In the May 26 midnight meeting and president’s address to the people with some government officials with special participation again of a member of the legislative branch of government, Sen. Bong Go, President Rodrigo Duterte had given instructions that appear to be replete with concerns for the people. But because of the iron-hand with which the people has been dealt with in the guise of addressing the pandemic, these pronouncements were only a way to cover up government’s long term failings and present incompetence. These instructions are at best pretentious.
Below are some of the several instructions he issued.
He instructed Department of Health (DOH) Sec. Francisco Duque to “do everything you can” and that whatever was done by Duque or those under Duque as Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) chair as Duterte’s responsibility.
“I do not care. If it’s not cheap, if it is expensive, go – just go ahead and do something about it. I do not care whether you go and steal, borrow or kill a person to get what – what needs to be done.”
He instructed PS-DBM OIC Undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao to: “do not buy that kind of overall suit, that’s a plastic one, that would place the health workers – even if there is an — just an iota of chance…. I said we can always sell everything that we have.”
He instructed Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque to: “use of all government assets whether it’s really the air or the sea or the transportation owned by government that should be utilized in accepting and probably delivering them to their — if possible, delivering them (overseas Filipino workers) to their homes, to their families.”
He instructed the mayors to: “accept them, open the gates of your territories and allow the people — and allow the Filipino to travel wherever they want.”
He instructed the Department of Education to not allow the opening of classes until there is a vaccine.
“Unless I am sure that they are really safe. It’s useless to be talking about opening of classes. That’s what I meant,” he said.
In addition to these instructions is his order to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate the “Co couple” for possible violation of the Bayanihan Act on the aspect of “profiteering.”
These instructions make it appear that Duterte is “humane” and he is very concerned with the safety and well-being of his people.
However, the meeting was basically an act of deceiving the people because the basic concerns of the Filipino people have not been addressed after two months of lockdown and are still not being addressed.
Why?
First, Duterte was merely speaking of things his government has not acted upon for so long during the lockdown. The situation of OFWs is a great indignity, to say the least. So many were kept under quarantine for over 14 days, some even more than two months while eight pregnant women have already given birth. Many still have not received their COVID-19 test results that is why they are not allowed to leave the government quarantine facilities that look more or less like typhoon evacuation centers with partitions per bed (or pay their own in a quarantine facility of their choice). Many others have not been tested even as their mandatory 14-day quarantine has lapsed. Because of this situation being exposed, Duterte ordered that OFWs be sent home in a week—sweeping over some protocols that have held these OFWs stranded in these quarantine facilities for so long and other protocols for moving into an area with MECQ to GCQ or CQ. Local government units were not ready and most also had requirements to place under quarantine these OFWs who come home to them even if they have been in quarantine in Metro Manila for more than 14 days. Government has also prevented OFWs from coming home to the country all at once because the quarantine facilities and testing capacities they boast of (of which the Roque and DOH have conflicting statements) cannot accommodate them, so they become stranded in other countries, only to come here to another quarantine and testing problem and to their hometowns to do another quarantine and/or testing.
Second, Duterte was also sweeping over calls for Duque’s resignation and probes on overpricing of PhilHealth COVID-19 tests payouts and government procuring ‘overpriced’ testing kits, PCR labs from ‘exclusive distributors’ by saying “this is all on me.” It was like he is invoking and abusing his immunity from being sued while he sit as president and keep people and even government officials from asking why are the PhilHealth testing charges paying P8,000 instead of the real price of P4,000? Why are the machines that government bought worth P4 million while the private labs were able to buy at only P1.7 million and the explanation only was a preference of the more expensive ‘made in US’ than the one ‘made in China’ amid the lack of labs to enable government to do mass testing? Why were the PPE sets that government bought priced at P1,800, when private donations were able to buy for only P400 each and there are still calls for more PPEs to be provided to health workers? Why were all these allowed to happen given the meagre resources of the government, the budget cuts even frontline service agencies (DepEd, DOH, etc.) had to take to give to COVID-19 response and all the debts and loans the government has been incurring?
Among the urgent concerns of the Filipino masses is the concrete plan for the exit of the “lockdown” program and the economic program for the people who will face the “new normal.” The plan of MECQ to GCQ to no CQ remains unclear, in order for the people to be encouraged and be energized to understand and cooperate with the government officials, either local government units or national government agencies. In fact, we are in a situation now with COVID-19 outbreak worse than before the lockdown was implemented. There were only 52 cases and three deaths and now we have more than 21,000 positive (not just the 14,669 DOH ‘confirmed’) and 886 deaths—and possibly a month’s worth of testing results and encoding backlog.
