Heroes

(Part of an ongoing account started on March 13, 2020 of how the spread of COVID-19 in our country and our government’s response has affected our lives.)

Tomorrow is Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor).

It’s a public holiday in the country, held to remember the Fall of Bataan on April 9, 1942, and the bravery of Filipino and American soldiers during the campaign against invading Japanese forces during World War II.

Associated Press file photo

I wonder if the young ones even know its significance. I have to admit that I always associate it with the Death March, aptly named because thousands of Filipino and American prisoners of war died when they were forced by their Japanese captors to walk from Bataan to San Fernando, Pampanga, where they were brought to Tarlac by train.

They walked for about a hundred kilometers, a difficult thing to do if you’re fit, basically suicidal when you’re hungry, thirsty, tortured and exhausted. Many died, many escaped and many more survived.

I can’t help but draw parallels to how things are today. The whole of Luzon is under lockdown; practically the rest of the country is under some version of quarantine in an effort to slow down transmission of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

We are all prisoners of this disease that has come to our shores, and many of those who have been infected are forced to march in time to its beat. 

Like those POWs, some die, some “escape” when they recover and the rest march on as persons under investigation or monitoring because they had contact with the infected even if they don’t show symptoms of infection.

As for the rest of us, we can avoid the "march" if we just stay home. 

I am afraid, though, that more are stumbling into the march because they are bored, they can't suffer the heat, there is this ingredient or food that they 'absolutely must have' and a host of other reasons that reveal this inability to believe that they are NOT invincible and immune to the virus.

PNA photo

Then there are the brave: those who get infected because they attend to and care for those who are sick with COVID-19, those who man the checkpoints and keep the peace, those who deliver basic goods and services, those who pack, distribute cash aid and relief packs, those who serve us at food stores and supermarkets, those who work so we can have food, water and communications, etc.

They go out into the streets because they HAVE to. Sadly, many of them have joined the march and died along the way.

These are now our new heroes – most of them unnamed, unmoneyed and unnoticed before now.  Their acts of bravery might not be what Araw ng Kagitingan is originally about, but April 9 is a day of valor ; thus, it is the right time to remember, celebrate and pray for these heroes in our midst.

I am sure that those soldiers who tried so hard to stay in the fight but couldn’t, won’t mind sharing the day with those who are now fighting an unseen, pervasive, unknown and powerful enemy in a battle whose end, as yet, we cannot see.

DoH update: As of 4 p.m. of April 8, 2020, the Philippines has reported 3,870 confirmed corona virus cases, including 96 recoveries and 182 deaths.

Extended

(Part of an ongoing account started on March 13, 2020 of how the spread of COVID-19 in our country and our government’s response has affected our lives.)

It's official. The Luzon lockdown is extended until 11:59 p.m. of April 30, 2020. 

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, spokesperson for the Inter-Agency Task Force for the management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), says they need more time:

• to measure the full effect of the enhanced community quarantine implemented since March 15, 2020; and
• to increase the capacity of Luzon and the rest of the country to respond to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

He clarifies that in terms of our capacity to respond to COVID-19, the following factors must be present:

• testing capacity should be 8,000 to 10,000 tests a day;
• 24-hour turnaround time for test results;
• immediate isolation of persons under investigation (PUI) and COVID-19 patients; 
• intensive contact tracing; 
• significant decrease of COVID-19 cases; and
• self-screening protocols

If all these are present, the Philippines may push the peak as far as the year 2021 and by then, somebody will have developed a vaccine. Or not.

That's the game plan.

I've got nothing. I'm tired. Good night.

DoH update: As of 4 p.m. of April 7, 2020, the Philippines has reported 3,764 confirmed corona virus cases, including 84 recoveries and 177 deaths.

Day by day

(Part of an ongoing account started on March 13, 2020 of how the spread of COVID-19 in our country and our government’s response has affected our lives.)

We are going into our fourth week under the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon.

I think I am beginning to see signs of psychosis.

