By Atty. Antonio P. Pekas
The public is already being softened for the extension of the lockdown. Several days ago, a DOH undersecretary gave a statement to the press that if ever the lockdown will be extended, it will be based on science. Not on a whim or on unverified data or information.
Two days ago, House Committee on Ways and Means Chair Joey Sarte Salceda is calling for an extension of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) over Luzon. He also claimed this to have been based on science and the experience of other countries. He said, this is “evidence-based, logical, life-saving.”
And just today (April 4, 2020, ), the National Task Force (NTF) COVID-19 chief implementor Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said that the government is mulling a “big possibility” that the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine may be extended from 15 to 20 more days.
A few days ago, however, known tycoons in this country had a meeting with the Secretary of Finance Dominguez in attendance. Their consensus was that the lockdown if extended must be modified in a way that the economy will not die. It should not also be a blanket lockdown but some areas might have a more relaxed version of the measure.
There is merit to the position of the tycoons. For instance, in the Cordillera, there are provinces with no COVID cases now, like Mountain Province, Kalinga and Ifugao. People there should be allowed to roam and do anything they want freely as long as they remain in their provinces. No outsiders should also be allowed inside unless the Luzon lockdown is lifted.
****
More than a month ago, it was published in the internet the study of Ateneo scientists that virgin coconut oil (VCO) might be the antidote to the COVID-19. They cited three main reasons which are (if memory seves): VCO destroys the virus’ envelope or shield that allows it to get through a person’s immune system; it prevents the replication of the virus; and it protects the cells from the entry or attack of the virus.
I texted several friends about this and had been repeating it in groups whenever the chance arose—to the extent I felt I was like “sirang plaka”—and raised it also in a DOH presscon which was aired on radio and TV. Yet most of the people are ignorant about the study as VCO stocks are still aplenty on drugstores and grocery stores even after about a month. It seems that many are not critical readers or internet visitors.
The government forwarded amounts of VCO to Singapore for testing to validate the claim. Well, if you have forgotten, we are still a third world country we cannot even do that ourselves.
Now the DOST has commissioned studies on the matter by three respected institutions in the medical science field—the UP-PGH, the Dela Salle-Dasmarinas, and the Ateneo.
All of these institutions have big funds but the UP is funded by the government. Incidentally, in the last internationally recognized ranking of the best universities in the world, only UP in the Philippines got into the top 1000 at the 400 to 500 rank. Dela Salle University came in second but below the top 1000. It was at the 1100 to 1200 rank.
This shows that money is required to come up with respectable educational institutions. Thus, the government should give more funds to state universities and colleges that are spread all over the land. Such will give a chance for provincial students to become competitive.
****
Several days ago, the president said that the police should “shoot to death” those creating social disturbances like demonstrations during the lockdown. This was in the heels of demonstrations in Quezon City by those who claimed that they were not getting relief goods. Some of them, however, admitted later that they received some.
The day before yesterday, somebody in Agusan, Mindanao was creating disturbance in a checkpoint. Allegedly he was drunk and was brandishing a bolo. He was shot dead by a policeman in the head.
The policeman might want to be promoted. Do you remember that General Gerald Bantag who hails from Mountain Province was appointed as chief of the Bureau of Corrections and became general after the president was informed that he was accused of throwing a grenade in a room full of alleged Chinese druglords when he was the warden of a Metro Manila jail? He was acquitted, after his appointment, from the charges of multiple homicide arising therefrom.
In the president’s perspective, if you can kill, then you’ve got balls.
****
The private universities around should be at the forefront in providing for the food of their stranded students in the city. After all, they had been profiting from students for decadea and decades already. Why is it only UP Baguio, a non-profit school, which is finding ways to substantially provide food for their stranded students? The other schools appear to be doing something only for publcity purposes.**
