The city government of Davao assured residents that they are managing the new cases of coronavirus (Covid-19) with the entry of stranded individuals and overseas workers in to the city in recent weeks.
SOUNDBYTES: Balik-pasada sa Panahon ng Pandemya
Mas safe ang jeepney sa panahon ng #COVID19 pandemic, ayon sa isang public transport advocate. Panoorin!
The post SOUNDBYTES: Balik-pasada sa Panahon ng Pandemya appeared first on AlterMidya.
ALAB Analysis: COVID-19 response ng gobyerno, sapat ba?
The post ALAB Analysis: COVID-19 response ng gobyerno, sapat ba? appeared first on AlterMidya.
UN submits PH rights record on Duterte’s 4th anniversary as president
The UN experts said Bachelet’s report confirmed their findings and warnings issued over the last four years: widespread and systematic killings and arbitrary detention in the context of the war on drugs, killings and abuses targeting farmers and indigenous peoples, the silencing of independent media, critics and the opposition.
The post UN submits PH rights record on Duterte’s 4th anniversary as president appeared first on Kodao Productions.
Why redeploying community doctors won’t do good for Cebu’s fight vs. COVID-19
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – Community doctors urged the Department of Health to stop the redeployment of their colleagues to hospitals in Cebu City, as the Philippine government focuses on the city’s fight against the dreaded virus.
“This is not at all a rational solution to the problem. This move will further deplete our pool of physicians as more doctors will be exposed to the virus and its possible fatal consequences,” the Community Medicine Practitioners and Advocates Association (COMPASS) said in a statement.
The Department of Health recently said it plans to redeploy their Doctors to the Barrio to hospitals in Cebu.
This program aims to augment the health services being provided to the rural poor. Its first batch of volunteers was first deployed in 1993. It is, however, long been plagued with problems, particularly on the compensation received by volunteer health practitioners, lack of support from the local government, family issues, and career advancement, resulting in poor retention of program volunteers, a 2012 study read.
As it stands, Cebu City has the most number of COVID-19 cases per million residents. Retired general and environmental secretary Roy Cimatu has been sent to contain the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. This morning, he has recommended the strictest lockdown level in Cebu City.
In a statement, however, COMPASS said the redeployment will “essentially defeat” the objectives set by the Doctors to the Barrio program, as it is precisely meant to provide medical services to underserved rural poor or the Geographically Isolated and Depressed Areas.
“The rainy season has started and with the typhoons, floods and other disasters – along with their usual associated illnesses such as dengue fever, measles, pneumonia, influenza, leptospirosis apart from the common diseases like tuberculosis, diabetes, cardiovascular and kidney diseases, – hundreds of thousands of people will again have no access to a doctor in the low income, remote catchment areas left behind by the 40 DTTBs,” COMPASS said in a statement.
While the deployment is temporary, Compass said poor villages will be deprived of access to a medical doctor for at least four to six weeks at a time.
“Hiring and training additional doctors for deployment to these COVID -19-beleaguered hospitals will be a more rational measure to address the lack of doctors not only in Cebu but in other COVID-19 hotspots in the country,” the group of community doctors said.
Fill up vacant positions
COMPASS said both the health department and private hospitals can hire more physicians and fill up vacant plantilla positions to augment health personnel attending to COVID-19.
The group estimates that there are 3,500 physicians graduating annually, which can serve as “a pool of doctors that can be mobilized for the COVID response.”
Earlier, Filipino nurses have pushed for mass hiring among government hospitals as the current pandemic has exposed the chronic understaffing in the health sector. They assailed that even before COVID-19, nurses have been attending to 30 to 60 patients per shift, which is a far-cry to the 1:12 ratio for ward patients and 1:1 for patients needing intensive care.
Read: Nurses push for mass hiring, safe space amid increasing COVID-19 cases
The group said the chronic understaffing has pushed health workers to work long hours, increasing their exposure to the dreaded virus.
Not at the expense of the rural poor
COMPASS said doctors providing services to the rural poor has long been serving as frontliners against communicable and chronic diseases suffered by the marginalized populations in these communities.
“Public health measures undertaken by these frontliners in the rural areas such as disease prevention, immunization, women and child health care, community surveillance and timely curative intervention for the common diseases that plague the majority poor are as equally important as the emergency measures for the current pandemic though much less dramatic in impact,” the group said.
