This Week in Media (November 29 to December 3, 2021)
New COVID variant dampens Christmas cheer
NEWS OF the Omicron variant which was first detected in South Africa has dampened Christmas cheer in this country and others. It has tamped down any planned downgrading to Alert Level 1 of the NCR.
Media reported what is known so far about the variant, citing South African scientists and authorities: it had gone through more mutations than Delta, which means it could be more infectious, but symptoms observed in those who had contracted it have been so far mild. As of press time, 38 countries, excluding the Philippines, have recorded Omicron cases. The country promptly imposed restrictions on international travel once again. At this point, uncertainties about the Omicron variant will affect many OFWs and other Filipinos planning to come home for the holidays.
Some reports quoted the recommendation of Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, country director of WHO Philippines, that the positive cases recorded in the last two weeks be sequenced to confirm whether Omicron is already in the country. The Philippine Genome Center has expressed its intent to go farther back and sequence samples gathered in early November.
This time the government seems to be more proactive about dealing with this challenge compared to the threat posed by Delta in July. But media still need to keep up with their coverage and check on the other preventive measures that could be undertaken apart from the individual observance of health protocols. Because more people are going out to public places, media should help the public become more vigilant.
There have been scant updates on testing and tracing capacities. Indeed, the Philippines has been at the bottom of Bloomberg’s COVID-19 Resilience Index for three straight months. No matter how officials may consider this unfair, the management of government’s pandemic response has been problematic from the start. That delay showed up the dismal lack of competence to respond to this kind of challenge.
Underspending under a pandemic
The failure to use available funds exemplifies the poor implementation that has marred government efforts.
Citing the need to fully utilize remaining 2021 funds, the House of Representatives on November 29 approved on third and final reading a bill extending the validity of this year’s budget. This means that instead of reverting unused funds to the Philippine treasury by year-end, they can still be used for their intended purposes until next year.
This development was picked up only by online news. Media seemed to have glossed over the significance of this development. Sadly, journalists missed the opportunity to ask why lawmakers did not exercise oversight on executive branch underspending, especially during a time of pandemic.
Large-scale vaccination
The announcement of the new variant’s threat coincided with the Philippines’ national vaccination days, dubbed by the DOH as Bayanihan Bakunahan, held from November 29 to December 1. CMFR noted that the coverage had not raised the critical questions to make the public understand the capacity or incapacity of the government for such an ambitious undertaking.
The National Task Force on COVID-19 (NTF) actually lowered the target from the original 15 million to 9 million due to a shortage in syringes. NTF and DILG also acknowledged that they didn’t get the thousands more volunteers needed for vaccination sites. But the program went ahead as planned, with the media covering the situation in different local government units.
Reports noted the various challenges on the sites: some sites had lots of people (“dinagsa,” as some Filipino newscasts described it), some had no lines at all, some had to send away walk-ins and some had to use vaccines that were near expiry. By the end of the third day, the program was 2 million short of its target. Citing requests by some LGUs, the IATF announced that it is planning to hold a second round of the three-day vaccination drive from December 15 to 17.
Media have largely reported on the program on a piecemeal basis, gathering onsite experiences with little post-evaluation of the program as a whole. LGUs were naturally called on to implement it at their respective levels. But as usual, the national government’s practice of issuing directives lacked the effective communication required by such a campaign.
Pre-election coverage
As if the drama of the substitutions and family alliances involving weren’t enough, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go called attention to himself with the announcement on November 30 that in consideration of his family’s wishes, he is withdrawing his candidacy for president. This leaves the ruling party without a standard bearer.
Reports quoted Comelec’s statement that Go still had to file the withdrawal documents physically before their office. Go told the media that he’d rather they refrained from covering the actual withdrawal. Asked when he was planning to do so, he was seemingly irked, snapping back at journalists, “Bakit ba kayo nagmamadali? (Why are you in such a hurry?)”
There were more substantial issues that thankfully got picked up by the media. CMFR cheered Philstar.com’s story on the implications of the alliance of the families of Marcos, Arroyo, Duterte and Estrada, as well as VERA Files’ explainer on the Comelec’s process of resolving petitions to disqualify an aspirant or cancel the candidacy.
Death of Jonel Nuezca
Jonel Nuezca, the ex-police officer convicted for the December 2020 murder of his neighbors Frank and Sonya Gregorio, died inside Bilibid prison on November 30. His cause of death still unknown, the Bureau of Corrections said they would investigate whether there was foul play involved.
Most reports treated this as breaking news, with reference to Nuezca’s crime. Only TV Patrol pointed to the fact that this is not the first case of death of a high-profile inmate under suspicious circumstances in prison. The report cited the brother of Frank Gregorio who said that as a former policeman, Nuezca would have found a way to cover up his own death to evade punishment.
This expressed loss of faith indicates how the country’s justice system is seen by ordinary people. More reporting on this failed system may force government efforts to focus on what needs to be done.
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