We have to fight the war against the unseen enemy

At this time, I know for a fact that our newspapers have gone very thin simply because there are no companies advertising their products because of the present ECQ we are having. So it’s a fact that people these days get their news reports from television or radio and, yes, those people without internet or computers do read the newspapers even during these dire times. So help our local media and buy our newspapers even in ECQ times. Meanwhile, I got this letter emailed to me by someone from Barili.

“Dear Mr. Avila, I am writing this letter to you on behalf also of many of my townmates as we do not know whom else to turn to. I am a resident of Barangay Mantalungon, Barili, Cebu and a constant reader of your column sa Freeman. Since the start of the ECQ our family and the same with the other families here in the other barangays of Barili nakadawat lang ug 5 kilos nga bugas and up to now mao ra ning among nadawat nga bugas gikan sa munisipyo/barangays.

“On the other hand in Dumanjug each family already got 25-33 kilos of bugas each. Nganong lain2 wala sad mi kasabot? Why are we in Barili getting much less as compared to other towns and cities like Dumanjug and Ormoc (1 sack per household pa galing)?

“I hope sir you can help us here in Barili regarding this as mangambot raman ang mga tao sa munisipyo ug pangutanon and they will just say that more will be coming. When, they do not know. It has been more than 40 days since the ECQ. HELP please sir that this will reach the governor (kay kahibalo ko tarong man kaayo ning atong Governor) or the president. Salamat daan sa imong tabang Sir Avila. God bless.”

The person writing this letter asked me not to mention his name. At this point, I cannot verify the veracity of his story. However, I believe my readers would never care to write their sentiments to me unless there’s some truth to this. So I would like to request our good friend, Gov. Gwen F. Garcia to look into this issue. I strongly believe that there should be no difference between Dumanjug and Barili when it comes to how much help in terms of food or cash that each family receives.

I really don’t know if any of the siblings of Governor Garcia are running Dumajug or Barili, but surely they should have asked each other what each town was giving to their respective residents so as to be fair to them. This letter tells me that Barili residents are getting less than the residents of Dumanjug. I hope Garcia can look into this.

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I read the news that the total number of recorded COVID-19-positive cases in Cebu City has reached 1,090 from the data shown yesterday. It was then that Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella announced 188 new cases in the city. Of the 188, 185 are from Barangay Mambaling, while barangays Suba, Sawang Calero, and Sambag 1 have one case each. That report also shows that the Cebu City Jail in Barangay Kalunasan still has the most number of cases at 332, while Barangay Mambaling has the second most number of cases at 250. This is followed by Barangay Luz with 192 cases.

I would like to emphasize to our fellow Cebuanos that we are at war, except we cannot see the enemy. While we still have no medicines to fight this virus, we have learned some lessons to prevent them from spreading any further like what happened in Taiwan and South Korea, which means physical distancing is one tool we should all consider when we do go out to purchase essential items.

The other is for everyone who goes out of their homes to wear a face mask and most importantly for people who go out, whatever you touch or hold, you must wash your hands properly or better with alcohol. The fact that most businesses have been shut down due to this pandemic alone should alert every Cebuano resident that today we do not live in normal times. Many Cebuano barangays or sitios have become stricter in ensuring that infected people do not visit their places. Everyone should follow this, as we need to fight the war against this unseen enemy!