While they recognize the need for more health care workers to respond to the pandemic, Compass said “measures to be undertaken should not be at the sacrifice of the public health resources sorely needed by our people in these remote areas.”
The post Why redeploying community doctors won’t do good for Cebu’s fight vs. COVID-19 appeared first on Bulatlat.
Philippines media faces ‘eternal threat of punishment’ after cyber libel convictions
Growing persecution of media comes against the backdrop of an anti-terror bill passed by the legislature that allows the president to create an anti-terrorism council vested with powers to designate individuals and groups as “terrorists.”
The post Philippines media faces ‘eternal threat of punishment’ after cyber libel convictions appeared first on Kodao Productions.
When Protectors are Offenders, and the Discriminated are Defenders
Recent events have shown the Philippine National Police’s utter lack of understanding on the reasons for the coronavirus disease-2019 (Covid-19) lockdown and the gravity of the health emergency. They abuse their policing authority to the hilt.
Just this morning, Bahaghari, an LGBTQIA and allies group held a Pride March in Mendiola, calling for the recognition of their rights as LGBTQ, and their rights as Filipino citizens. It was a peaceful assembly, and all of those who joined the march wore masks and practiced social distancing. They called for equal treatment and against discrimination. They called for free mass testing, and the junking of the draconian Anti-Terror Bill. But without justified reason and without citing any laws , the police arrested 20 of the protesters.
With several incidents of arrest of community relief volunteers and protesters happening during lockdown – Sagip Kanayunan 6, Sitio San Roque 21, Marikina 10, Iloilo 42, Cebu 8, the Piston 6, and just now, the 20 arrested participants of the Pride March, now referred as the Pride20 – it is evident how the government has used the lockdown as a weapon against critics, against dissent, against civilian activities that criticize social inequalities and government corruption. Law enforcers treat lockdown policies as punitive actions to be arbitrarily implemented, instead of what they should be: measures to protect the public and the health of Filipinos. Consider the sight of them pushing against each other as they rush to arrest protesters who by themselves strictly adheres to physical distancing protocols.
One of the vehicles’ drivers, arrested after he was roughed up by cops. Altermidya
Protests Can be Done Safely
Wearing masks, handwashing, and physical distancing are done to prevent the spread of the virus. There are indicators that medical practitioners, policy makers, and decision makers look at to base their actions and guide their decisions. One of them is the reproduction rate of the infected. As of now, reproduction rate is at 1:1 to 1:3, meaning, one Covid-19 infected person statistically infects one or more person.
But with the lack of better strategies from the government to test, identify, isolate and treat individuals possibly infected with Covid-19 — accessibility of PCR testing for those needing it not just in Metro Manila and effective contact tracing in place — the spread of the virus continues, and at a very fast rate. Just look at what happened with the ill-conceived Balik Probinsya Program of Sen. Bong Go and its effect in Ormoc City. Difficulties in containing the virus is clearly brought by incompetency and bungled, ineffective, not well-thought out measures of the government.
As we enter the fourth month of the lockdown, experts suggest that people need to do more activities outdoors. Activities such as walking in the park, in the streets, biking, and other exercises while practicing physical distancing and other health protocols are important, since maintaining a sedentary lifestyle weakens the immune system, even if one doubles the intake of vitamins. We also need the benefits provided by direct exposure to sunlight.
Experts also say that there is lesser chance the virus spreading in open spaces compared to enclosed spaces or spaces that are not well ventilated. As long as people wear masks and practice social distancing, outdoor activities are encouraged, and therefore, should not be prohibited. All the more, assemblies to promote solidarity and people-oriented governance should never be grounds for arrest. Even in a pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) believes that public protests are important. But they encourage protesters around the world to do it safely by following health protocols.
Pride March in Mendiola. Tudla
Rights Remain During the Pandemic
As an institution of law enforcers, the PNP should be called out and its members reminded to perform their constitutionally-assigned duties to protect the public good, uphold the law, and respect the rights of civilians. They should do these, instead of what they are doing now: mechanically implementing draconian measures, practicing fascism in varying degrees of intensity with alarming regularity. The people’s right to freedom of expression, the right to engage government in debates to make policies and programs serve the public good, and the right to assemble are enshrined and protected by the Constitution; these are what the PNP continues to ignore and violate at turns.
