Paris to Passi

By Alex P. Vidal 

“Things come and go in the news cycle like waves of fever.” — Adam Curtis

THESE past days, our attention was in Paris.

News about the successful and unsuccessful attempts by our athletes to snatch away medals in the quadrennial sports competition poured every now and then.

The media coverage was highlighted by the twin-gold medal moments courtesy of gymnast Carlos Yulo and the two bronze medals in women boxing delivered by Nesthy Petecio and Ira Villegas.

All of a sudden, the news cycle developed from jolly to somber.

After the Olympic Games, we were confronted by local reports that Passi City topped the confirmed cases of dengue outbreak with 327 cases on record, so far, in August, prompting Passi City Council to declare a state of calamity.

As the Filipinos waited for the arrival of Olympic heroes and heroines, the shocking number of dengue cases in Western Visayas was reported in several national broadsheets and TV networks in the Philippines, thus attracting a global attention via Internet.

Some Ilonggos living abroad have expressed worries when the stories were reported on Youtube and on news websites.

It wasn’t so alarming, but the story coincided with the euphoria brought by Yulo’s amazing gold medal harvests shared by many Ilonggos.

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Meanwhile, fearing the rising number of dengue cases as a serious health hazard, the Passi City Council, headed by Vice Mayor Elyzer Chavez, held a special session on August 9 to approve the Resolution No. 2024-129.

The Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) started recording 2,493 dengue cases from January 1 to July 20, 2024.

It was reported that a 10-yer-old boy, a victim of dengue, died in Passi City even as the IPHO continued to monitor cases in the Passi City villages of Agdahon, Gines Viejo, Poblacion Ilawod, Man-it, Arac, Imbang Grande, Talongonan, Sablogon, Poblacion Ilaya, and Quinagaringan Pequeño.

IPHO has confirmed based on its data the component city recorded the biggest number of dengue cases in Iloilo Province for this year, with 256 cases recorded as of August 3 — a 631 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023, which saw only 35 cases.

Other towns reporting high dengue incidences include Dingle (189 cases with one death), Lambunao (167 cases with one death), Oton (165), Dumangas (163), Calinog (157), Badiangan (146 cases with two deaths), Janiuay (139), Barotac Nuevo (122), and Miag-ao (109 cases with two deaths).

Iloilo Province has registered 3,608 dengue cases with six deaths as of August 3, marking a 242 percent increase from the previous year, which had 1,056 cases.

Health authorities continue to monitor the situation closely and urge the public to adopt preventive measures to mitigate the spread of dengue, which is caused by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, according to a report by Ruchelle Denise Demaisip.

The infection reportedly triggered a severe flu-like illness often followed by a severe drop in an infected person’s platelet count.

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PAGKABALAKA (Ikan-om 0006 nga bilalaybay, sa serye nga Pamatasan nga ginsulat ni Ambassador Leo Tito L. Ausan, Jr., sang ika-31 sang Hulyo, 2024, sa Dhaka, Bangladesh.)

I

Pusnga mo, walâ ka sang labot sa iya,

Ang iya kalag kinahanglan bakerohan niya,

Apang gina hilabtan mo ang pangabuhî niya,

Nga daw sa may labot ka,

Ang malain, ginabuhat mo ini, sa ngalan sang pagkabalaka,

Galî kay ang kamatuuran, ikaw dunâ nga hilabtera!

A sining kalibutan, mag-ulutod kita nga tanan,

Lunsay nga mga tinuga sang Manunuga sang Katawhan,

Kay ululupod kita diri tanan,

Indî bagay, nga ang aton mga isig katawo,

Indî naton nga pagkabalak-an,

Indî lang naton kon mahimû nga pagkalimtan,

Nga magkatuhay ang pasilabtan,

Sa pagakabalak-an.

II

Sa pagkabalaka,  ang aton isigkatawo, sa iya pagpangabuhi,

Aton ginabuligan, agud ini magmulumag-an, kag siya maka angkon sang bisan diutay nga katawhayan.

Sa pag pasilabot, imbis nga sa kabuhî ang aton isig katawo ang mahaposan,

Sa aton ginabuhat sa iya  labi ganî siya nga gina pin-utan,

Kon sa pag-ginhawa, labi ganî siya nga ginapung-otan!

Ganî indî kita magpakuno kuno, nga kita nagakabalaka,

Sa mga isig katawo ta, kay indî mabudlay nga bukohon kita,

Nga ang  aton mga ginabuhat, iya sang mga hilabtero kag mga hilabtera,

Ang patimaan lang subong sini pagaathagon ta, ang kon sa aton ginabuhat para sa ila,

Nagapabug-at bala kita, ukon nagapahapos sa pagpangabuhî nila..

Kon ang nagakatabô kasubong sang nahauna, indi  na ini Pagkabalaka, kundî pagkahilabtera na!…Ganî sang maayo binagbinagon ta!

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)