CHR: Don't let nCoV hysteria result in 'irrational' treatment of people
MANILA, Philippines — As the deadly coronavirus has spread to more than 20 countries, including the Philippines, it has carried with it a rising anti-Chinese sentiment.
There has been a spike in reports of anti-Chinese rhetoric worldwide directed at people of Asian origin, regardless of whether they have visited the epicenter of the disease or have been contact with carriers of the virus.
This prompted the Commission on Human Rights to caution the public against vilifying others on the basis of race.
“What is equally concerning is how this outbreak has also resulted [in] undue discrimination against other people and race,” Jacqueline De Guia, CHR spokesperson, said in a statement Friday.
De Guia stressed that science and reason should guide the actions of governments and individuals.
“With the world confronted with a virus with little information known, it is human to be afraid. But we must not allow hysteria and paranoia result [in] othering and irrational treatment of people,” she said.
The new coronavirus has infected 28,267 people and has killed over 630 worldwide, with most of the cases and deaths concentrated in China.
The Philippines reported three confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV: a 38-year-old woman, a 44-year-old man and a 60-year-old woman. The Chinese man died Saturday.
The number of individuals in the Philippines under watch for possible nCoV infection rose to 178 Thursday.
“A situation of this scale is not a sole concern of one agency, but demands the attention of the entire government as the primary responsible for every person’s right to health—encompassing all aspects of addressing an outbreak from detection to mitigation,” De Guia said.
Fight vs. spread of false info
The country’s rights body also called for using correct information to prevent the further spread of nCoV.
“Putting a halt to rumor-mongering and the spread of false information demand collective action. Such situation should also not, in any way, be used to justify authoritarian tendencies, such as curtailment of rights,” De Guia said.
The Philippine National Police cited Presidential Decree 90, which bans unlawful rumor-mongering and spreading false information, in its fight against the sources of false information on nCoV. The Marcos-era decree, however, has been voided 34 years ago.
Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac, PNP spokesperson, later said those who will be spreading false information online could be charged for unlawful use of means of publication and unlawful utterances under the Anti-Cybercrime Law.
“But even with newer laws, while it is understood that the freedom of expression is not absolute, there should be a higher threshold under a democracy for rights to flourish and be exercised. The spread of wrong information may also be caused by the absence of right information on the matter,” De Guia said. — with report from Agence France-Presse
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