Month: May 2020

PH has Strictest Lockdown In Asia, but Ineffective vs. COVID-19

If you feel that the COVID-19 lockdown being imposed by the Duterte regime is very strict, data say you are right. In fact, Duterte’s lockdown is the strictest in the region, even more rigid than that of his fellow authoritarian ruler Narendra Modi of India.

Compiling Google’s data on six categories of public mobility (retail and recreation; grocery stores and pharmacies; parks; transit stations; workplaces; and residential areas), the Nikkei Asian Review reported that the Philippines posted the largest average decline at 50.83 percent. With severe restrictions, the Duterte administration brought down public mobility by 85% in transit stations; by 79% in retail and recreation; and by 71% in workplaces. India ranked second with an average decline in public mobility by 47.83 percent.

But data also say these repressive lockdowns are not effective in the fight against COVID-19. While the Philippines and India are imposing very tight rules to restrict public mobility, they are still failing to bring down the number of new COVID-19 cases, which continue their upward trajectory after almost two months of lockdown.

On the contrary, countries that implemented less severe measures to control public mobility like Taiwan (2.16% decline in public mobility); South Korea (11.0%); Japan (13.83%); Vietnam (29.5%); and Thailand (31.66%) are significantly doing better in terms of bringing down the number of their daily new cases, as shown in the charts.

Lockdowns are meant to hide the sorry state of public health systems and a convenient cover for leaders like Duterte (and Modi) to consolidate their authoritarian rule. The effective way to contain the spread of the new coronavirus are not repressive measures but reliable health and medical interventions, including testing.

Not surprisingly, there is an inverse correlation between testing and severity of lockdowns. Countries that conduct less tests tend to implement more severe lockdowns. India only conducts 1,042 tests per 1 million people while the Philippines conducts 1,379. Compare these figures to those countries that restricted public mobility less severely: Taiwan (2,790 tests per 1 million people); South Korea (12,773); Japan (1,502); Vietnam (2,681); and Thailand (3,264).

Sources and references:
Nikkei Asian Review (https://s.nikkei.com/2YPd15x)
Worldometer (https://bit.ly/3dnNmos)
EndCoronavirus.org (https://bit.ly/2L8jtg2)

My dear people of God in the Archdiocese of Manila,

We have started the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ESQ) last March 15. Now the month of May is upon us. We never thought then, that the quarantine would be so long. We have accepted the lockdown for the sake of the common good, though by now it is taking its toll on us. There is restlessness, and even fear, mostly because of its economic effects. Many people are unsure of their future. It is in this situation that we need to be strong with the strength that comes from above. St. Paul wrote: “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10). This strength no longer comes from him.

As we enter the month of May, what comes to our mind is the Blessed Virgin Mary. May is the month of Mama Mary. We have many fiestas of our Lady on this month. We have the Flores de Mayo celebrations. We will all miss these this year. Nevertheless, let us keep the month of May as a Marian month. During this month let us intensify the devotion to our Blessed Mother in our homes. We can decorate the altar of Mama Mary. We can daily pray the Holy Rosary as a family. We may not be able to offer flowers but we can daily offer some small good deed to Our Mother.

As we try to do these individually in our homes, let us also do something together as an Archdiocese. The main patron of our Archdiocese is the Immaculate Conception. We are a Marian local church. On May 13, which is the 103rd anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady at Fatima, at 12 noon, we will have a Holy Mass in the Manila Cathedral during which we will consecrate the whole Archdiocese of Manila to the Blessed Virgin. The prayer of consecration will be done by all of the faithful of the Archdiocese to be led by the mayors of the five cities that comprise the Archdiocese: Manila, Mandaluyong, Pasay, Makati, and San Juan. It will be beautiful when all the people God, led by their civil and religious leaders, put themselves under the protection of the Blessed Virgin.

In order that this act of consecration be meaningful, from the first week of May, there will be a series of catechetical instructions online explaining the meaning and implication of such consecration. Then from May 10, we will start a triduum (three days) of daily penance and rosary which will culminate on the common Act of Consecration on the 13th. We do this to implore the protection of the powerful intercession of our Blessed Mother in this difficult time, especially as we move to the transition to a new way of life after the quarantine. We need strength from above, and we have a powerful intercessor in Mama Mary to get that heavenly help.

Already I thank the honorable mayors of our cities, Mayor Francisco ‘Isko’ Domagoso, Mayor Carmelita Abalos, Mayor Abigail Binay, Mayor Imelda Calixto-Rubiano, and Mayor Francisco Zamora, for showing their willingness to join us in the Holy Eucharist to pray together in filial devotion to the Blessed Mother. We thank them for their gigantic effort to serve their constituents in this difficult time.

Yours sincerely in Christ,

+ BRODERICK PABILLO
Apostolic Administrator of Manila
April 28, 2020

Church People-Workers Solidarity stands in solidarity with ABS CBN workers
Denounces unjust and inhumane closure of the media network

We from the Church People-Workers Solidarity stand in solidarity with ABS CBN Workers and with the Filipino people in denouncing the unjust and inhumane closure of media network ABS-CBN by the National Telecommunication Commission. 

We believe that the closure is unjust.

More than ever, in this time of Covid-19 pandemic where people need genuine and up-to-date information, media such as the ABS-CBN plays an important role in providing lifesaving information to the greater public from the cities to the remote barangays in the country and in different parts of the world. This means that the government itself attacks the right of people to information.  Information that will possibly save them from the Covid 19.

We believe that the closure attacks ABS-CBN workers’ right to work.

