Cuevas-Rañada: Covid-19 on the rise

AFTER the reported local transmission of novel coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) over the weekend, the national government has declared a State of Public Health Emergency. This was made upon the recommendation of the health department in an effort to contain the spread of the disease and address the immediate need to attend to the infected individuals. To date, there are now 33 confirmed cases in our country. And most of these cases are from National Capital Region (NCR).

We, at Cagayan de Oro, are most fortunate to be virus-free as of this time. Knowing well the mind set of Kagay-anons and their ability to rise in most extreme situations, I am confident that we can maintain and keep our city free of Covid-19. But the big question is, how?

Firstly, we have to keep our vigilance amidst all the chaos brought by this growing threat to public health posed by the said disease. The information feed to us by both mainstream and social media on a daily basis must be processed with reservation and critically analyzed to determine the truth from falsehood. We have to get our information only from reliable sources. Our city government, through the City Public Information Office, plays a vital role in keeping Kagay-anons well informed with every development concerning Covid-19. It is sad to note, however, that our local government is conveniently mum on the issue.

Secondly, we must keep our composure and remain calm. There is no need to cause panic as it will not prevent the spread of the virus. It was very disheartening to see on the evening news how our kababayans in NCR reacted to the situation without consideration to the plight of others. Concerns over the depleting supplies of surgical face mask, alcohol and hand sanitizers due to surge of purchases is now at alarming rate. And common folks are putting the blame to those hording the supplies and those panic buying. Such mentality is so inhuman. The individuals who only think of themselves have no place in our community. Not all our kababayans are financially capable to purchase in bulk. If we continue to horde the supply, there will be no more left to the others by the time they can already afford to buy one for themselves.

Lastly, as advised by medical experts including the World Health Organization, the best way to prevent acquiring the virus is by maintaining impeccable personal hygiene. Keeping ourselves clean --

constant hand washing with the use of soap and water is more than enough to keep us virus-free. Avoid touching our faces and crowded places (social distancing) may also help in the progression of the disease. But on top of it all, we have to maintain a healthy lifestyle to improve our immune system. When we say healthy lifestyle, we mean proper diet, regular exercise and enough rest. So instead of investing on disposable face mask, why not get yourself some vitamins. Sometimes our perspective in life is so distorted because we allow ourselves to be dictated by what we see or read on the news.

Passengers woes

Commuters from the eastern part of Cagayan de Oro particularly those coming from Barangays Puerto, Agusan, Tablon and nearby areas are now experiencing daily struggle after the personnel from Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA) started the implementation of the directive from Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) on the banning of tricycles, tricabs and pedicabs operations along the national highway. The situation has only gotten worse after several complaints were raised against jeepney operators and drivers plying the route of Bugo-Cagayan de Oro in which offloading incidents commonly occurs especially if your destination is only a few kilometers away. Apparently, there are drivers and operators on this route that are selective to the passengers they accept. Where can we find in the provision of their franchise that states they can refuse a paying passenger to be alighted to their destination? Clearly, this is a violation of the law and must be addressed immediately by the proper law enforcement agencies -- time to wake up RTA and LTFRB-Northern Mindanao.

The DILG's directive is implemented for almost three weeks now. Aside from the free ride initiated by the Barangay Agusan Council for students of Agusan Elementary School and Agusan National High School, we have not heard of any contingency measures from the city government to promptly bridge the commuting problems of our kababayans in the said barangays. Let us hope that the jeepney modernization program will be in full swing to provide relief to our passengers and get rid of jeepney drivers-operators that bastardize our transportation services.

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