Punchline
Discrimination vs. senior citizens
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
Last week, a 74-year-old lady, who lives alone in Mangaldan was dumbfounded at the prospect of dying from hunger because a supermarket refused to allow her to enter and buy her food items, and market officials would not allow her to buy her vegetables and meat – reason? She is a senior citizen!! “It’s the law,” they say.
She had to argue and explain her situation before being allowed to enter – without any offer to assist.
There’s absolutely something very wrong in the interpretation of COVID-19 health protocol issued by IATF.
The IATF only requires that persons entering establishments must wear face masks (and face shields?), and must observe social and physical distancing. At same time, establishments are required to check body temperature of every person entering their establishments. That’s fair and realistic enough to protect everyone.
The clause for seniors is intended mainly for the seniors’ protection from infection given their presumed lower immune system. But this protection clause, ironically, is leading seniors to be desolate and hungry which we all believe is not the intention, but it is happening.
If for any reason, management believes asymptomatic seniors (whether accompanied or unaccompanied and without a fever and wearing masks) may still pose health risks to others or need to be protected from others, establishments should offer customer assistance to seniors wanting to buy basic necessities, and not leave the seniors to their dilemma on how to survive all because of a prescribed protocol.
Customer assistance means asking for a list of items needed, delivering these to the senior customers in a designated area for seniors, for the payment. (Incidentally, most seniors being retirees, have more money to spend for themselves).
It’d make a lot of difference to seniors in your neighborhood if they are led to a supermart and shopping mall that’s truly senior-friendly to seniors, where they can spend all their monthly retirement allowances whether for daily subsistence or leisure?
Our seniors need more compassion and care, not to be discriminated against for being in their sunset years.
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COVID-19 PROTECTS ILLEGAL DRUGS. While PNP reports that crime rate all around has dropped, we cannot but suspect that illegal drug trading in the region, particularly, Pangasinan, is enjoying a lot of protection, ironically from COVID-19.
This is indicated in the series of successful interception, drug raids and buy-bust operations particularly in Metro Manila. If the anti-drug operations in Metro Manila are intensifying, guess where the drug syndicates are moving to keep the trade profitable? Obviously, outside the metropolis.
And moving drug supplies can’t be easier today than in the past. Any vehicle whether shuttle buses, food and construction trucks, ambulances, etc. whose services are identified as essential for frontliners, are allowed full exemption from any inspection in police checkpoints.
We see them speeding past through checkpoints while cars, SUVs are randomly checked for occupants. Motorcycle riders feel the brunt for the right reason – watching out for drug mules, dealers, stolen bikes, loose firearms, etc. But trucks, buses that ostensibly serve and support front lines? These are not even stopped nor checked even randomly.
At the rate our police are implementing the anti-COVID-19 protocol, the exempted “front line” vehicles make convenient cover for movement of illegal, drugs into the province. That’s for sure.
Our border control police checkpoints should begin to be on the lookout for both undocumented travelers and drugs entering Pangasinan. We need PNP’s drug sniffing dogs deployed here, more than ever!
(Still curiously, we are not hearing of intensified drug bust and den raid operations hereabouts for the last three weeks).
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