Human rights never ceased to exist in the time of a health emergency. As long as health protocols are observed such as what the 20 arrested LGBTQIA Pride March participants did, the police have to respect protests and acts of legally-recognized civilian dissent.
The activists who took to the streets today to protest against the continuing government abuse and neglect of the rights of the LGBTQIA community. They point out that the lockdown never stopped violations from happening – including acts of homophobia and discrimination.
Last April 5, barangay officials of Pandacaqui, Pampanga punished five LGBTQIA quarantine violators by forcing them to do degrading acts such as making them kiss each other on video. Duterte and his men are known to spout comments that fuel homophobia and misogyny.
Also, essential to add, the pride marchers took to the streets to be one with the rest of the Filipino people in condemning the appallingly poor government response to the Covid-19 pandemic. With over 30,000 people infected, the government still chooses to ignore calls for mass testing, calls for the effective management of the pandemic, and calls to continue and improve social amelioration programs. After being out of work for 100 days due to lockdown, jeepney drivers are still banned from plying the streets, causing hardship and hunger to the thousands of jeepney drivers, operators and their families. Instead of providing medical/health solutions and economic aid to the people, the government imposes military solutions and submitted as urgent bill The Anti-Terror Bill that gives the Anti-Terror Council the power to surveillance and arrest anyone, without due process. Those critical of the government and its corruption and abuse risk being considered a terrorist under the amendments of the Anti-Terror Law.
Fanaticism Breeds Monsters
Fascism and fanatic loyalty to the president are the order of the police, instead of serving Filipinos, and protecting their welfare with integrity. By blindly following Duterte, they use the health emergency as a way to terrorize all perceived critics of Duterte – human rights activists, champions of civil rights, journalists. Public officials and law enforcers who have undisputedly broke quarantine regulations, such as Sen. Koko Pimentel, Mocha Uson, and police chief Debold Sinas have been allowed to get off the hook, their violations dismissed.
As law enforcers blatantly break the laws they are sworn to uphold, create scenarios that serve to spread the virus, and remorselessly violate the rights of the citizenry, the LGBTQIA community through Bahaghari on the other hand, courageously defend not just their rights but the civil, political, and human rights of all Filipinos. They also demand accountability from the government and offer alternatives to the mismanagement of the counter-pandemic programs. More than ever, the pandemic has exposed the weaknesses of the existing political and economic system, including the fascist practices and orientation of the police institution. The Pride Movement is one with the rest of Filipinos in calling out this system and demanding changes.
#FreePride20
Hindi nakapagtataka kung bakit kumpara noong nakaraang taon, kakaunti lang sila nitong Biyernes, Hunyo 26.
Tinatayang 70,000 katao ang dumalo sa Pride March noong Hunyo 29, 2019 sa Marikina City – isang enggrandeng selebrasyon ng komunidad ng LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer…) na tila walang katulad pa sa kasaysayan ng bansa. Pero ngayong taon, walang naganap na selebrasyon. Kahit na lumuwag na ang mga paghihigpit sa ilalim ng general community quarantine (GCQ) ngayong panahon ng pandemyang coronavirus disease-2019 (Covid-19), kumakalat pa rin ang sakit. Kauna-unawang hindi pa rin makakapagmartsa ang karamihang gusto sanang magdiwang at magprotesta sa buwan ng Pride.
Gayunman, marami ang dapat na iprotesta ngayon. Laman ito ng mga plakard at bandilang bahaghari na dala nina Rey Salinas, molecular biologist, trans woman at tagapagsalita ng Bahaghari, progresibong grupo ng LGBTQ+ sa bansa, sa pagsisimula ng kanilang martsa galing sa tapat ng Isetann Mall sa Quiapo, Manila. Alas-10:18 ng umaga noon.“Junk Terror Law” ang nakasulat sa bahagharing istrimer sa harap. Makukulay na mga plakard ang hawak ng iba, nananawagan ng ayuda sa panahon ng amyenda, pagtigil sa jeepney phaseout,nananawagan ng libreng mass testing, iginigiit ang paglaban sa diskriminasyon sa LGBTQ+.
