Quarantine Thoughts of Rizal in Dapitan and its Implications to the Philippines in the Early Times of COVID-19 Pandemic
In the year 2006, the Department of Education, under the leadership of Secretary Jesli Lapus, sailed with the chant of “Edukasyon ang Solusyon”. It was marked in numerous public schools at that time and was even used as the graduation theme of the year 2010 wherein it is translated as Education: Changing Lives. “Education is the solution. It provides us with the ability to set ourselves free from the shackles of poverty....”, said Lapus. No social media resistance emerged that time ridiculing the teachers to be sent as economists and principals as city mayors. Everybody understood clearly and intelligibly the context that by means of education against poverty, it is the whole system being pertained.
๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ
1. ๐โ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ต๐ข๐๐๐๐ก
The Department of Health, as per the General Appropriations Acts (GAA) of 2020, received a budget of P100,559,985,000. Through the years since the Duterte Administration the budget of the department are as follows:
2019: P97,653,6333,000
2018: P106,082,097,000
2017: P95,274,075,000
2016: P112,630,153,000
Contrary to what is circulating online as budget cut, GAA 2020 shows that DOH received a higher appropriation than 2019. The prevalence of polio and dengue last year might have served as blessings in disguise for it pressured the legislators not to pursue the cut. Such occurrences is a proof that there is a need to highly compete for the health sector in this country to be prioritized. Meanwhile, the Department of National Defense received a higher budget for two consecutive years compared to DOH (2019: P186.22B and 2020: P191.74B) wherein the President is very vocal to support the modernization of the AFP and PNP.
2. ๐โ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ต๐ฉ ๐ธ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ก๐
Apparently NCR is doing a Hubei-style by controlling the crowd and their movement, but Hubei did not end with that. Street fumigation and building sterilization is also taking place several times in a day. Italy and South Korea is also doing the same except that SoKor did not implement a city-wide lockdown for it is “close-minded, coercing and inflexible” according to their Deputy Minister for Health. Their aggressive and transparent approach banked on massive free testing and close monitoring. On the hither hand, our Southeast Asian neighbor Singapore and their public officials pledged to award their one month salary to their front-liners. In the Philippines, what is only solid and clear so far, aside from the microscopic number of testing kits compared to the population, is that there is a proliferation of the visibility of guns: of bullets and of temperature. Community quarantine measures and mechanics were published in chunks, government officials’ statements contradict and those who are confirmed as positive are those who voluntarily submit themselves to the hospitals.
๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
In agreement with the spreading malicious images, embellished as memes, it is not only in the Philippines where the armed forces are utilized for this war on Covid-19. They were all deployed for crowd control and pre-emptive measures implementation. They were also asked not just to simply defend the people from their fellow people (virus-carriers) but even with the virus itself. They are not equipped with guns only but also with masks for distribution, protective gears for safety and disinfectants for sanitation. The service and presence of the military is highly-needed but must be coupled with medical funding and expertise as solutions.
๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐ฒ
The convergence of these two professions remind me of the communication of the two heroes who is a Doctor and an Armed Forces Leader - Dr. Jose Rizal and Bonifacio also known as the Supremo, through Valenzuela, Pio in Dapitan. Bonifacio’s emissary gets the side of Rizal and persuades him to join and support the plotted national revolt by the Katipunan. While Rizal believes that it is already high time for a revolution, according to the published memoirs of Valenzuela, the author of Noli and Fili did not give his consent for he wants the Katipunan to:
1. assure that the rich Filipinos will fund and support the revolt;
2. consult experts on war tactics like Antonio Luna
Furthermore, when the revolution broke in August 1896, Rizal in his manifesto claimed that he is in no way connected to the revolution because:
i) he is a firm believer that a revolution will do more harm than good and
ii) reform in the government and of the people’s civics through education is a prerequisite to liberation.
At this point it will be novel to imagine what if these trolls, dissenting opinion-shamers or bandwagon-joiners lived during that time of Rizal’s non-conformance to the Katipunan; will the cry of Balintawak or Pugad Lawin narratives go through history as:
“๐๐ฏ๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ข๐จ ๐ฎ๐ฐ ๐ด๐ข ๐๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ?”
“๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ธ ๐ฏ๐ข ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ข๐บ๐ข ๐ฎ๐ข๐จ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฐ?”
“๐๐ข๐ข๐ธ๐ข ๐ฌ๐ข ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฌ๐ข๐บ ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฐ ๐ฑ๐ข๐จ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ฏ๐ข ๐ฑ๐ข๐จ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ฏ๐ข ๐ด๐ช๐บ๐ข. ๐๐ถ๐ธ๐ข๐จ ๐ฌ๐ข ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ณ๐ข, ๐ด๐ถ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ข ๐ฌ๐ข ๐ฏ๐ข ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ!”
