Nine presidential candidates on Sunday bared where were they after the national government first implemented the enhanced community quarantine due to the COVID-19 crisis on March 16, 2020.

Appearing at CNN Philippines' The Filipino Votes Presidential Debate were Vice President Leni Robredo, Senators Panfilo Lacson and Manny Pacquiao, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, former presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella, former Defense chief Norberto Gonzales, labor leader Leody de Guzman, cardiologist-lawyer Jose Montemayor Jr. and businessman Faisal Mangondato.

Robredo recalled that towards the latter part of January that year, they invited health experts to gather information on what was to be expected and a month later, the experts guested in her radio program for information dissemination.

"Noong March, nagkakasakit na iyong health workers, nag preposition kami ng PPEs sa mga hospital, noong kulang na ang PPEs, nag local production kami, nag tap po kami ng sewing communities, una sa Metro Manila tapos sa labas ng Metro Manila," she said.

By March 16 when mass transportation was affected, Robredo said they launched shuttle buses as well as dormitories for frontliners.

"Nawalan ng trabaho ang mga TODA, nagkaroon kami ng community mart. May Bayanihan e-skwela, community leaning, Bayanihanapbuhay para sa mga nawalan ng trabaho, COVID-19 vaccine express, Bayanihan e-skwela, swab cab, pati sa Palawan sa Cebu, para makatulong," she added.

For his part, Moreno said he had immediately implemented a COVID-19 response plan from the British government.

The Manila Mayor said the British government invited him to London to be with the Corona British Response Agency in February 2020, before the first infection in Manila.

"Immediately, less than a week, I went back with a copy of the plan of the British government and immediately implemented it in the city of Manila," he said.

He said he immediately met with the Manila Health Department, six hospital directors, the Manila Police District, City engineering, and the Manila Social Welfare Department.

Further, Moreno said Manila also established its own infectious disease control center at the Sta. Ana Hospital in the first week.

"And, we cushioned the socio-economic impact in the lives of every Manilenos by giving ayudas, especially to our poor drives who were immediately affected of such pandemic," he said.

Face masks, face shields, troop mobilization

Senator Manny Pacquiao, meanwhile, recalled distributing face masks, face shields and PPEs for the Philippine National Police personnel.

Pacquiao added he donated around P2 billion from his own pocket to the government amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Hindi po tayo nagtago. 'Yun po ay patunay ng isang tunay na leader na handang ibuwis ang buhay para sa kapakanan ng taong bayan," Pacquiao said.

For his part, Lacson said he was in a Senate hearing before the most stringent quarantine classification was declared by President Rodrigo Duterte due to COVID-19.

On February 4, 2020, the Senate committee on health had investigated the first two confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in the Philippines. Lacson recalled that time when the senators had learned that only 17% of the contacts have been traced.

"Agad naisip ko [noon] malaki ang problema natin," Lacson said.

(During that time, I realized that we have a big problem.)

"Tapos noon ang mga Chinese tourists 'di pinagbawalan na makapasok dahil kaibigan daw natin ang China. Again, sinabi ko malaki ang problema natin," he went on.

(Apart from that, Chinese tourists are still allowed to enter the country because our officials had said China is our friend. Again, I said that is another huge problem.)

After the lockdown had been declared, Lacson said the Senate immediately legislated the Bayanihan To Heal As One Act, which included a social amelioration program for families and workers who were forced to stay at home while the government was racing against time to prevent the spread of the virus.

"Sa mga sumunod na araw aming binalangkas ang Bayanihan 1 sa pangunguna ng aming Senate President na siyang may akda ng ayuda, di lang ng health workers kundi ng ating kababayan na nawalan ng trabaho dahil sa pandemya, dahil sa lockdown," he said.

(In the following days, we had legislated Bayanihan 1 through the leadership of our Senate president. This had provided financial assistance not only to health workers but also to those who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic and the lockdowns.)

Bayanihan to Recover As One Law was also passed to provide financial assistance to public utility vehicle drivers, he added.