“May social distancing kami, naka-mask ang mga tao,” kuwento ni Rey. Pero dahil makulay ito, may bahid pa rin ng pagdiriwang ang martsa. Pagdating ng Don Chino Roces Bridge, dating Mendiola Bridge, sa bukana ng Malakanyang, lalong naghiwa-hiwalay sila, mahigit isang metro ang layo sa isa’t isa. Humigit-kumulang 50 sila: mga kabataang miyembro ng LGBTQ+, mga bading, lesbiyana, trans, at iba pa, at mga tagasuporta. Magpoprograma sila. Maikli lang. Maksimum, 30 minutos.
“Maki-beki, ‘wag ma-shokot!” masayang sigaw nila. Nagsimula na ang programa. Tatawagin na sana para magsalita ang isang tagasuporta nila, si Bayan Muna Rep. Eufemia Cullamat, nang pumalya ang sound system. Samantala, sa kanang bahagi (kung kaharap ang arko ng Mendiola), unti-unting nagtipon ang mga pulis. Mula sila sa estasyon nila sa bukana ng arko. Tulad ng buong panahon ng lockdown, naka-camouflage ang mga pulis. Parang laging sasabak sa giyera.
Hindi pa man nakakapagsalita si Rep. Cullamat, at habang inaayos ang sound system, may alingasngas na sa bandang kanan, sa tapat ng Jollibee. “Nakiusap tayo na hayaang magkaroon ng maiksing programa na di-tatagal ng 30 minuto,” kuwento ni Andrew Zarate, miyembro ng Bahaghari. “Actually, 10 minuto lang ang hinihingi natin.”
Pero sagot ng mga pulis: Pinagbabawal sa ngayon ang anumang kilos-protesta, ang anumang pagtitipon. “Ang sabi natin, nagfa-follow tayo ng social distancing. Hindi bawal ang protesta. Saglit lang tayo, para gunitain ang napakahalagang araw na ito sa LGBT,” sabi pa ni Andrew.
Basta, bawal magprotesta, sabi ng mga pulis. Hindi ninyo ba alam, bawal iyan sa Bayanihan Act? sigaw nila.
Pride March sa Recto Ave., Manila. Screngrab mula sa FB livestream ng Altermidya
* * *
Pero ang hindi sinasabi – o hindi alam – ng mga pulis, paso na ang Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, isang araw ang lumipas, Hunyo 25.
“Hindi na p’wedeng manghuli ang police dahilan sa prohibition against mass gathering. Iyan ay hindi na p’wedeng gamitin dahil nag-expire na ang batas,” sabi ni Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon noong Hunyo 7, sa panayam ng midya. Recess na ang Kongreso, hindi naipasa ang panukalang batas na “Bayanihan 2”. ““Mukhang hindi naman interesado ang Malakanyang dahil hindi nila na-certify (na urgent ang Bayanihan 2). Nasa kanila iyon,” sabi pa ni Drilon noon.
Pero isang araw matapos mapaso, ito pa nga rin ang inihihirit ng mga pulis. Sa Mendiola, ayaw pagbigyan si Andrew ng mga pulis, na nakiusap ng “isang minuto minuto lang”. Tumalikod lang siya saglit — para sabihan ang mga kasamahan na tapusin na ang programa. Samantala, mula sa likod ng hanay ng mga pulis, isang pulis na may apelyidong Escano ang nagbitaw ng shield at mabilis na tumungo sa likod ni Andrew para haltakin siya sa kanyang backpack. Bumagsak silang dalawa, pero nagawang hatakin si Andrew ng pulis palayo, sa direksiyon ng ibang pulis. tinulak siya hanggang makarating sa tapat ng estasyon, sa loob ng arko. Sinabayan siya ni Carla, isa ring miyembro ng Bahaghari. Pati siya, sinama sa aresto.
Hindi na natuloy ang programa. Nagsagawa na ng dalawang linyang barikada ang mga pulis, may mga shield.Itinulak na ang taong nandun para sana magprotesta. Nasa kanto ng Legarda St. na sila, sumisigaw pa ang ilan ng “Maki-beki, ‘wag ma-shokot!” habang naglalakad paatras. Ang iba, sumakay na sa dalawang sasakyan nila: isang puting Hyundai H-100 at isang kulay-abong Nissan Urvan.