The Duterte administration takes advantage of the pandemic by launching a “Balik Probinsya Program,” which is basically a stop gap measure to poverty and send the many mouths to feed during lockdown of the LGUs in Metro Manila to poorer regions. It is also a program that will support the agri-businesses and population control program which will also eventually served the counter-insurgency activities of the state. This program will control the freedom of the people to fully exercise their rights and free will.
The other concern is the churches interest. Though, the government is urging the churches to present a “concrete plan” to celebrate the Holy Mass, under the GCQ, only 10 people, including the priest and sacristans can hold a celebration, which the administrator bishop of the Archdiocese of Manila criticized it an “unreasonable.” “Unreasonable” because a big church is only allowed to celebrate with 10 people. It is short of saying that the Churches should be contented with “livestreaming” celebration. But until when will this situation would be implemented.
Another relevant and urgent concern is the opening of classes. Duque, as opposed to Duterte’s speech, said ‘we are ready’ for opening of classes while Roque said we will open classes, but only online. Online classes are anti-poor and unreasonable. The profound effects on children and the youth being kept under lockdown for so long have yet to be understood, even as these children and youth and even the poor cannot understand why they need to stay at home when they cannot see anything change in their surroundings and how services have been catered to them that would make them understand that we are in a public health crisis except the deployment of police and military all over the metro and their growing hunger. He particularly said no doctors may finish school during this time, at a time that we need that the most and is a component of upgrading the health system capacity of government amid the pandemic. The government would not feel any adverse effects of no school opening, but surely the children, youth and their families would.
Not the same can be said for workers who the government needs now to go back to their posts and run the economy and make the revenues that government will allocate and the money that will turn into private businesses’ profits. Scores were sent to back to work without the government doing mass testing and effective contact tracing and isolation, like a déjà vu of the two days of community quarantine in Metro Manila, albeit poorer and hungrier after two months. Many reported to have been asked to sign a waiver releasing the company from liabilities should they contract COVID-19 at work. They were sent back to work even if public transportation is still suspended (and will still be suspended if Metro Manila shifts to GCQ, says MMDA) and have not received the second tranche of cash aid supposedly for the second month of lockdown (we are now in two months and two weeks) or at all. Government can afford no school opening, but no longer a no return to work despite that their efforts to contain the pandemic clearly just slowed down or hid the real numbers due to lack of capacity or backlogs. But they would still not do mass testing and upgrading of the health system and just order people to stay at home—which has been the only means they were able to slow down the spread of the disease.
There is no vaccine yet for COVID-19. But it is against the interests and welfare of the people for Duterte to order a “lockdown” and impose a disruption of lives the people until the vaccine is discovered. The Philippines is not even in the running in finding a vaccine and would wait in line to procure these from the country who can discover one. Besides, if ever a vaccine will be discovered, the cost of procuring the vaccines for the Filipino people is another problem that will be solved by another problem—more debts.
Along with the urgent calls of the people for mass testing, contact tracing and providing of facilities for infected individuals, transparency of the billions of fund and punishment of corrupt officials should be properly and immediately addressed. The people are clamoring for the accounting of billions of pesos and dollars donated and loaned to address the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. The people know that the government will raise more taxes to pay its domestic and foreign loans. They have the right to know and be heard.
What is clear at this time is the counter-insurgency of the Duterte administration. The military operations and attacks on activists continue. Acquisition of armaments and other war materials is being pursuit. Violations of human rights increase day-by-day. Violators of human rights like NCRPO Chief Gen. Debold Sinas were absolved or protected by the president. The progressive organizations and individuals who criticized the government policies especially in the implementation of government’s program on fighting COVID-19 are threatened and suppressed. Press freedom and other civil rights are being curtailed. The renewal of the ABS-CBN franchise is delayed in favor of the Duterte’s interests and preconditions, such as but may not be limited to the promotion of federalism and fix (10%) share of advertisements.
Meanwhile, Duterte is taking full responsibility of the actions of his favoured cabinet officials. His orders would be abused by his cohorts who are taking advantage of the super-profits in the procurement of the PPEs, testing kits, machines and other materials needed for the hospitals and the cost testing processes and transfer of people. Duterte is leading this country towards bankruptcy and because of this, he will become more vicious, deceptive, oppressive and more tyrant and fascist.
However, the hungry and angry people will not remain sober and subservient to the dictates of the Duterte’s administration. They will eventually rise up with clinched-fist to show that they have an inalienable and absolute power to change the leaders and change the system. The Filipino people united is a strong force that has the right to use its power especially in time of crisis and upheavals. The people’s wrath against this regime shall eventually come.
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness,” (Romans 1:18).
