EDITOR’S CORNER
Bullet Points and Forked Tongues
O By Joel Pablo Salud
n the 32nd day of the enhanced community quarantine, I rested. Studying and writing one long essay each day since Day One of the Luzon lockdown left my mind exhausted and pining for all things other than writing. Computer games I long wanted to try out. A book by Antonio Gramsci still wrapped in plastic. Maybe tend to my garden or get a bit of exercise since I’ve noticed how round my cheeks have become. Get to play with my five-year-old Likha and end the day by reading her stories. Thus, I chose the most selfish, brain-dead and sorely privileged middle-class option of playing Tiberium Wars: The Wrath of Khan from 9AM till about half-past two in the morning. It felt awesome not to think or raise a grievance for a change. There is very little I can do at the moment but hole myself up in a room and wait. From where I sit as spectator to this swiftly unfolding apocalypse, I have come to the conclusion that hope, wherever and whenever this may be found, remains thin. All we’re getting from this administration are what I call “bullet points”—a highly-questionable patchwork of ‘solutions’ which excuses police intimidation, warning of martial law, and threats of being shot if caught violating the quarantine. But then again that’s pun intended, of course. Of course, let’s not rule out of the picture Duterte’s ingenious use of the ‘forked tongue” which, by all standards, could put any viper to shame. Of all the misdirection he has chosen to lay on the table, nothing beats his wanting to be criticized and hating to be criticized all in one go. Criticism is something of a touch-and-go thing for this President. Fresh off the campaign trail as newly elected President, Duterte quickly builds a case in favor of criticism. In a Sept. 10, 2016 report by ABS-CBN, Duterte was quoted as saying, “Do not hesitate to at-
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tack me, criticize me, if I do wrong in my job,” Duterte answered after being asked if he harbored any anger at journalists. “I am not at liberty to be angry at anybody,” he added. “It is your sworn duty to ask questions. It is also my obligation to my people for the money spent in this trip and for all the things that cost the Filipino, I have to make an official report. Wala akong galit sa inyo […] Every time you press that button in your camera, you record history of this country. That’s why you are important.” During the last quarter of 2018, right the middle of dealing with criticism against the deportation of Australian nun and missionary Sister Patricia Fox, Duterte reiterated that he was in favor of being criticized, but now with a caveat: as long as you’re not a foreigner. “You do not have the right [to criticize me], you do not support me. You are not paying my salary. You go ahead, you rally in plazas, you offend me, and curse the government. You are free to say anything against me because we are public property… Anybody can criticize me, except for foreigners.” This engagement with Sister Fox seems to have been predicated on an earlier battle of wits with Roman Catholic church officials sometime the middle of 2018. In a July 2018 report by the Philippine News Agency (PNA), Duterte said: “So when you criticize me, do not use the platform of God. That God will send you to hell… that God will never forgive you, hell is waiting for you. Do not do it. Do not take God—God’s name in vain. It’s fundamental. It’s almost basic. There is really a clear cut between religion and governance. You cannot use God to criticize me […] You know, every Filipino is entitled to criticize me as a matter of right. And if I fall short of their expectations and they begin to be disappointed, discontent, or whatever, they have every right for I may have failed them in my promises. That’s why it’s okay with me. But certainly not a foreigner,
however holy you are, I will not allow you to do it in my country for after all, we are not supposed to do it in other countries, too.” When the enhanced community quarantine was imposed and the Bayanihan Act, whose provisions on “fake” news brought back memories of martial law, the public was genuinely bothered. The National Bureau of Investigations (NBI) was later reported to have issued more than a dozen subpoenas to Duterte’s online critics, transforming the Luzon lockdown to a veritable crackdown. In his own defense, Duterte was quoted by Philippine Star’s Alexis Romero as saying, “I govern properly and right. If it makes you happy, then you smile. If not, you criticize me. No one is preventing you from using social media. All of you.” The same report said, “The NBI has confirmed issuing more than a dozen subpoenas but clarified that it does not focus on social media comments but on factual errors or the ‘malicious intent’ to spread false news. Officials have also given assurances that the law won’t be used to silence critics of the government.” Let’s not kid ourselves any more than we have to. Who will dictate what is fake news