Again, in this time of health and jobs crisis, workers deserve full protection of their human right to’ job security from the government.  Yet, more than 11 000 ABS CBN workers all over the country are in the brink of losing their jobs and sources of income brought by the government’s closure order of the media network. NTC in the first place should put a heavy weight on the effect of a closure order to the workers, their children and families.

We believe that the closure is an attack to press freedom.

ABS-CBN news and current affairs department has been very active in providing information regarding the delays and problems in the distribution of financial assistance to the workers as well as anomalies on the Social Amelioration Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Also, in the past, some shows and anchors of the network strongly exposed destructive mining and reclamation activities among others.  And recently, the POGO operations were also exposed.   With the closure of ABS-CBN, freedom of the press is also shutdown and dissent is silenced.  Workers and the peoples’ right to be informed and to be part of the debate and to demand change are also being thwarted.

We stand for workers’ right, press freedom and justice.

We stand that the government should put the interest and welfare of the Filipino people first. 

We hope that this incident will be resolved immediately and will not lead to the acquisition of the network by business tycoon who supported and funded President Duterte’s election campaign. 

We urge the government to let the network operate and post haste the process of the long overdue application for franchise renewal of ABS-CBN. By this, thousands of ABS-CBN workers who are also frontliners in the battle against Covid-19 can go back to work and provide service to the Filipino people.

Finally, to the workers of ABS-CBN, we are with you in your fight for justice. Together, we will stand for workers’ and people’s rights, press freedom and justice. ###

Signed:

Most Rev. Gerardo A. Alminaza, D.D.
Bishop, Diocese of San Carlos
CWS Co-Chairperson

LiCAS.News
Ryan Christopher J. Sorote, Philippines
May 8, 2020

A Catholic bishop in the central Philippines called for an end to what he described as a “creeping culture of impunity” in his diocese following the killing on May 5 of a radio broadcaster in the city of Dumaguete.

“When did Dumaguete became a place of such unsolved murders and creeping culture of impunity?” said Bishop Julito Cortes of the Diocese of Dumaguete in the province of Negros Oriental.

Unidentified gunmen shot and killed 48-year old radio broadcaster Rex Cornelio Pepino, or “Rex Cornelio” of Energy 93.7 FM radio, on May 5.

The broadcaster was on his motorcycle with his wife when he was shot by still unidentified gunmen on another motorcycle.

The killing of Cornelio occurred two days after World Press Freedom Day on May 3. He was the third radio journalist to be murdered in Dumaguete City since 2018.

Another radio broadcaster Dindo Generoso was shot dead, also by riding-in-tandem gunmen, in November 2019, while Edmund Sestoso was shot dead in April 2018.

In a statement on May 7, the prelate noted that Dumaguete “used to be named as ‘The City of Gentle People’ and … ‘one of the seven best places to retire in the world.’”

“Whatever happened to us?” said the prelate.

“Placing all our hopes in Jesus who rose from the dead, let us pray that, in due time, our mourning shall be turned into joy,” said Bishop Cortes.

Statement of the Ecumenical Bishop’s Forum

At a time when the rallying cry is for this country to “Heal as One” the latest action to order the closure of a major television network that has, arguably perhaps, a wide reach to many parts of the country more than any other network does not bode well in support of the national call.

The Ecumenical Bishops Forum (EBF) expresses profound dismay and disappointment over the shutdown imposed on the television network on May 5. Profound dismay because devoid of the legal and political rhetoric that abound what is true is that many people are deprived of a source of information from the capital. Profound disappointment because the action polarized further the people of this country. Woefully, this social divide has increased antagonism.

The EBF says enough of this deliberate plot to further acrimony or hostility now wreaking havoc on our social fiber. Let us begin to “HEAL AS ONE”. Those in positions of civil authority should lead the process.

We do not only live in the present. We have a future to be accountable to, as it is often said, the people of the present merely borrowed the present from future generations. We cannot go on with dissension after dissension as we are doing now. The deprivation of a significant source of information from the centers for many people in remote parts constitutes a further denial of people to be informed.

We urge Congress not to pander anymore. Act with dispatch on bills gathering dust on your agenda. You owe it to the public. Meanwhile, in recent days we have also witnessed major segments of our population rising up against abuses. May we who yet survive COVID-19 rise towards a uniting and healing nation.

Issued and Signed on this day 9th May 2020

Sgd.
MOST REV. BISHOP EMERITUS DEOGRACIAS S. INIGUEZ, JR.
Co-chairperson, Ecumenical Bishops Forum
Divine Shrine Parish, Marilao, Bulacan

Sgd.
THE RT. REVD. REX. B. REYES, JR.
Co-chairperson, Ecumenical Bishops Forum
Episcopal Diocese of Central Philippines

Sgd.
BISHOP JOEL E. TENDERO
General Secretary, Ecumenical Bishops Forum
UCCP South Luzon Jurisdictional Area

Circular No. 20-32
7 May 2020

Your Eminences, Excellencies, and Diocesan Administrators:

RE: Statement on the Closure of ABS-CBN

        My first thought in the currently much talked-about closure of ABS-CBN is our people – our people who are in these extremely difficult and trying times because of the coronavirus pandemic.

        Because of the closure of this broadcast station, our people have lost one of our country’s major sources of information which is crucial to our people in this present situation. If I may add, they also have lost a source of entertainment and diversion during these days of confinement in their homes for more than two months already due to the lockdown measures.

        These days our people truly need more than ever broadcast services that would bring them the much-needed information in this time of crisis.

           With this consideration, I sincerely hope and pray that our government, especially our Congress, will work together to resolve the issue so that ABS-CBN may be allowed to resume its broadcast the soonest to the benefit of our people who really need as many as possible sources of good and reliable information in this time of suffering and distress.