Running out of funds?

By Modesto P. Sa-onoy

At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the entire country was placed under quarantine. Almost everything came to a halt. As millions of workers lost their jobs, the government adopted the socialist approach of doling out money and food under the social amelioration assistance.

While it saved lives it also spawns corruption but the government, especially the local government, went head-on with it because there was money and politicians loved to distribute other people’s money especially those coming from the public treasury.

The decision to dole out money is without choice. People would have starved and a hungry constituency is a dangerous one. The government eased out a bit as some areas remained free from the virus and some measures to prevent its spread have succeeded, but the virus continues its march of death.

The haggard medical communities that are at the forefront of the battle against the disease are overworked with many nurses and doctors succumbing to the virus. They are not readily replaceable, they are tired and they think that there should be more lockdowns and preventive measures.

Over a week ago the medical sector in Bacolod directly asked Malacanang to further restrict the movement of people in the city. Their letter to the President must be one of the many from the doctors because the President came out to address the nation last Monday.

In a televised speech the President said he could not give in to the request of the medical community for a longer lockdown because the government has no more money for social amelioration.

 

“I am telling the doctors, much as I really would want to give in to your demands, especially in the matter of the lockdown… the problem is that the funds are already depleted. We need the people to go back to work,” he said.

 

The President’s speech was made in response to the call of Dr. Anthony Leachon, former special adviser to the National Task Force Against COVID-19, to extend the lockdown to a full month to slow the spread of the coronavirus in Metro Manila.

 

The President was frank. Later, Harry Roque, the presidential spokesman clarified that it was “highly unlikely” that Mr. Duterte would agree to extend the lockdown to a month. He said that anything is possible but not prolonging the lockdown “unless Leachon would be willing to provide cash aid to residents.”

 

The losses to the economy are staggering. Roque pointed out that Metro Manila where the national economy revolves lost P18 billion a day during the lockdown. How much was it in Bacolod, in Negros and other cities and provinces in the country? There is yet no data on how much the nation and local government and the economic sector lost during the closures since March.

 

“The President is straightforward and transparent. There is no more aid for those who cannot go to work, so we have to live despite and in spite. Protect our health so that we can go on with our daily lives,” he said.

The President urged the public to cooperate with the community quarantine restrictions, warning that he will tap the military to enforce it in case of a “runaway contagion” because the police are not enough.”

In some places in the United States President Trump mobilized the National Guard to augment police forces to enforce the lockdowns. That would make the New People’s Army happy.

The government is thus placed in a difficult situation but is there any other way to reduce human contacts and consequently avoid the spread of the virus? How long can people sustain this situation without bursting into anger? The price of no jobs and income are already hurting people even of little means. What of those that live on small incomes from odd jobs before the pandemic?

The report that the vaccine from Russia works is a light in a distance and a hope because Russia promised to share it with us and even have the vaccine produced here.

Meantime, we should enforce voluntary quarantine by reducing contact to the barest minimum. But work must continue. The government said that new protocols are being prepared for all sectors in order to increase the number of people at work.

This is the best we can do.