and what is not? Will the same law or provision apply to government officials known for twisting the facts? You know why it’s a question we need to ask? Because according to Journalism professor and Bulatlat.com associate editor Danilo Arao, “The Duterte administration utilizes ‘fake news’ as a tool to silence dissent by spreading lies using an army of trolls, to present ‘alternative facts’ and justify the repressive policies and programs of the government.” In a Bulatlat.com report dated March 27, 2020, titled “‘Fake news’ mainly comes from gov’t agencies, officials —UP prof,” the source of ‘fake’ news is quite obvious. Alyssa Mae Clarin reported that according to Prof. Arao, “authoritarian governments are the ones who benefit from ‘fake news.’ Similar to how Germany’s Adolf Hitler had once referred to the media as the ‘lying press,’ both U.S. President Donald Trump and Duterte had openly discredited critical media outfits by calling them peddlers of ‘fake news.’ He noted that there have been a spike of ‘fake news” websites since Duterte assumed office.” The report added, “The sole purpose of these websites is to proliferate disinforma-
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tion, making use of manipulated photos and videos of prominent people claiming this or that, when it truth they have not. These sites are usually most active in social media websites such as Facebook, and target the large number of Filipino users in the website.’ He [Arao] called on the public to be critical and check out multiple sources of information.” And then, on April 27, Duterte lashes out at his critics during one of his enhanced community quarantine press conferences, saying “If you say I didn’t do anything, that’s okay. How about you? What have you done except to talk and criticize? When people die, you start to ask for the government’s help […] Stay away from those who are politicking. They have been there for years. They’ve been posturing all the time, this ‘pretty boy.’ There are also women who keep talking but are not doing anything” (CNN Philippines Staff, “Duterte lashes out: What have you done except to criticize,” CNN Philippines, 17 April 2020). I can probably write a whole treatise on Duterte’s antipathy toward criticism. But let me end this with a few words from fantasy author Neil Gaiman: “I believe that in the battle between guns and ideas, ideas will, eventually, win.”G
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COVER
Pinoy of the Sea By Alma Anonas-Carpio
PHOTOS BY CARINA DAYONDON
Colors
of Hope
O
By Joel Pablo Salud
n the morning of April 19, on that cramped space by the porch where I comb the internet daily for news on the Covid-19 pandemic, a document came to my attention.
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From the looks of it, the paper was released on April 17 by the Philippine Air Force (PAF). The main instruction or what is here termed as “Command Guidance,” based on Pres. Rodrigo Duterte’s recent “pronouncement of martial law-type role of the AFP/
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PNP presumably in the Luzon lockdown, sat on the middle in capital letters: “In connection with the above reference, request/advise all personnel to prepare for strict implementation of extensive enhanced community quarantine
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where the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) will be the over-all-in-charge along roads and highways.” The document went on to say that “Further conduct/ request briefing from PNP on ROEs, legal and safety measures in dealing with pedestrians and motorists.” It was signed by LTC Lawrence A. Naldoza PAF (GCS). Having lived through martial law in the early 1970s, I was struck with the use of the words “martial law” in a military document meant for the “widest dissemination”. However, it came as no surprise that the PAF officials, to say little of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the AFP in general, would readily accept the idea that stricter enforcement of the Bayanihan Law would put the country in a better position to deal with the pandemic. I immediately reached out to one of my sources to confirm the said document. From the looks of it, it has already reached the widest circulation hours before, but only on social media. Naturally, it created a panic. As a result of my queries, my source forwarded to me a statement by a certain Major Aristides Galang, spokesperson for the PAF. “The PAF is just anticipating any scenario in case the President, as Commanderin-Chief of the AFP, would decide to implement his recent statements to the public as earlier stated and prepare our troops in advance as normally done by the military organization in the past.”