Hubby asks if we can order food from McDonald’s.  I stare at him. The popular fastfood chain suspended delivery to our area at the start of the lockdown.  He argues that food outlets still make deliveries. “Yes, but not McDonald’s. At least, not here,” I tell him.

Home-cooked fried chicken: cheaper, safer

Besides, we should stretch our funds, I remind him, because there’s not going to be any cash aid or relief packs for the middle-income group. Not only are home-cooked meals cheaper, they’re safer because they do not come from hands that have been all over the place delivering food to other people, I add.

Of course, he knows this. He just wishes things were different.

Later in the afternoon, he emerges from his “office” and says he is going for a walk. I sigh and remind him of the association guidelines that say all the parks have been closed and can the residents please refrain from walking/hiking or jogging.

I understand that he needs to get out of the house so I give him our quarantine pass (our barangay says two names can be on the pass as long as it’s used alternately) and a face mask and ask him to buy some eggs from the food vendors just outside the village gate. He looks at the face mask and changes his mind.

Just the other day, daughter asked about school. Huh? Is this the girl who asks me if classes are suspended at the first sign of rain? I tease her. We laugh about it, but I check the school’s FB account and come up empty.

Hubby and I wonder when the President or the Inter-Agency Task Force on the management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) will announce what will happen after April 14, which is when the ECQ is scheduled to end.

We are both resigned to an extension of two weeks, at the very least. I try not to think about it. I just go from day to day.

“When all this is over, I bet the malls will be overflowing with people just wanting to get out of the house,” he says.

I disagree. I think people will be cautious about going out. There’s no cure for COVID-19 and since not everyone is going to be tested, you never know if you’re going to get into contact with someone who’s asymptomatic.

This is why I believe that even when the lockdown is lifted, partially or totally, we will still have to maintain social distancing. We will still be asked to refrain from activities that will encourage gatherings.

It will be life, but it will be different. As I said, I try not to think about it. I just go from day to day.

P.S. The President just went on air, but I think I will turn in now. I will just read what he said later, without the embellishments.

DoH update: As of 4 p.m. of April 6, 2020, the Philippines has reported 3,660 confirmed corona virus cases, including 73 recoveries and 163 deaths.

The week in review (March 30 to April 5, 2020)

(Part of an ongoing account started on March 13, 2020 of how the spread of COVID-19 in our country and our government’s response has affected our lives.)

March 31, 2020

National Task Force (NTF) COVID-19 chief implementer, Peace Process Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. says the government is preparing to carry out “massive testing” of persons under monitoring (PUM) and persons under investigation (PUI) for the novel coronavirus, as well as health workers on the front lines of battling the pandemic. On April 2, he sets the target date for the start of the testing on April 14.

April 1, 2020

Hungry protest

Residents of Sitio San Roque in Barangay Bagong Pag-asa, Quezon City take to the streets to protest a lack of supplies, saying they have yet to receive food packs since the lockdown started March 17.  

Twenty-one people are arrested by Quezon City police and face multiple charges. Bail is set at P15,000. On April 3, Frankie Pangilinan tweets she will sponsor bail for one. The daughter of Senator Francis Pangilinan and “Megastar” Sharon Cuneta follows it up with another tweet, saying her parents will pay bail for the remaining 20.

That night, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte accuses leftist groups of stirring public sentiment against the government during the coronavirus crisis and warns them that if they cause trouble or put lives in danger, he wouldn't hesitate to order authorities to "shoot them dead."

Free coronavirus treatment

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) says it will continue to cover expenses of patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) until April 14.

#ProtectVico

National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Deputy Director Ferdinand Lavin announces they have summoned Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto "for disobeying national government policies or directives in imposing quarantines." #ProtectVico tops the Twitter trending topic worldwide shortly after.

Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya calls the NBI’s invitation to Sotto “a useless, political distraction.”  He cites Justice Menardo Guevarra who points out that Vico’s alleged violation of the Bayanihan Act was done prior to the passage of the Bayanihan Act.