“๐๐ญ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ข-๐ธ๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ช๐ฐ๐ณ! ๐๐ข-๐ธ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ฆ!”
Rizal is no destabilizer nor communist, he is a central figure of patriotism of his time up to date! What Rizal wanted to see is a solid and clear plans and reforms in the Katipunan, for having none pronounces its destiny to fail. He wisely knows that lives are at stake and it is not just a show of weapons and strength. The slogan “๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ โ๐๐๐๐/๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ฆ๐๐“ is fitting to sum up his stance.
The vaccine to this is not unknown yet compared to Covid-19, it was already discovered since time immemorial. It was popularized ten years ago by Sec. Lapus in DepEd and was advocated centuries away by Dr. Jose Rizal. It is something that the society highly values but seems to be poorly practiced and applied. Sa panahong ng mga press-release policies, propaganda, fake news and public opinion manipulation through social media - Edukasyon ang solusyon pa rin talaga.
It will never get old.
Notes:
- All images used are not mine. Credits to the respective owners.
- Special thanks to a friend from DBM for the technical assistance and a friend from Malaysia for the image editing app.
Sources:
https://www.dbm.gov.ph/
https://www.doh.gov.ph/doh-budget
https://www.google.com.ph/.../italy-south-korea-differ...
https://www.google.com.ph/.../china-and-south-korea.../amp/
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/.../covid-19-bonus-for...
https://piovalenzuela150.blogspot.com/.../document...
http://nhcp.gov.ph/rizal-issues-a-manifesto-to-proclaim.../
Last year, a group of militants in the time of corona virus do have a not so different battle cry - “๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐ป๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐”. This scenario spread faster than the virus to the point that some revenue-seeking pages and bandwagon joiners rode the hype by shallowly editing pictures where health professionals and armed personnel were interchanged in the check-points and check-ups. Much has been said to indignify the youth-activists but I dare to say that little has been done by them to attempt to understand the context of their clamor.
๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ
1. ๐โ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ต๐ข๐๐๐๐ก
The Department of Health, as per the General Appropriations Acts (GAA) of 2020, received a budget of P100,559,985,000. Through the years since the Duterte Administration the budget of the department are as follows:
2019: P97,653,6333,000
2018: P106,082,097,000
2017: P95,274,075,000
2016: P112,630,153,000
Contrary to what is circulating online as budget cut, GAA 2020 shows that DOH received a higher appropriation than 2019. The prevalence of polio and dengue last year might have served as blessings in disguise for it pressured the legislators not to pursue the cut. Such occurrences is a proof that there is a need to highly compete for the health sector in this country to be prioritized. Meanwhile, the Department of National Defense received a higher budget for two consecutive years compared to DOH (2019: P186.22B and 2020: P191.74B) wherein the President is very vocal to support the modernization of the AFP and PNP.
2. ๐โ๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐กโ๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ต๐ฉ ๐ธ๐ฅ๐๐๐๐ก๐
Apparently NCR is doing a Hubei-style by controlling the crowd and their movement, but Hubei did not end with that. Street fumigation and building sterilization is also taking place several times in a day. Italy and South Korea is also doing the same except that SoKor did not implement a city-wide lockdown for it is “close-minded, coercing and inflexible” according to their Deputy Minister for Health. Their aggressive and transparent approach banked on massive free testing and close monitoring. On the hither hand, our Southeast Asian neighbor Singapore and their public officials pledged to award their one month salary to their front-liners. In the Philippines, what is only solid and clear so far, aside from the microscopic number of testing kits compared to the population, is that there is a proliferation of the visibility of guns: of bullets and of temperature. Community quarantine measures and mechanics were published in chunks, government officials’ statements contradict and those who are confirmed as positive are those who voluntarily submit themselves to the hospitals.
๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
In agreement with the spreading malicious images, embellished as memes, it is not only in the Philippines where the armed forces are utilized for this war on Covid-19. They were all deployed for crowd control and pre-emptive measures implementation. They were also asked not just to simply defend the people from their fellow people (virus-carriers) but even with the virus itself. They are not equipped with guns only but also with masks for distribution, protective gears for safety and disinfectants for sanitation. The service and presence of the military is highly-needed but must be coupled with medical funding and expertise as solutions.
๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐ฒ
The convergence of these two professions remind me of the communication of the two heroes who is a Doctor and an Armed Forces Leader - Dr. Jose Rizal and Bonifacio also known as the Supremo, through Valenzuela, Pio in Dapitan. Bonifacio’s emissary gets the side of Rizal and persuades him to join and support the plotted national revolt by the Katipunan. While Rizal believes that it is already high time for a revolution, according to the published memoirs of Valenzuela, the author of Noli and Fili did not give his consent for he wants the Katipunan to:
1. assure that the rich Filipinos will fund and support the revolt;
2. consult experts on war tactics like Antonio Luna
Furthermore, when the revolution broke in August 1896, Rizal in his manifesto claimed that he is in no way connected to the revolution because:
i) he is a firm believer that a revolution will do more harm than good and
ii) reform in the government and of the people’s civics through education is a prerequisite to liberation.
At this point it will be novel to imagine what if these trolls, dissenting opinion-shamers or bandwagon-joiners lived during that time of Rizal’s non-conformance to the Katipunan; will the cry of Balintawak or Pugad Lawin narratives go through history as:
“๐๐ฏ๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ข๐จ ๐ฎ๐ฐ ๐ด๐ข ๐๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ?”
“๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ธ ๐ฏ๐ข ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ข๐บ๐ข ๐ฎ๐ข๐จ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฐ?”
“๐๐ข๐ข๐ธ๐ข ๐ฌ๐ข ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ฌ๐ข๐บ ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฐ ๐ฑ๐ข๐จ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ฏ๐ข ๐ฑ๐ข๐จ๐ฐ๐ฅ ๐ฏ๐ข ๐ด๐ช๐บ๐ข. ๐๐ถ๐ธ๐ข๐จ ๐ฌ๐ข ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ต๐ณ๐ข, ๐ด๐ถ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ข ๐ฌ๐ข ๐ฏ๐ข ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐จ!”
“๐๐ญ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ข-๐ธ๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ช๐ฐ๐ณ! ๐๐ข-๐ธ๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ฆ!”
Rizal is no destabilizer nor communist, he is a central figure of patriotism of his time up to date! What Rizal wanted to see is a solid and clear plans and reforms in the Katipunan, for having none pronounces its destiny to fail. He wisely knows that lives are at stake and it is not just a show of weapons and strength. The slogan “๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ โ๐๐๐๐/๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ฆ๐๐“ is fitting to sum up his stance.
๐๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ค๐๐ฅ ๐๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ซ
Hundreds of years have passed since Rizal repudiated the revolution due to two reasons:
1. Lack of Support in Funding and
2. Lack of Support in Expertise.
In the present times, still these two is what we are missing in the face of corona virus. Only through these two that medical solutions will be achieved and military interventions will be maximized. In fact, ours is a more deadly battle than the Spaniards or Covid-19 itself for there are legions of trolls and bandwagon-joiners who are worse than the virus. They tend to be ballistic in manufacturing misinforming/disinforming/click-baiting content at the expense of the blind followers and non-critical online users’ orientation. This kind of actions and mentality is more terrifying than the virus for it spreads faster. They got tongues and brains that are temporarily suspended in order to suspend and paralyze too those of the others.
Hundreds of years have passed since Rizal repudiated the revolution due to two reasons:
1. Lack of Support in Funding and
2. Lack of Support in Expertise.
In the present times, still these two is what we are missing in the face of corona virus. Only through these two that medical solutions will be achieved and military interventions will be maximized. In fact, ours is a more deadly battle than the Spaniards or Covid-19 itself for there are legions of trolls and bandwagon-joiners who are worse than the virus. They tend to be ballistic in manufacturing misinforming/disinforming/click-baiting content at the expense of the blind followers and non-critical online users’ orientation. This kind of actions and mentality is more terrifying than the virus for it spreads faster. They got tongues and brains that are temporarily suspended in order to suspend and paralyze too those of the others.
The vaccine to this is not unknown yet compared to Covid-19, it was already discovered since time immemorial. It was popularized ten years ago by Sec. Lapus in DepEd and was advocated centuries away by Dr. Jose Rizal. It is something that the society highly values but seems to be poorly practiced and applied. Sa panahong ng mga press-release policies, propaganda, fake news and public opinion manipulation through social media - Edukasyon ang solusyon pa rin talaga.
It will never get old.
Notes:
- All images used are not mine. Credits to the respective owners.
- Special thanks to a friend from DBM for the technical assistance and a friend from Malaysia for the image editing app.
Sources:
https://www.dbm.gov.ph/
https://www.doh.gov.ph/doh-budget
https://www.google.com.ph/.../italy-south-korea-differ...
https://www.google.com.ph/.../china-and-south-korea.../amp/
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/.../covid-19-bonus-for...
https://piovalenzuela150.blogspot.com/.../document...
http://nhcp.gov.ph/rizal-issues-a-manifesto-to-proclaim.../
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