COVER COVER
Sea » Pinoys Colors of of the Hope
Maj. Galang seemed to be referring to the words of the President in a recent press conference, stating that if the situation gets any worse because of the people’s stubbornness to follow the rules, he will order the AFP and the PNP—as he has already done so—to be ready. “So, we are just anticipating and preparing our personnel to be ready.” I refused to post the said document on social media and comment on it for fear that I have not done the fullness of due diligence in vetting the information. As is my custom, I leaped to another source and further investigated on the veracity of the document. Apparently, the new spokesperson, Harry Roque, has already released a statement on what the government calls extended or modified enhanced community quarantine, which, according to Roque, could be set in place after April 30. Whether this statement by Roque expounds on the said PAF document still remains to be seen. To recap, the words in the document told of an “extensive community quarantine,” not the “extended” or “modified” kind. In a report published by GMA News Online, Roque was quoted as saying, “Let’s
just say that we are in the middle of a crisis, and the one leading us together with the Department of Health is the President of the Philippines. Whatever comments we may have, we have to understand that we are in the middle of a war. It’s not advisable to change generals while in the middle of a fight.” Several critics, including myself, have raised the largely inaccurate and misleading notion that in order to deal with the pandemic, we will have to think of it as war. War against the virus. War against conspiracy theories. War against “fake” news. The use of the word “war” in dealing with the current contagion, however, is more an exercise in dysphemism than euphemism. It is fundamentally flawed for the mere reason that it advances a militaristic view of the solution than a medical and scientific one. Of course, in this report, Roque was quick to dispel any fears that the President is considering a solely martial view of the challenge we are facing. “For now, the President is basing all his decisions on science and the study regarding the virus. We have to improve our mass testing capabilities in order to know where we are in our war against this disease.”
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While I will never discount the substance and value of having order in a time of crisis, an extensively militarized vantage point helps little, if at all, in advancing the more significant role of ethics and ideals during a time of pandemic. And we see this every single day, these little colors of hope which embolden the public to rise to the occasion. A militaristic view of the solution will have to come from its principle of the command chain—one person, the highestranking brass, making all the decisions and the orders. A humanistic perspective, however, allows for manifold interpretations of the situation, directly tailor-fitting the immediate needs of several individuals or quarters of the population without downplaying human rights. Take for example the condition doctors and other medical practitioners and frontliners find themselves in. During the early days of the Luzon-wide lockdown, reports of doctors and nurses being blocked at checkpoints hogged the headlines. The spokesperson of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), undersecretary Jonathan Malaya, said in
a DZMM interview that reports of nurses being forced to walk from the checkpoints to their hospital have reached his office. “I heard that some nurses are walking at checkpoints. Nurses and doctors need not be blocked at checkpoints. Truck drivers have to be allowed unimpeded entry,” he said. Usec. Malaya reminded officers to strictly follow orders coming from the Office of the President and the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF). One physician frontliner who goes by the name of Dr. Eugenio was reportedly forced to walk three hours after he was blocked at a PNP checkpoint located on Eastbank Road bordering Cainta and Pasig City. One doesn’t even have to possess a thorough knowledge of the humanities to grasp what plain common sense would do under the circumstances. Fortunately, there’s a good deal of running after the learning curve, giving officials a better sense of the situation than previously thought. Problem is, much of the progress came after the damage has been done. In response to this particular problem, according to a Rappler report, “Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato Dela Peña, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Information and Communications Technology Assistant Secretary Manny Caintic, along with DEVCON founder Winston Damarillo introduced what was called the ‘RapidPassPH’ System which will roll out for wide use on Monday, April 6.” The report further explains: “The system, commissioned by the Department of Science and Technology, aims to remove congestion, speed up deliveries, and protect checkpoint frontliners by lessening personal contact with commuters passing through. “Dela Peña described the system as a ‘virtual identification system that utilizes QR-code-based technology to provide ease for frontliners and priority vehicles,’ such as those delivering food and medicine. DEVCON, a group of Filipino developers and IT professionals, developed the system for the government for free.” While a militaristic solution would insist on strict adherence to law and order, enforcing curfews and penalties on all who would dare break quarantine, a more humanistic approach would open doors for the indigent and poorer communities, and craft creative ways to meet their needs while unable to work under enforced quarantine.
