THURSDAY, March 12, 2020 – Rumors of a Curfew, Quarantine and/or Shutdown, flew fast and furious. By afternoon, people, especially Metro Manila residents, were in panic. From 5 to 7 p. m., traffic became much worse than usual. Office workers, whose departure from the work place is usually spread out or staggered over three hours from 4:30 to 7:30 p. m., seem to have all gone home or to the grocery at the same time.
Motorists tuned in to AM radio stations for the latest news. Families switched their TV sets to News Channels.
Although Filipinos, as well as the rest of the world, had been hearing about COVID-19 for more than two months, it was in mid - March that reality struck home.
Either the MMDA or the NCR Mayors announced a curfew for or on Saturday night, March 14, 2020. President Duterte imposed Enhanced Community Quarantine effective Tuesday, March 17, 2021.
A national Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) composed of many Department Secretaries, had either just been created or was about to be created.
Cabinet Secretary Carlo Nograles became its public face and spokesman for a credible short time. Former NCRPO Regional Director and then PNP Deputy for Operations Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar was the PNP Task Force COVID Commander and the face that humanized and gave credibility to the tarnished image of the PNP.
A half dozen young Metro Manila City Mayors became the faces of Local Government. At the ground level, we saw our Barangay officials, employees and volunteers directly at work.
For a month or two, the citizenry listened to and cooperated with government. The Bayanihan and Good Samaritan spirit reigned among the citizenry.
I remember how much time we spent watching and listening to the news.
Government’s PTV-4 went up in the ratings. We followed guidelines, orders and protocols from both high and low.
Former San Juan City Mayor and Senator Jose ‘Jinggoy’ Ejercito Estrada distributed fish both for free as well as at a low price.
Former Quezon City OIC/Mayor Brigido ‘Jun’ Simon solicited wholesale donations of frozen fish and distributed it to Church based communities.
I remember the joy of participating in this effort with my friends, relatives and extended ‘kasambahays’. As in ‘extended families’, we maintain relations with the families and neighbors of our parents pre - World War II ‘kasambahays’.
While we live in New Manila, Barangay Mariana, they live across E. Rodriguez Ave, (formerly Espana Extension) and across the Diliman/Kamuning Creek, in Barangay Obrero beside the Kamuning Distrrict (PHHC Project 1).
Then, the evil, the politics and the self - interest in our leaders and bureaucrats’ insides started to show their faces.
While LGU’s and Barangays did their best with limited resources, the national agencies started to act up, as conquering hordes, rather than public servants.
In order of heartlessness, oppressiveness, thoughtlessness and notoriety, I would now rank them from hindsight as the IATF, DOTr, LTFRB, DILG, PNP, DOH, DSWD and MMDA.
The majority of local and barangay leaders did their best with or without publicity. Among them were Pasig’s Vico Sotto, Q. C.’s Joy Belmonte, Makati’s Abigail Binay and Manila’s Isko Moreno.
However, San Juan’s Francis Zamora took the opportunity to wreak political vengeance on Jinggoy and his followers. He and then NCRPO Director Major General and now PNP Director General Debold Sinas becoming a repeat violator became the highest profile Quarantine Protocol violators.
The subsequent Mass Media and Social Media uproar caused them to be investigated. Their subordinates were punished but both Zamora and Sinas were exempted from the law. In the case of the former, the credible former CIDG Chief and now Baguio City Mayor Benjamin ‘Benjie’ Magalong y Banez exculpated him.
In the case of the latter, ‘inarbor’ ni DU 30, himself. These became the signal for other VIPs to follow their examples. The Presidential Spokesman, Harry Roque, became a repeat violator.
The PNP, MMDA, LGU Law Enforcers as well as Barangay Tanods allowed their power over us citizens to get into their heads.
Q. C. police killed a retired soldier. Policemen in Jolo killed Army Intelligence operatives in cold blood.
Police and Tanods beat up and imprisoned curfew violators. Activists and demonstrators were illegally arrested and detained. The government trampled on the Constitution and our Bill of Rights! PDU30 condoned and encouraged all of these.
In late April, as the government prepared for the transition to Modified ECQ on Saturday, May 16, in Metro Manila and a few other critical areas, the IATF showed its bias against senior citizens.
The DOTR, LTFRB and MMDA continued to make the Transport sector – both providers and users, suffer.
Again, they took advantage of the medical crisis to push their personal agendas, all to the detriment of both our economy, its employers and employees as well as the general public including seniors and PWDs.
In the midst of the COVID -19 health crisis, and the ECQ caused economic crisis, the DU30 Administration took vengeance on its political enemies and rivals by closing down ABS-CBN.
After ABS-CBN’s franchise lapsed at midnight on Monday, May 4, 2020, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) broke its promise to the House of Representatives (HoR) and issued a Cease and Desist (CDO) (instead of a Show Cause Order (SCO) to ABSCBN on Tuesday, May 5, 2020. The latter complied.
Previously, the same NTC had not closed down Broadcast and Telecom Companies whose franchises expired while pending renewal before the Congress.
Among these were GMA, PT & T, Radio Veritas, TV5 and at least five others. After a two month ‘moro-moro’, the HoR Committee on Franchises rejected the ABS- CBN franchise bill on Friday, July 10.
In order to maximize the suppression of critics, dissenters and oppositionists, the Administration maneuvered the passage of the Anti – Terrorism Act of 2020.
The Senate passed its version on February 26. The HoR approved it on June 3. PDU30 signed it on July 3 and it became effective on July 18.
(To be continued … )