For his part, De Guzman recalled that he was in his residence watching television at the onset of the pandemic, lamenting the immediate response of the government that instead of medical and health experts, troops were mobilized to enforce lockdowns.

"Nalulungkot ako dahil ang unang-unang ginawa ng Pangulong Duterte ay parang binalewala 'yung COVID, na parang isang maliit na bagay lang. Kaya naging relax at 'yung pagdating ng March ay saka lang nagkukumahog... ang problema sa halip na mga taong may alam sa medikal at sa virus, eh mas ang minobilize ay 'yung militar na ang ginawa puro lockdown," De Guzman said.

De Guzman said mass testing, contact tracing, and building of isolation facilities were not prioritized.

He said the government should have also listened to the requests of medical frontliners such as additional protective gears and special risk allowances.

For Gonzales, he recalled being in a mountain barangay in Orani, Bataan last March 2020.

During his stay there, he noticed the problem in the barangay and he realized that the agriculture sector should be prioritized.

"Kung sakali kakong magnonormal, palagay ko ang agrikultura ang ating itutulak kasi kailangan ng pagkain," Gonzales said.

OFWs

Abella, former Foreign Affairs undersecretary, said he was responding to the repatriation of the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) after the March 16, 2020 lockdown.

Abella said that at least 400,000 OFWs were repatriated from the Middle East and Europe during that time.

"Ang nangyari po noon I was still at DFA at binigyan tugon po yung pagre-repatriate ng OFWs na nanggagaling sa Middle East at Europe at malaki siyang gawain dahil it took mga 400,000 ang mga narepatriate, mga landbased people, seabased people," he said.

(What happened then was I was still at DFA and I responded to the repatriation of OFWs coming from the Middle East and Europe and it was a big task because it took about 400,000 repatriates, landbased people, seabased people.)

"At ang pinakamatindi po roon marami sa kanila nanggagaling sa other centers malayo po sa kung susunduin ng eroplano pero yun po ang nabigyan ng tugon ang pag-aassist at pagrerepatriate n gating mga kasamahan na OFWs," he added.

(And the worst part is that many of them come from other centers far away from where the plane will pick them up, but that's what gave the response to the assistance and repatriation of our fellow OFWs.)

Montemayor, meanwhile, recalled immediately losing five of his classmates to COVID-19.

"There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for others. Limang kaklase ko agad ang nawala, si Dr. Jun Resurrection. I also got COVID-19, it got very serious, we are laying down our lives for Filipinos, mula noon hanggang ngayon. Buhay, hindi gamit," Montemayor said.

For his part, Mangondato said he was at home with his family, adding that they were strictly adhering to the health protocols following the announcement of COVID-19 pandemic.

"Ako po ay dahil sa announcement na yung COVID-19 ay nasa bahay po palagi ang pamilya ko ay hindi kami lumalabas sa bahay at aking pinagsasabihan ang aking mga kamaganak na sumunod tayo sa patakaran ng ating gobyerno," Mangondato said.

(Following the announcement of COVID-19, I stayed at home with my family. We do not go out of the house and I am telling my relatives that we follow the policy of our government.)

The Katipunan ng Kamalayang Kayumanggi's presidential bet underscored that the Creator created natural calamities to discipline the people.

"Alam niyo po tuwing may kalamidad ay ito ay galing sa ating taga-likha, pinaparating sa atin na sumobra tayo sa limit na ang ating paglagpas sa mga kautusan ng ating Diyos na naglikha sa atin," he said.

(You know that every time there is a calamity, it is from our Creator, we are told that we have exceeded the limit of our transgression of the commandments of our God, who created us.)

"Kaya po maraming mga kalamidad ang dumadating sa atin ay dahil po sa kasalanan ng bawat isa sa atin kaya ito pong pandemya pag-tayo po ay hindi sumunod sa ating taga-likha talagang tuloy tuloy itong pandemya na nakapamalagi sa atin," he added.

(That is why many calamities come to us because of the fault of each one of us, so this is a pandemic.) -- Anna Felicia Bajo, Hana Bordey, Joahna Lei Casilao, Richa Noriega, Llanesca T. Panti, Jamil Santos/RSJ, GMA News