Our best bet in dealing with the pandemic is a humanitarian strategy that takes into account all situations regardless of social and economic bearing. During the early stages of the Luzon lockdown, several farmers and food delivery services claimed they were unable to pass through the checkpoints. Some even went out of their way to post their produce online with the hope of selling them in cyberspace. After netizens quickly pointed out the absurdity of imposing a blockade on food and other daily necessities while under enhanced community quarantine, Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar began easing its rules on food pass issuance. “During this difficult time, unhampered and unimpeded movement and delivery of agriculture products, food and agri-fishery input products for residents of Metro Manila and nearby communities is our utmost priority,” Dar said. “Now, more than ever, we appreciate and will continue to bank on the commitment and cooperation of our local chief executives as the country’s ‘food security czars’ ready to serve and uphold the welfare of their respective constituents during this trying period, along with other government agencies and agri-fishery stakeholders and partner.” Apparently, notwithstanding the President’s bent towards an extensive community quarantine, still his whole machinery suffers from dissenting voices from within. Newly resigned Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia himself told CNN Philippines that his resignation was the result of differences in “development philosophy” between him and the members of the President’s Cabinet.
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Based on the report, Pernia said he was not a lone voice in calling for the easing of restrictions under the community quarantine. “‘It is understandable that there would be differences in national development philosophy, given that different people have different educational and disciplinal backgrounds,’ Pernia added. But Pernia admitted such differences in opinions could have been better handled by those in charge of the Cabinet members at this time. ‘So yes, there are indeed difference in approaches and in such a critical time for the country, it is best that the government doesn’t get bogged down internally.’” How the President would decide, whether he’s in favor or not of extending the quarantine, is still anybody’s guess. Martial-law levels of enforcement may not be taken lightly by the populace. It could only bog down the government even more in light of abuses which could emanate from the said extensive quarantine. For some yet unexplained reason, the PNP and the AFP could not deviate from the sort of strict adherence to the letter of the law in order to be humane in their interpretation and implementation of it. For now, our best bet in dealing with the pandemic is a humanitarian strategy that takes into account all situations regardless of social and economic bearing. As novelist Albert Camus said, “the only means of fighting a plague is common decency.” G
COVER
Tonight with Rodrigo Duterte: COVID-19 public addresses By Alma Anonas-Carpio
Pres. Rodrigo Duterte during his talk to local government units on the implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine at the Malago Clubhouse in MalacaĂąang on Mar. 19
P
resident Rodrigo Roa Duterte put the entire island of Luzon under the lockdown of an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) on Mar. 16.
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As of this writing, it is the 33rd day Luzon has been under quarantine due to the spread of COVID-19 in the country, while several areas of the Visayas and Mindanao are also under quarantine. On the day Pres. Duterte locked Luzon island down under the ECQ, he also asked Congress to grant him emergency powers to deal with the threat to public health posed by the spread of COVID-19 in the Philippines.
His request was granted and, on Mar. 23, both chambers of Congress passed the Bayanihan Heal as One Act that granted the President the emergency powers he sought and realigned funds from the 2020 General Appropriations Act (GAA) to provide P275 billion with which to fight COVID-19. That law also stipulated that the President was to give a report to Congress weekly, to update the legislative chamber on the progress of government’s efforts to stem the tide of infection in the country.
RESTRICTION OF MOVEMENT
Duterte’s first public address was broadcast on Mar.19, and the Chief Executive’s first call was to explain the need for government to take control to the public at large and to the local government units (LGUs): “This really restricts the freedom of movement of our countrymen and thus deprives many people of their ability of earning a living these coming weeks. Let me add my own words: I am really very sorry but I have to do it.” The President said LGUs should “abide by the directives of the national government.” The spread of COVID-19 in the country, he said, “is an emergency of national proportions. And therefore, it is the national government that should call the shots,” through the Inter-Agency Task Force
(IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases. Duterte wanted the lockdown to be “strict enough to effectively kill COVID-19” and “liberal enough that our people won’t die from hunger; and orderly enough so that our country will not be driven towards chaos.” He stressed the need to think of the economic survival of the country once the crisis is over, as well as the new policy of social distancing that had to be imposed to slow the spread of the disease. Public transport was suspended, and the President said the Philippine Air Force and the Philippine Army “will try to help” people who are stranded by the lack of transportation, “wherever you are.” He told the people that they can also go to the military and police to ask for accommodations and food. “On Mar. 23, a special session of Congress saw the passage of the Bayanihan Heal as One Act granting the President emergency powers and funding of ₱275 billion for the fight against COVID-19.”