Vico already cooperated with the DILG and banned the use of tricycles as public transportation in compliance with IATF guidelines on March 19, days before the Bayanihan Act was signed into law on March 24.

April 2, 2020

Longer hours

The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on the management of emerging infectious diseases urges all supermarkets, pharmacies, and other similar establishments to operate up to 12 hours to give residents more time to purchase essential goods. The IATF also suggests scheduled market days per sector, barangay, or purok among other possible solutions to people spending long hours outside their homes when they should be on home quarantine.

Face masks required

Luzon residents are now required to wear face masks or improvised face shields when leaving their homes to work or buy essential goods. They can use “earloop masks, indigenous, reusable or do-it-yourself masks, face shields, handkerchiefs, or such other protective equipment that can effectively lessen the transmission of COVID-19,” says Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, who also speaks for the IATF.

National Quarantine Centers

Nograles says the Philippine International Convention Center and the Ninoy Aquino Stadium inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex will be fully functional by April 10 while the World Trade Center will be ready by April 12.

These national quarantine centers are being set up to decongest hospitals overwhelmed with the rising number of COVID-19 cases. They are being retrofitted to separately house patients with milder symptoms and potential carriers awaiting tests or test results.

Others also being eyed as quarantine facilities are: Quezon Institute; Duty-Free Philippines, Parañaque; Amoranto Stadium in Quezon City; Quezon Memorial Circle and Veterans Memorial Medical Center complex. Bases and Conversion Development Authority President and chief executive officer Vince Dizon says the cost of setting up the quarantine facilities were shouldered by private partners.

On April 4, the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) agrees to let the government use its Ciudad de Victoria estate as a quarantine facility. The 75-hectare complex in Bocaue, Bulacan includes the Philippine Arena, the Philippine Sports Stadium, and several other facilities that can house patients and medical staff. Once readied, the whole complex will have an estimated 1,065 rooms for patients, while frontliners will be able to share 476 suites good for 2 to 4 health workers each. 

No Competition

President Rodrigo Duterte sacks Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) Commissioner Manuelito Luna for issuing a statement that the NBI should investigate Vice President Leni Robredo for "competing" with the national government. He says that Robredo’s efforts to help frontliners “compete with, or are calculated to undermine, National Government efforts in this time of public health emergency or national calamity."

"As of this moment, he's no longer connected with government," Duterte says in a late night speech.

April 3, 2020

U.P. Test Kits

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves the test kits developed by the University of the Philippines-National Institute of Health (UP-NIH).

 

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) says Manila HealthTek Inc. will prioritize for manufacturing 1,300 test kits funded by the DOST and the UP National Institutes of Health project that can accommodate 26,000 tests.

These will be distributed to the following hospitals from April 4 to 25: Philippine General Hospital, Manila; Makati Medical Center; The Medical City, Pasig City; Baguio General Hospital; Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Cebu City; and Southern Philippines Medical Center, Davao City.

Other hospitals may buy UP NIH test kits for the second rollout, which could process 94,000 tests. Each costs around P1,300 per kit, which is cheaper than those being sold in hospitals at around P8,000.

Rapid Pass

The “RapidPassPH” System is introduced. The system aims to address heavy queuing, while minimizing human contact between those passing through and those manning the checkpoints. The system, which uses QR code-based technology to speed up the entry of frontliners and the delivery of essential goods like food and medicine, is scheduled for rollout on April 6, initially in 56 checkpoints in Metro Manila.

