Hybrid lockdown

By Ermin Garcia Jr.

 

THE declaration of a “Community Quarantine” in Metro Manila is effectively a semi-lockdown. I say “semi“ because it imposes a semblance of restrictions on physical movements of people but not fully and effectively. It’s a hybrid, not a hardcore lockdown.

The lockdown that we’ve come to know in Hubei province (that included Wuhan City) is a total and complete restriction of movements and of vital services and resources as well. A restriction that compels the China government to tap and use all its resources to protect its citizens in the province, from daily distribution of free food and medicine to millions of households, to transporting people and goods to critical areas.

Surely, that is not the kind of lockdown that our national government remotely wants to implement. Why? Elementary… because we do not have the logistics and resources to mount a China-like lockdown.

And definitely, it is not the kind of lockdown that our provincial government declared to contain the spread of the African Swine Fever. Far from it. Perhaps, the Espino administration can learn from the strategy adopted for the Community Quarantine to make its lockdown contra ASF work.  For starters, Guv Pogi should consider being seen with the big stick, serious about wanting to be followed and feared for a change. So far, unscrupulous traders have shown “No Fear” of his government which explains their continued attempts to hoodwink his administration.

But going back to PRRD’s semi-lockdown, without any prior experience like the People Power ’86 during the Marcos era, we can only wait to see how this hybrid of a lockdown is played out. Will such a modified lockdown work in a culture like ours?

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A NEW ABS-CBN? Hopefully, the brouhaha over the application of ABS-CBN for the renewal of its franchise will finally die down. It should!

 We’ve been treated to an “unli-overload” of endorsements by ABS-CBN for its cause to the extent that many of its loyal viewers have become impervious to the whole issue.

 In sum, the campaign to win public support was rushed every minute by ABS-CBN thinking that it can sway congress to act emotionally to the pressure, ala People Power. Well, it didn’t work. The House of Representatives under the watch of Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano would not be swayed and this clearly surprised ABS-CBN.

 To the chagrin of ABS-CBN, it grossly miscalculated and pitifully misread the new batch of reform-minded congressmen. The congressmen it thought could be bought and intimidated by its barrage of overt power play, were no longer there. Congressmen Lito Atienza and Edcel Lagman suddenly appeared puny in the face of the resistance put up by those who refused to be pushed around.

 When the franchise was not granted before March 10, ABS-CBN ate humble pie for the first time.

 Note how ABS-CBN was quick to apologize for the arrogant meme that it put out on its online platform that reported a lockdown ahead of President Duterte’s declaration of a Community Quarantine. If today’s congressmen were a set of transactional pushovers as in the past, ABS-CBN would not even dare apologize for its grossly unfair and false reporting. But it did this time, and profusely, with a promise to punish those responsible.     

 It was quite refreshing to see ABS-CBN lose its hubris for the first time. And I have reason to believe that a new respectable ABS-CBN will come out of this, assuming, of course it will have its application for a renewed franchise approved.

 Who said the House of Representatives can never earn back its days of glory and respect?

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DILG SEC ANO IGNORED. One doesn’t even have to wonder whether DILG Sec. Eduardo Año is being taken seriously or not. If you see tricycles and slow-moving motorcycle riders hogging the center of highways of a town or city, it means the mayor, councilors and police chief are not keen on giving him the respect he deserves for his leadership.

As one drives through the national roads, one even gets the impression that Sec. Año never issued a directive requiring local governments to regulate the use of the highways by making tricycles and slow-moving motorcycle riders to move to the shoulder of the highway.

Except perhaps in Lingayen, there’s not even a single police officer, POSO or barangay kap attempting to educate erring tricycle drivers and riders on the proper use of the highway.  There’s not even a single road sign warning them of violating a traffic rule if they hog the center lane.

Curiously, DILG has directors in all towns and cities but they, too, appear not to have read Sec. Año’s order. Worse, the DILG regional director doesn’t seem affected by the indifference of his personnel in the local level. Tsk-tsk.

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WHERE’S THE TANDEM? Dagupan’s popular tandem “Brian-Red” is simply inseparable.

 Mayor Brian brought his fave consultant Red Erfe-Mejia instead of a councilor to sign the sisterhood ties with Milpitas City, CA, USA who could vouch for the full support of the city council. But he didn’t.

 Perhaps, there’s a bigger concern and agenda than the signing of the agreement for the trip that made him leave the government in the hands of a city administrator even at a time of national crisis. Let’s ask him when he returns after 5 days.

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