MORBIDITY NUMBERS
On Mar. 24 Duterte addressed the nation a second time, expressing his “sincerest gratitude to all our courageous front liners in this war, especially our health care workers,
Pres. Rodrigo Duterte during his message to the nation on Mar. 24 in Malacañang.
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our doctors, nurses, medical technologists and other allied health professionals.” He also said they could count on the government for support. The DOH reported 72 new COVID-19 cases between Mar. 22 and Mar. 24, and 10 additional deaths, bringing the total confirmed cases up to 552, including a total of 35 deaths. At that point, the increased testing capacity of the Regional Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Alabang and four other sub-national laboratories contributed to the increase in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases reported by DOH. The President told the people to “rest assured that your entire government is working hand-in-hand to safeguard your health, safety and well-being in the face of the threat poised by COVID-19.” He ordered government to “cut red tapes. I do not want red tapes” and asked his “fellow public servants” to “set aside our differences and work in solidarity to overcome this pandemic.” Duterte told the people that “the government will be on top of this situation at all times. We will not leave anyone behind.”
LOCKDOWN: WEEK THREE
On Mar. 30, Pres. Duterte addressed the nation, saying there were only two powers granted to him under the Bayanihan Heal
COVER
» Tonight with Rodrigo Duterte: COVID-19 public addresses
Pres. Rodrigo Duterte holds a meeting with some members of the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) at the Malago Clubhouse in Malacañang on Apr. 8. (TOTO LOZANO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)
As One Act: “One is the power to direct the operation of private establishments. The other is the power to require businesses to prioritize contracts for materials and services necessary for the crisis. I will exercise these powers only when absolutely necessary.” The government, he said, “is now launching the largest and widest social protection program in our country’s history,” which he added aimed to “make up for the loss of economic opportunities due to the quarantine measures in place for COVID-19.” “P200 billion,” he said, was allocated for “low-income households who are badly affected by the current crisis,” including the informal sector and workers who get paid subsistence wages by the day under “no work, no pay” arrangements. These beneficiaries and their households, he said “will receive emergency support for two months based on the national minimum wage.” He also appealed to the private sector and employers to contribute what they could, and thanked those who provided help “away from the cameras.” Duterte said the government was working to “provide a recovery package—especially to micro, small, and medium enterprises—to help deal with the economic effects of this pandemic.” Addressing the shortage of PPE, the President said about one million medical
protective items “are being acquired right now, with the government and the private sector working together to purchase or produce the necessary quantities.” The government was, he added, also increasing its capacity to test more people “to take a fuller and more accurate picture of the spread of COVID-19 in the country. We will also build, operate and accredit more medical facilities and laboratories in the coming weeks.”
GETTING WORSE
Late into the next night, Duterte again addressed the nation, saying the problem posed by COVID-19 “is getting worse,” and that the resources of government are finite and must go through necessary processes before they can be released to the public. In this late night public address, the President told the people to wait and not use force: “I am addressing the Left na ‘yung pambabastos ninyo ‘yung [your obnoxiousness] slamming about the distribution. Remember kayong mga [you in the] Left: You are not the government… and you cannot be a part of what we are planning to do for the nation.” Duterte also ordered the police to protect medical front-liners from attacks and harassment after reports of an attack on a medical worker in Sultan Kudarat, in Mindanao, who had been doused over his face and body with undiluted bleach disinfectant.
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‘WE DON’T HOLD THE MONEY’
On Apr. 3, the President spoke online again. After ranting at length about human rights lawyer Chel Diokno’s teeth, Duterte said: “I govern properly and right. If it makes you happy, then you smile. If not, you criticize me.” He denied that there was corruption in processing the funds from the GAA under the Bayanihan Heal as One Act: “We do not hold the money.” Duterte fired PACC Commissioner Manuelito Luna, who had sought an investigation into the efforts of Vice President Leni Robredo to gather support and donations from the private sector to provide PPE to medical front-liners. “At this moment, he is no longer connected with government.”
