Nalzaro: A doctor’s offer to Covid response

Nalzaro: A doctor’s offer to Covid response

I’VE met Dr. Rowena Burden only by chance once at the lobby of Marco Polo Plaza Hotel a couple of years ago. We just shook hands and exchanged his and hellos. Although, we have been friends on Facebook for several years. I remember, I defended her daughter Kimberly Therese (who is now married to shipping magnate Bob Gothong), during the 2009 Miss Cebu fiasco when some organizers of the beauty pageant allegedly made “hanky-panky” in the selection and announcement of the winner of the Globe texters’ choice award favoring a certain candidate.

During this coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, Dr. Burden is very much active on social media, providing tips, information and well-researched items about the virus and giving suggestions. But sometimes, she’s at loggerheads with people and has figured in disagreement with some personalities who differ from her stand. I observed the way Dr. Burden organized her thoughts and opinion. She has a strong personality, making a stand on issues whether they are popular or not. She would never back out in a fight. Ang iyang motto morag sa pelikula ni Fernando Poe Jr., “Umpisan mo at tatapusin ko” (Start it and I’ll finish it).

Recently, she figured in controversies against Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia on the “tuob” (steam inhalation) issue, defending the medical profession when the governor shamed a lady physician who contradicted her “tuob” advocacy. She has been very vocal against the move of Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (Opav) Secretary Michael Dino and she exchanged some “wild accusations and innuendos” against Dino’s assistant secretary and public relations man Jonji Gonzales. The “keyboard warriors” or trolls hired by Opav began to attack and bash her to the extent of questioning her mental capability. Dr. Burden knows the secret of Opav that it hired “keyboard warriors” to drum up its advocacy or stand because they both campaigned for then presidential candidate and now President Rodrigo Duterte during the 2016 presidential elections. Dino was behind Duterte’s “Bisaya na pud” campaign strategy.

Just recently, I’ve read in one of the posts of Dr. Burden that she offered her services and “expertise” to the governor and Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella to help solve and reduce the number of Covid-19 cases in Cebu. Here’s her statement.

“Gov. Gwen and Mayor Labella, I am hereby formally challenging you to let me and my team take over for two weeks before all Cebuanos die. The national IATF is doing a fabulous job, but they aren’t always here and they do not have their ears on the ground and they are not privy to the local nuances and interconnections (political and economic). Implementation is still in your hands.

“I promise that I will never mention any of you both in a negative light ever again if our situation does not improve in two weeks. I don’t mean taking over as governor or mayor—just let me and my group handle our local pandemic response. Please.”

In a followup post, Burden claimed that her network, which is composed of medical practitioners, volunteers and even lawyers and media practitioners, are in place now. She can mobilize them anytime if her “offer” is accepted. (Sorry, Dr. Burden, I will change your word “challenge” to “offer.” The latter is a more subtle and polite than the former).

According to her FB profile, Dr. Burden studied at Cebu Doctors’ College of Medicine and took her Bachelor of Science in Biology at the University of San Carlos. She was a scholar at the Cebu City National Science High School during high school. I’ve learned that Dr. Burden was trained in internal medicine at Chong Hua Hospital and had her fellowship in adult cardio at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Manila. She was a full academic scholar of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) during her secondary and tertiary education. She stopped her medical practice in 2003, but she continued medical research and is being followed by fellow physicians all over the world. I don’t know why she is inactive in her profession today.

Burden said she also texted Central Visayas Covid-19 response overseer Roy Cimatu about her “offer” of what she can contribute to the fight against Covid-19. It was not clear in the offer if she would demand a salary or honorarium. Well, why not give Dr. Burden and her team a chance to serve. After all, what we need is everybody’s support.

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