This Week in Media (June 6 to 10, 2022)
Health, economic, environmental concerns dominate the news
NEWS ON THE transition to the next administration gave way to reports on the problems confronting ordinary Filipinos this week. Primetime newscasts led with the increase in fuel prices anew: PHP 2.70 per liter for gasoline, PHP 6.55 for diesel, and PHP 5.45 for kerosene. Media reported the worsening conditions in public transport, with fewer jeepneys plying their routes, commuters forced to catch rides or line up for them much earlier in the morning, or taking risks with “colorum” or unregistered rides just to avoid being late for work. Both jeepney drivers and fisherfolk were grounding their vehicles, with some of those interviewed by journalists admitting they are considering changing livelihoods. The government could only promise them subsidies, insisting that it cannot suspend excise taxes on fuel.
News accounts reported that the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) had approved a provisional increase of one peso for public utility jeepney fare in Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Calabarzon. Some drivers thought the fare hike was insufficient, while others said it would not be fair for riders to pay more than the approved PHP 10 minimum.
The steady increase in fuel prices has been affecting the prices of basic commodities as well. The May inflation rate rose to 5.4 percent, compared to April’s 4.9 percent. News reports noted that this is the highest since November 2018’s 6.1 percent. Global supply chain disruptions, primarily due to the Russia-Ukraine crisis, contributed to increased prices of local-sourced supplies, which also raised the prices of bread, produce and meat.Â
As for the promise of President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to lower the price of rice to PHP20 per kilo, agriculture and agrarian reform officials cited by the media were not too hopeful that it could be achieved soon, but assured the public that they would continue studying the possibility of lowering rice prices.
On the health frontÂ
As the threat of COVID-19 remains, some public hospitals such as the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute reported breaching their respective emergency room capacities for non-COVID cases. Speaking for NKTI, Dr. Joseph Jaro, Deputy Executive Director for Hospital Support Services, told the media that majority of their current patients are undergoing dialysis, and had put off getting treatment at the height of the pandemic in fear of contracting COVID. Jaro also raised the need of the NKTI and other government hospitals for more nurses.
The Health department also reported this week a record of almost 35,000 dengue cases and 180 dengue-related deaths from January to May this year, a 23 percent increase over the same period last year. Media also reported that 1,000 cases of monkeypox have been recorded worldwide. The DOH has been consistent in assuring the public that no case has been detected in the country yet, reiterating the need to maintain minimum public health and safety protocols such as mask-wearing and handwashing. The province of Cebu, however, has made optional mask protocols for outdoor and open-air areas part of a transition to a “new normal,” a decision that did not sit well with the IATF.
Local environmental concerns
The phreatic eruption of Mount Bulusan rocked Sorsogon on June 5, covering villages in the towns of Irosin and Juban with ash. As the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) had raised and maintains Alert Level 1 for the volcano, residents who evacuated were allowed to go back home on June 8. News reports said agricultural damage is estimated at 17 million, which does not yet include fish kills reported by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).
Meanwhile, media reported that the groundwater of nine towns in Batangas near Taal Lake has tested positive for high levels of arsenic. These were first detected following the eruption of Taal Volcano in January 2020. The provincial health office told journalists that arsenic may cause cancer, and that the effects of consuming contaminated water may not be manifest immediately.
Local officials speaking to the media said funds have been allocated for testing water supplies, citing reverse osmosis as a possible solution to the problem. However, the widely-reported advice so far is for residents to avoid consuming the arsenic-contaminated water and to look for safer sources in the meantime, such as bottled water.
The media must follow this water crisis issue, keeping the public informed of potential threats and assuring them of ways and means to promote safety.
Human rights violations
Print and online media reported that on June 9, police arrested over 80 individuals, including farmers and their supporters, during a “bungkalan” or collective farming activity in Hacienda Tinang, Concepcion, Tarlac. Some of the arrested farmers were identified as agrarian reform beneficiaries entitled to a 200-hectare piece of land. But Mayor-elect Noel Villanueva claimed the listing and process of the Department of Agrarian Reform was erroneous.
Land issues aside, the large number of arrested individuals should raise concerns, especially with the outgoing Duterte administration’s record of harassing farmers, environmental advocates and human rights defenders.
With several problems plaguing Filipinos, President Duterte’s leaving the country better than when he found it proves to be a questionable claim. The media’s task with the incoming Marcos Jr. administration remains the same: demand for accountability and help defend fundamental rights.
Cheers
CMFR published three Cheers this week:
- Climate crisis: TV5 highlights calls for climate action
- GMA News recalls PCGG role now that another Marcos is in power
- Inquirer.net report warns public re “rubber stamp” Senate
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