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War and SARS
UNDER THE SWELTERING HUMIDITY of the month of March, the
hottest news that claimed the attention of the TV-glued populace
in the Philippines was, of course, the war in Iraq. We have
seen the likes of Saving Private Ryan and Pearl Harbor but
nothing comes close to the real thing. Although not as bloody
and genocidal as the ones exaggerated occasionally in motion
pictures, the act of actually watching military tanks moving
along the streets of Basra and Baghdad is enough to cause
a stir into one’s senses.
The sharp images of civilians caught in the crossfire of
the hostilities were hair-raising. The lens of one Newsweek
photographer captured a scene of two dead children lying on
the street. There was blood in the streets and blood splattered
all over their bodies, as well. CNN flashed scenes of over-crowded
hospitals thronging with agonizing casualties. Some American
and British soldiers were reported dead.
In the meantime, terrorist attacks continued to threaten
the Philippines’ national security. An airport in Davao
was bombed killing people who awaited the arrival of their
loved ones. And where did this sad bombing event put all of
us now but in misery. Domestic airports all look like ghost
towns with the recent regulation barring people from getting
inside the arrival and departure areas of airports for security
reasons. The bombing in Davao was reportedly implanted in
the arrival area of the airport.
 With
the present summer heat that reaches more than 80 degrees
Fahrenheit plus bomb threats and all, traveling becomes the
exact opposite of fun. The fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime
might be one source of relief for democratic thinkers but
the other side of the coin shows avenging spirits of woebegone
followers. One man’s fall is not an assurance to a long-lasting
peace in the Middle East, nor a precursor for a presumed turn-around
for the global economy. Saddam’s fall is, in fact, a
call for more vigilance against terrorist attacks that can
be staged almost anywhere in the world either as acts of vengeance
or acts of purely irresponsible propaganda.
When some members of the United Nations stood ground on protesting
against the US-led war in Iraq, true colors were shown. It
is logical to think that future economic talks among countries
will bear some reference to previous stands regarding Iraq.
And when powerful nations play tug-of-war, Third World countries
like the Philippines feel the repercussions of giant feet
that skid on the ground. Damn if you do, damn if you don’t.
Since President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo pledged our country
to be one of those in the “coalition of the willing,”
we got a pat on the back from Uncle Sam by recently naming
our country as one of the beneficiaries of the United States’
2003 Economic Wartime Supplemental Budget, promising to deliver
around $30 million from the US Economic Support Fund. Since
the fund is expected to help address the peace and development
process in Mindanao, then we might as well be expecting the
return of the usual hassle-free entry to and from airports
with beefed-up security operations in Central and Northern
Mindanao.
But now comes SARS, the deadly virus that sounds worse than
AIDS. We have seen movies showing the pitiful plight of AIDS
victims, mostly afflicted because of perverted sexual lifestyles.
What’s worrisome about SARS is that it can afflict even
the most virgin of all virgins as the disease has nothing
to do with sexual activity at all. It only takes one person
to be breathing life to get caught with this deadly virus.
And that means every human being alive.
That basically brings us back to an airport scene which is
a ghost town on the outside but frantic with the ghost of
a virus by holding passengers under thermometer check-ups
in the inside. For now, this is only applicable to international
airports but everyone is scared this will be a routine check-up
in domestic flights sooner or later.
As of April, no SARS case was reportedly verified in the
Philippines yet. But the government is already warning suppliers
of masks and other medical supplies to keep from jacking prices
amidst a state of a nationwide health-watch. The Department
of Trade and Industry sited one medical supplies company selling
masks at P400 apiece when the regular price was only P75.
Well, some people are just too quick to respond even before
the law of supply and demand makes a movement.
One noteworthy response, however, is Philhealth’s announcement
to offer P100, 000 benefit to public and private health care
workers determined to be afflicted with SARS. Such is the
response that we need from agencies that the public is counting
on for assistance.
While the Philippines is presently still considered SARS-free,
there is no assurance that the rising SARS incidence in China
and Hong Kong will not spread in Asia. With the brisk economic
activities exchanged among Asian countries, a lot of businesses
will be affected. Even the so-called “ukay-ukay”
stores that mostly carry cheap goods such as jackets and pants
from China have reportedly commented about a paranoia exhibited
by shoppers against the purchase of such goods.
Cathay Pacific, the main airline that flies people from Hong
Kong to the rest of the world felt the biggest blow in its
aviation business history because of SARS. Flights have been
cancelled, continue to get cancelled, and the books are in
the red. Davao fears that tuna importers are sending hints
banning importation of tuna from Asia. Three Filipino SARS
victims have been reported as of date; one domestic helper
in Singapore, one in Hong Kong, and the other one was a returning
health aide from Canada.
We are living in an eerie world. It seems like the horsemen
of the apocalypse have set foot on earth. One waging war,
the other spreading a plague. It pays to tighten our belts
for the tough times ahead. *
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