April 4, 2020

Parameters

The (IATF) says the decision on a possible extension, as well as the partial or total lifting of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine depends on the following:

• Trends in the COVID-19 epidemiological curve, which include, among others, the doubling time, acceleration, or deceleration of new cases;
• Capacity of the health care system, which includes, among others, the number and availability of quarantine, isolation, and treatment facilities; the capability to mount contact tracing; availability of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to frontliners, and the testing capacity of the country;
• Social factors;
• Economic factors; and
• Security factors

Discrimination vs. frontliners

The IATF warns that acts of discrimination inflicted upon healthcare workers, OFWs, COVID-19 cases, whether confirmed or suspected, recovered or undergoing treatment, as well as patients under investigation and persons under monitoring “will be dealt with criminally, civilly, and/or administratively.” The task force also urges local government units to issue executive orders or enact ordinances “prohibiting and penalizing these discriminatory acts.”

Intellectual Liar

In a late night speech, President Duterte lashes out at human rights lawyer Chel Diokno for taking on as client, one of those being investigated by the NBI for taking to social media and posting about the "alleged misuse of government funds" related to the response to contain the spread of the coronavirus. 

The President mocks Diokno’s failed senatorial bid, poking fun at his appearance, and calling him an "intellectual liar."

Salary aid

A majority of Cabinet members have pledged to voluntarily donate 75 percent of their monthly salary to aid the government’s fight against the COVID-19, says Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles.

April 5, 2020

Chinese doctors

Medical experts from China arrive in the Philippines to assist and advise the Philippine government on efforts to address the outbreak of the COVID-19. The 12-man medical team seeks to provide technical advice on epidemic prevention and control, as well as share medical treatment experience.

DoH update: As of 4 p.m. of April 5, 2020, the Philippines has reported 3,246 confirmed corona virus cases, including 64 recoveries and 152 deaths.

Oh, the curtains

(Part of an ongoing account started on March 13, 2020 of how the spread of COVID-19 in our country and our government’s response has affected our lives.)

We start noticing where broadcast interviews and reports are made on March 23, 2020, when the House of Representatives hold a special session to vote on House Bill (HB) No. 6616, which declares a “state of national emergency” and grants President Rodrigo Duterte special powers to address the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. 

screen grab showing some of the congressmen
participating via zoom teleconferencing

It's their first-ever virtual session with only 20 House members physically present and 279 more participating online via Zoom teleconferencing.

We are entertained by the glimpse they offer into their homes. Some look very professional in a home office setup with bookshelves behind them; some opt for a plain white wall.

We wonder if the walls behind two of them are as bold in real life as they appear on TV – yellow and red. Others sit before a painting or wall art; two before religious icons. One is surrounded by a collection of fabrics that we presume represents his district, and one has a collection of family photos.

“I think he’s sitting at the dining table,” daughter says, pointing out the buffet cabinet on which a ceramic fruit basket stands. Over it is an ornate mirror flanked by decorative plates.

Another one is obviously on some sort of patio, with greenery behind her. One has closet doors behind him, while many sit before window treatments that vary from blinds to shades to curtains.

It is the swags and tails curtains that get us. “He HAS to be in the bedroom,” I say when my daughter starts laughing at the elaborate tassel-fringed blue and white window treatment behind one.

We get more of these window treatments when news reports show both interviewer and interviewee in their respective homes.

“Parang alam ko kung saang karinderya ko nakita yang kurtinang yan (I think I remember in which eatery I saw those curtains),” jokes broadcast journalist Ted Failon at seeing reporter Raya Capulong framed by lacy white curtains.

Doris Bigornia "fakes" a red satin robe
with a silk blouse.

We are tickled pink when journalist Doris Bigornia responds to co-host Alvin Elchico's challenge to wear a red satin night robe by broadcasting from her bed wearing what looks like one, but which she later clarifies is a silk blouse.

She balks when he asks her to distance herself from the camera because she is just wearing shorts.

It’s trivial, I know, but it provides for some relief in a day tuned into news. When one is confined to the home for as long as we have been, it can get depressing.

I guess it’s our way of coping with a spate of news that tells me we are not leaving our homes any time soon.

DoH update: As of 4 p.m. of April 4, 2020, the Philippines has reported 3,094 confirmed corona virus cases, including 57 recoveries and 144 deaths.