support and contribute to the government’s efforts to effectively address the challenge of COVID-19. All this we do as part of our service to the nation,” it added.

OCTA Research is an independent and interdisciplinary policy and public opinion research organization composed of alumni and professionals from the University of the Philippines and the University of Santo Tomas. It explained that “findings and recommendations of our research do not reflect the official position of the institutions aforementioned.”

Representatives Bernadette Herrera, Kristine Singson-Meehan, Sharon Garin, Stella Quimbo, and Jesus Suntay filed House Resolution No. 2075, calling for a House investigation on OCTA Research’s “qualifications, research methodologies, partnerships, and composition.”

In filing the resolution, the lawmakers said “there is a public health and public policy need to ensure the safety and security of the population during this pandemic, and that information being distributed is correct and not irresponsibly and erroneously published.”

The lawmakers filed the resolution after the Department of Health (DOH), without naming any group, called on independent experts to be more careful about their statements about the COVID-19 pandemic in order to avoid causing panic to people.

The DOH issued this statement after OCTA Research said that Metro Manila is already experiencing a surge of cases, even as the health agency refuses to use the term “surge.”

KGA