MOST VULNERABLE FIRST
On Apr. 6, the Chief Executive spoke to the nation again. He said some people have already received assistance from government. “I am reiterating that our most vulnerable citizens, especially the poorest of the poor, must receive the government’s assistance immediately. Kung hindi patay ‘yan sa gutom [If not, they will die of hunger].”
Pres. Rodrigo Duterte joins other leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries, the Republic of Korea, People’s Republic of China and Japan during the special ASEAN Plus Three Summit on COVID-19 video conference at the Malago Clubhouse in Malacañang on Apr. 14. (ACE MORANDANTE/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTOS)
Duterte also said he thought that the “point raised by Governor Remulla of Cavite” is “valid.” Remulla had asked the President to consider giving aid to middleincome Filipinos as well. The President asked those who “have more in life” to extend financial assistance to the poor as well, and to share resources with those who have less. He added: “I am calling on the nation to come together this Holy Wednesday afternoon and pay tribute to the indomitable spirit of the Filipino and unite in one prayer to God to fight our common enemy.” He also said he would look for a way to provide food for the people, even as he asked the public to be patient and to understand the government: “We would appreciate it.”
MEETING ONLINE, IN PUBLIC
On Apr. 8, the President spoke to the people again, presenting members of the IATF as well. DSWD Secretary Roland Bautista spoke first, saying the first tranche of P100 billion for the cash amelioration program had arrived and that “in a matter of three
Pres. Rodrigo Duterte updates the nation on the government’s efforts in addressing COVID-19 at the Malago Clubhouse in Malacañang on Apr. 6. (ACE MORANDANTE/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)
to five days” those cash ameliorations were distributed to the “4Ps members” from Apr. 3 to 7 with the assistance of the LGUs. IATF head and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana reported that the task force was able to finalize the organization of transport, logistics and communications, as well as supplies. He also said they assisted in transporting supplies to the Visayas and Mindanao using Philippine Air Force planes. Lorenzana said the IATF was also focused on finding places that would be suitable for use as isolation wards for people infected with COVID-19, including the “World Trade Center, PICC, Rizal Memorial Coliseum, [and] QI (Quezon Institute). He said he’d met with Iglesia ni Kristo leader Eduardo Manalo about Manalo’s offer of the use of the INC’s
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Philippine Arena in Bulacan. Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Carlito Galvez Jr., meanwhile, reported that the national action plan is on track and that the capacity of the DOH has improved, with the testing rate for COVID-19 rising to 2,400 tests per day. Galvez also said the lockdown bought the country another month within which to improve medical services. Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said 11 doctors had died of COVID-19 so far, and he praised the deceased physicians’ heroism and sacrifice in the exercise of their duty. Duque reported that the DOH recorded 3,764 total confirmed COVID-19 cases as of April 7. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez said he’d followed the President’s orders to improve tax collection and spend conservatively. Dominguez said the country’s growth from 2016 averaged 6.4%, and that the government’s income from tax collection was at its highest “in 22 years,” while the country’s debt “has gone down to the lowest it has been in terms of percentage to GDP and it’s only now 41.5 percent” from 70% of GDP. He said inflation went down to 2.5% last month it was two and a half percent and it is within our target of two to four percent.”
COVER
» Tonight with Rodrigo Duterte: COVID-19 public addresses
Having said that, the finance secretary added that “COVID-19 has hit us in a very hard way,” and that the country’s GDP growth estimate “will be zero or minus one percent.” The finance chief also said he expects the budget deficit to rise from 3.2% to 5.3%. He also said he expects the debt to GDP ratio to rise to 47% from 41% He said the government had already spent “about P600 million for health care and COVID items, and the Central Bank has provided P830 billion in liquidity for the economy.” Dominguez expressed confidence that the country has “the financial capability to bridge this problem… the COVID has brought us. So we want to assure all our citizens (that), at this point in time, we have the money although we have to realize na hindi naman endless ‘yung pera na ito [that this money is not endless].”
