THREE teen boys aged 13 to 17 died after an M203 grenade they were burning exploded in barangay Daliaon Plantation in Toril, Davao City, Sunday.
It's one of those stories that send our collective brain activities into slow motion.
The grenades were allegedly found in a relative's farm lot. Since it's in Daliaon Plantation, that's believable. A place that has been traversed by communist and Moro rebels does have the chance of having some stray grenades hidden somewhere. But for kids to even think of burning this is beyond comprehension.
It's not that there is a big chance of finding grenade on the ground, but even when we never did, we have lived our childhood with the idea that "adult" things have to be reported.
We thus remembered how over a decade ago, someone tried to cut open a vintage bomb with a saw, and killed himself in the process. Such things happen, but it pays if we let it be common knowledge that civilians should not be tinkering around with bombs and grenades and even bullets.
Bullets, guns, bombs, and grenades need to be reported to authorities. That simple warning to all of us, especially to rambunctious teenage boys, can spare us from unnecessary tragedies.
Who still wants to be vaccinated?
That said, another WTF moment is that about Dengvaxia.
As expected, Sanofi Pasteur, the manufacturer already has a disclaimer that not one child has yet died from the vaccine. But we know too well that in the big pharma world, what happened breaches ethical protocols.
In the rush to be among the first to go on a mass vaccination as well... for that 'pogi points' that politicians love to collect so much, not only have these 700,000 children aged nine years old and above been exposed to a risk that medicine still has to study, worst, it has practically erased all the gains made by the world of medicine in disease prevention.
What parent in their right mind would be convinced to have their children vaccinated again after this scandal? True, there will be those who will still believe in medicine, but there will just be as many who will refuse to have their children inoculated, and what does that leave us with?
Trust has been erased, and it will take a long time for the masses to give back that trust especially when it's their children who are being exposed to the risk.
Given this, it is up to the health officials to fully explain to the masses what they are doing, what other studies are being conducted, and not let Sanofi take the centerstage to explain. Sanofi has everything to lose here and can easily launch a multi-billion PR campaign to recover from this public relations and reputation crisis. Whatever it says will be suspect. Let them spend, and spend much to serve as a lesson to big pharmaceuticals not to take shortcuts.
But most of all, let those accountable for rushing the program face the consequence of such rash and rushed action.