COVID carrier singing ‘My Way’

For those of us who dutifully observe health protocols by wearing face masks, observing social distance and limiting our activities to essentials, there is nothing more infuriating than to see a bunch of tambays, tricycle drivers or teenagers or senior citizens hanging out in the “kanto” chit chatting as if there was no pandemic or outbreak of COVID-19. For many of us who have not seen family members, never had the chance to even attend someone’s funeral or had to forego big wedding plans or graduations because of IATF rules and health protocols, I’m certain that it must make your blood boil to see people hosting or attending a birthday party complete with a karaoke set-up and people mingling outdoors with no face masks alongside children who are oblivious to how deadly, painful and financially disastrous an encounter with COVID-19 can be.

I know that some people have half-heartedly thought, if not wished, that the hosts or instigators of such high risk events do end up with mild COVID, if only to scare the living hell out of them. I think it would be safe to say that President Rodrigo Duterte may privately be muttering something of the sort based on his warnings to mayors and barangay officials who have even gone as far as allowing religious parades or barangay fiestas in their localities. The fact of the matter is that just a few clicks outside Metro Manila, many “pasaways” have gone about as if there was no pandemic or COVID-19 virus. Every weekend it is normal to hear karaoke machines blaring while people jug-a-lug their favorite alcoholic beverage, eat pulutan and sing their hearts out. For two weekends, once on a weekday, I have heard fireworks go off mid-day, and even during dinnertime, signaling a wedding or a birthday.

Ironically no amount of threats and curses from Rodrigo Duterte will scare people from their weekend habits for as long as they can drink at home and play their karaoke machines. Threatening barangay captains and mayors is pretty pointless because even mayors can’t spend their time patrolling streets all day and early evening just to look for violators. That is a task that PRRD should give to the Philippine National Police and they don’t have to do it morning, noon or night. The PNP simply has to launch a HIGHLY publicized campaign of arresting people, particularly those hosting parties and drinking sprees. The PNP don’t even have to haul people to jail, all they have to do slap fines on the spot, issue citations and report the arrests to the local barangays. Once the Filipinos begin to see or hear of arrests being done daily or every weekend and see it all on the news or social media, they will get a clear message: that the government is serious and violators will pay! Forget the cursing; just send out the PNP to do their job instead of passing the buck to the mayors and the barangay officials.

Speaking of karaokes and drinking parties that end up violating health protocols and rules, the IATF really needs to come down with a total ban on the sale or use of alcoholic beverages because alcohol is one undeniable catalyst for people to forget health protocols. Even my friends who enjoy drinking socially or at home have commented how ridiculous the ban on public drinking looks when everyone knows that drinking indoors and karaoke parties have been happening almost every weekend with no arrests being made. People have simply brought the mass gathering into their homes or backyards with no fear of arrest or penalties. If President Duterte is serious about the matter, then shut down the parties. Better to be a “kill joy” than to be killed by a COVID-19 carrier singing “My Way.”

*      *      *

Last December 31, 2020 I lost all my pigs to ASF. As a law abiding citizen and responsible backyard farmer, when the disease broke out I immediately contacted Usec. Willie Medrano of the Department of Agriculture for the appropriate action and culling or disposal of the remaining infected live animals. The only bit of “good news” I received during that weekend was that I would be receiving P5,000  for every head of pig that was culled or eliminated to prevent the spread of the disease, but it would be limited to only 20 heads since that is the definition of “Backyard Farming” set by the DA. That would amount to P100,000, which was barely anything close to the cost of all the pigs I lost. Still I was thankful that I would have some money coming my way as start-over funds.

However, it did not take long for news to reach me that so many hog raisers who lost their pigs months before I did had not received a single centavo. When I raised this issue with Undersecretary Medrano who is in charge for livestock at the Department of Agriculture, he confidently guaranteed that if all the papers or forms were completed and submitted, the indemnification payment would reach me after two weeks.  It has now been four months and three days since I lost the pigs, roughly 3 1/2 months since the papers were filed but not a single centavo has reached me. When other farmers followed up early March they were told that the Department of Budget and Management was trying to source funds. When I interviewed Secretary Dar, Usec. Medrano and Director Morales of the BAI, I was told that the funds had to be refreshed because of annual cut-offs, meaning our claim was 2020 and new appropriation had to be issued.

Gentlemen, that’s a lot of Hog Wash! Before you talk about restarting hog farms, start with keeping your word and your promises to hog raisers.

*      *      *

E-mail: [email protected]