ASEAN PLUS THREE
On Apr. 14, Pres. Duterte addressed the ASEAN Plus Three meeting, stating that the Philippines, “is ready to participate in clinical trials and medical studies of potential vaccines and medicines such as Avigan.” He also said that food security is vital, and that, “it is imperative our people do not go hungry. Failure to do so will lead to social unrest with all its attendant complications.” On the matter of the ASEAN region, Duterte said: “We have to keep ASEAN markets open and ensure supply chain connectivity. We must also utilize existing mechanisms, such as the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve.” He concluded his intervention with this statement: “It is never too early to think of a post-pandemic recovery plan.”
NATIONAL ID, RAPID TEST KITS
In his online Apr. 13 broadcast, Duterte pushed for the National ID system, which he said would have prevented all the delays in getting aid to the people. He said that the government “will start giving aid to those who are not in the list, through the DSWD and the DILG. The Chief Executive also ordered the police to arrest people who harass or discriminate against people who are sick with, or who have recovered from, COVID-19.
Pres. Rodrigo Duterte addresses the nation on the government’s efforts against COVID-19 at the Malago Clubhouse in Malacañang on Apr. 16. (KARL NORMAN ALONZO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)
“IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT OUR PEOPLE DO NOT GO HUNGRY. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL LEAD TO SOCIAL UNREST WITH ALL ITS ATTENDANT COMPLICATIONS.” Duterte ordered government hospitals to accept patients seeking medical attention for ailments other than COVID-19. The President said the number of confirmed COVID cases has ballooned to 4,932 cases, of which 42 have recovered, while 315 have died” He asked the general public to stay home. Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion advised that the government should now “really look and plan on how to gradually shift towards reviving the economy because in the end, social amelioration cannot last forever. DOF Undersecretary Karl Kendrick Chua proposed that “we (government) should provide small businesses with a wage subsidy.” He proposed that P51 billion be distributed to the employees of small businesses For his part, Pres. Duterte said he “would advise the checkpoints not to be dismantled especially by the police. He told them, however, not to stop motor vehicles carrying food and other vegetables from the province. The President also said medical experts and scientists “are still debating on the efficacy of the rapid tests we would like to buy,” adding that “there is no FDA
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(Philippine Food and Drug Administration) ruling yet because they cannot act on it without [an] assessment.” He also noted that “there’s a rule that we cannot use public funds to buy medical supplies, medicines, without the FDA signal.” Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said this limitation “is because of the Universal Health Care Law. And the Universal Health Care Law specifically provides (that the) DOH and PhilHealth cannot procure” medical supplies without the approval of the Health Technology Assessment Council (HTAC). This does not, Nograles said, preclude “any other agency from purchasing” these supplies. “Because we are in the state of calamity, OCD (Office of Civil Defense) can purchase” these things. Concepcion advised that, “if you buy in volume… you can get it anywhere between five dollars to seven dollars. If you buy a million dollars’ worth, it will go down that low.” He was referring to the rapid test kits. Pres. Duterte gave the green light for the purchase: “I said you can go ahead and buy it immediately. You have my clearance.”
FOLLOW THE RULES
On Apr. 16, the latest address of the President as of this writing, the frustration was readily apparent on his face during his broadcast. He reported the latest morbidity and mortality rates for COVID-19 in the Philippines: 5,660, with 435 recovered patients, and 362 dead. He reminded the people that the quarantine is “really intended to protect the other guy,” especially if people don’t follow the social distancing rule and refuse to wear face masks when they go outside their homes. The President also asked the DILG to investigate who were engaged in cockfighting and drinking sessions. He said the people who don’t want to follow the quarantine rules may have to do so unless they want military of police personnel enforcing those rules: “I am ordering them now to be ready.” President Duterte also asked crematorium operators not to raise their prices for cremation, as the fatalities of COVID-19 have to be cremated directly to maintain public safety. The chief executive also said he may personally thank the owners of buildings and hotels “who so generously gave” for pitching in to help.G
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BILLBOARD
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