Advanced mag-isip

By Netnet Camomot .

THE Philippine government is now back to telling us to stay home. The last time I heard that advice was eons ago when the National Capital Region (NCR) was placed under an Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), which the government reportedly regretted later when it resulted to business closures and job losses.

But I think the regret was more on the funds spent for the ayuda. If only politicians could put their photos on them, then it’s good investment for their wag-the-dog strategies.

There’s no name recall when the recipients are not aware of who’s giving the ayuda—that’s a waste of funds in the eyes of a politician who’s seeking reelection next year.

Public funds come from the madlang pehpohl’s tax payments. Politicians don’t own that money. Feeling lang nila they own it, thus, the usual practice of putting their photos and names on relief goods, pedestrian overpasses, and government projects funded by the madlang pehpohl’s money.

When the government decided to reopen the economy last year, it stopped telling the Pinoy to stay home. Instead, it said, Stay safe. And the Pinoy has been staying safe by wearing a face mask on his chin, a face shield on his head, and removing the mask and shield once he’s partying and drinking.

On Saturday, Pinas’s new Covid-19 cases reached 7,999, prompting Lourd de Veyra to post this on Facebook: “7,999. Nahiya pa.” Since it was only one case short of 8,000 which the OCTA Research Group predicted to be the number of cases by the end of this month. Pinas is “advanced mag-isip”: it almost reached the 8,000 figure 11 days before that monthend.

You would expect the Pinoy to be alarmed by this. Hmmm, nope. Weddings, birthday parties, conferences, community projects, travels pushed through, it was simply another weekend in paradise. Besides, the vaccination program has already started and that has somehow given the Pinoy more confidence to go out pa more.

By Monday, 8,019 became the highest daily tally of new cases in Pinas since the pandemic began.

Cagayan de Oro’s Covid cases, however, are under control, puera buyag, so it’s understandable for the Cagayanon to be complacent.

The Pinoy has no other choice but to continue moving forward. An ECQ for the National Capital Region may control the exponential increase of Covid-19 cases there but it will also harshly affect the economy like what happened last year. As I wrote in previous columns, the government must have already weighed the pros and cons and would rather consistently choose to reopen the economy despite the rising number of cases. Kind of good luck na lang.

And with Election 2022 so near, the Pinoy has found an escape from Covid news through the political guessing games that have been brewing lately. Sen. Bong Go for president. Pres. Rody Duterte for vice president. Mayor Sara Duterte for president. Sen. Manny Pacquiao for president. Let’s see if the Mindanaoan is happy with that—in case he hasn’t noticed, they’re all from Mindanao.

And then, there’s 1Sambayan, an opposition coalition led by former Supreme Court Chief Justice Antonio Carpio. Its list of candidates may include Vice President Leni Robredo, Sen. Grace Poe, Sen. Nancy Binay, former Sen. Antonio Trillanes, and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno.

Carpio said, “We are prepared to accept suggestions from everyone… What is important is we agreed on the process that at the end of the day we will only choose one slate” (source: newsinfo.inquirer.net).

This is your chance to revive “Change is coming.” Pag-suggest na!

Per De Veyra’s Facebook post on Monday, however, it’s more like “Change Oil is Coming.”

Change oil? Haha. That’s another story.

O di ba ang saya-saya? Yay for Election 2022! For which the vaccination program may be used as a major campaign strategy by some politicians—according to the suspicious Pinoy, that is. So, please check if the vaccine vials have your idol politician’s name and photo, plus “This vaccine is brought to you by…”

But despite the vaccines’ arrival in Pinas, the Inter-Agency Task Force is now advising the Pinoy to wear a face mask even at home if he lives with other people.

So, stay home and wear a face mask while staying home. Whew. These latest health advisories are for the General Community Quarantine areas: NCR, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal. In other words, the immortal Cagayanon can continue savoring the perks of a Modified GCQ status. Party pa more.