“Paalis na kami, pero hinarangan nila kami. Ayaw nila sabihin ang kanilang mga pangalan. Wala silang masabing violations na nilabag namin – kasi wala kaming violation na nilabag,” kuwento ni Rey.
“May isa kaming kasama, tinumba ng tatlong pulis. Binantaan siya: ‘Papasabugin namin ang ulo mo’,” kuwento ni Rey sa naranasan ni Bidang, kapwa miyembro ng Bahaghari at instruktor sa isang unibersidad sa Maynila.
Pinalibutan ng mga pulis ang dalawang sasakyan nila. Pinabababa ang dalawang drayber – na hindi naman kasama sa protesta. Nang ayaw nila binaba, unang kinaladkad ang isa, iyung drayber ng Urvan. Pinagtulungan ng di-bababa sa tatlong katao. Bumaba na rin ang drayber ng isa pa, mangiyak-ngiyak. “Wala naman kaming ginagawang masama,” sambit niya, habang tinutulak siya papunta sa estasyon ng pulis.
Samantala, pinasok ng isang pulis ang Urvan. Pinaandar nito ang sasakyan, sakay ang ilang mga nagrali. Pero hindi mapaandar ng isa pang pulis ang H-100. Pinababa niya ang mga sakay, kasama si Rey, at tatlo pa. Saka sinakay sila sa isang police mobile. Bago umandar, kinaladkad ng mga pulis ang isa pa – isa namang intern ng alternatibong midya na Tudla Productions, si Habagat Farales, ay nagbibidyo gamit ang kanyang cellphone. “Midya po siya!” sigaw ni Rey sa mga pulis, habang nakasakay na sa mobile. “Hindi po ito justifiable!” Nang igiiit ng iba pang nagkokober na mamamahayag na miyembro nga si Habagat, saka lang napakawalan siya ng mga pulis.Saka umandar ang mobile.
Aa isa pang kotseng police car, sinakay sina Andrew at Carla, at dalawang miyembro ng grupong pangkababaihan na Gabriela. Sinundan ng mobile at police car ang Urvan – patungo sa Manila Police District sa UN Avenue.
Biglang hinaltak ng isang pulis na may nameplate na Escano si Andrew. Screengrab mula sa Tudla
* * *
Pagbaba nila sa estasyon ng MPD, sinalubong sila ng mga mamamahayag, kumukuha ng litrato at bidyo. Nagkalakas-loob ang isang miyembro ng Gabriela: “Nasaan na ang susi ng sasakyan namin! Bakit ninyo kinuha ang sasakyan namin?”
“Wala kaming masakyan sa inyo,” sabi ng isang pulis. Pero hindi niya maipaliwanag kung bakit inutusan sila ng mga superyor nila na imaneho ang sasakyang hindi kanila. “Kakasuhan namin kayo!” sabi ng miyembro ng Gabriela. Napilitan ang pulis na iabot ang susi, hindi lang ng Urvan, kundi ng naiwang H-100.
Sa loob ng MPD, nakasalampak ang ilan sa 20 – kalauna’y nakilala sa social media sa hashtag na #FreePride20 – sa sahig. Malinaw, balisa pa sila sa mga nangyari. Ang isa, si Bidang, na nginudngod ng mga pulis ang mukha sa semento at pinagbantaang pasasabugin ang ulo, nakaupo sa hagdan, umiiyak.
Pero di nagtagal, sa harap ng midya, at habang pinalilibutan ng mga naka-camouflage na pulis, itinaas ni Rey ang kanyang kamao. Sumunod ang iba pa. May isa sa kanilang nakaisip: Iladlad ang bandilang bahaghari! Beinte lang sila, hindi 70,000 tulad noong nakaraang taon. Pero tila napagtanto nilang kinakatawan pa rin nila ang lumalabang LGBTQ+, ang diwa ng #PrideIsAProtest. Taas-noo sila, sa kanilang identidad, sa pagiging mulat na mamamayan, sa kanilang ipinaglalaban. Sa kabila ng pandemya, sa loob ng estasyon ng mga pulis na kanina lang ay kumaladkad, ngumudngod, humuli’t kumulong sa kanila, umalingawngaw ang mga sigaw:
“Maki-beki! Huwag ma-shokot!”