No to Militarized Responses to COVID 19

April 24, 2020

Reference:  Emalyn M. Aliviano- 0932-357-6253

Spokesperson- KILUSAN Cebu

The high-handedness of local authorities in dealing with issues related to the current COVID epidemic in the country is alarming, especially as this happens under threats of “martial law-type of lockdown”.

The deployment of battle-ready soldiers and policemen and Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) in imposing the “total lockdown” of Sitio Zapatera, Barrio Luz, Cebu City was indicative of the “martial law-type lockdown” threat.

The total lockdown was imposed after the City Health Office, declared the sitio of some 9,000 residents as “totally contaminated. It was presumed “the residents are infected” after the City Health Office has reportedly found positive cases of Covid-19 infection from testing done at the two end sections of the barangay.  That assessment was used as basis for the decision to discontinue further testing. At that point, 135 individuals have tested Covid-19 positive, after several tests were done since the first case was identified on April 12.

The residents, expectedly, were adamant at first because the first confirmed cases, instead of being moved to proper quarantine facility, were told to “self-isolate at home”. That was really a careless advice from the personnel of the City Health Office. Are they not aware that the houses in that congested community are too small to even do social or physical distancing? Covid-19 transmission is highly probable in this community. But uncaringly, succeeding cases of Covid-19 positive residents were also told to stay in the sitio, despite the community’s requests that they should be moved to a proper isolation or quarantine facility.   

To underscore its uncaringness or at least, carelessness, the City Health Office ceased COVID-19 testing without transferring the positively tested residents to hospitals or other proper quarantine or isolation facilities.  This is tantamount to criminal negligence! By not pursuing contact tracing and COVID-19 testing of other possible infected persons, the spread or transmission of the novel coronavirus within the community could not be determined.  Without doing these, however, the city government declared the community “totally contaminated”, i.e., a presumption of illness of all residents, without basis. 

Nearly all of the residents have had experience consulting with doctors. They know and understand that definitive conclusion of illness comes as a result of diagnosis – medical check-ups and tests. They want the continuance of testing; they demand protection of their health.  The Brgy. Captain, heeding the residents, formally filed an appeal to the City Mayor on April 17 for resumption of the testing. 

Yet over and above their reaction to the City Health Office’s assessment and decision of discontinuance of testing, a mix of anger, anxiety and fear is being sensed by people. The deployment of APCs to enforce the “total lockdown” left marked in the people’s consciousness the fear that they can be gunned down anytime. The order “shoot them dead” which was earlier told by Duterte to “his policemen” echoed in the collective memory of the residents.

The war is supposed to be with the coronavirus and the plague it is causing.  So why deploy the threatening APCs at all entrances to the barangay and sitio? APCs are meant against armed and visible enemies not the unseen virus. The presence and sight of these killing machines sent chilling message to all the people in Sitio Zapatera, Barangay Luz and to all people who could fall in the same situation later. Are the people in the barangay who fear the infectious and killer virus and are demanding their right to proper health care, now considered enemies of the state? If not, shouldn’t the city government sent the health and medical frontliners instead?

Though the local health office resumed testing after so much public demand for it, repression however is continuing. Ms. Maria Victoria Beltran, a two-time media awardee and well renowned writer/artist and a businesswoman, was arrested, without warrant, at the dead of the night (12:30 am, Monday) for her reaction to the presumption of illness of 9000 residents of Sitio Zapatera.  Her post read “9,000+ new cases (All from Zapatera) of Covid-19 in Cebu City in one day. We are now the epicentre in the whole Solar System “. 

The City Health Office’s assessment of the coronavirus infection in Sitio Zapatera, which saw print, was an overstatement and baseless. Without observing proper procedure and no proper diagnosis, the “assessment” is now proven factually erroneous. Succeeding tests showed only one resident tested COVID-19 positive on April 18, as per DOH report on April 19. 

Cebu City Mayor Labella called Ms. Maria Victoria Beltran’s posts “fake news” and that she is “criminally liable” for that. The Mayor maybe does not understand or has no aesthetic sense.  Ms. Beltran’s posts were certainly reactions done in exaggerated manner and with sarcasm and overstatement; a figure of speech used to underscore a point, but obviously, just that. In short, it was just a reaction to a grave injustice to the residents of Sitio Zapatera. 

Anti-virus or anti-people response?

Utterances and actions by the local government executive and by the police and military, which are consistent with authoritarian orders from the tyrant in Malacanang, are aggravating the people’s burdens and fears. They are making insignificant the heroic deeds and sacrifices of the medical, health and other front liners and the commendable initiatives and efforts of a good number of local government officials.       

Millions of people are hungry and have not received food or cash aids. Many of the people that should be given priority to COVID-19 testing are impatiently waiting for their turn. Despite this reality and Duterte’s “advices” like, “bear a little with your hunger, you will not die from it” and threats like “shoot them dead”, reactions or opinions that do not conform to announcements and claims by government officials can be considered a crime. “Violations” of ECQ rules such as stay at home, social distancing and curfew are crimes. In fact, anyone can be shot and killed for this.   

It seems public officials now are beyond reproach. The use of figures of speech is now illegal or criminal liability and one can be warrantlessly arrested at the dead of the night for that. The signals coming from the government are complications of misdeeds and delayed deliveries but very prompt with threats against freedom and human rights, especially right to life and right to health.

Threats and real curtailment of civil rights are continuing. Last April 17, additional 860 armed security forces from the Central Command and Regional Police Office were deployed to Cebu City. Is extending ECQ or lockdown of Cebu City mean transforming it into a war zone and not a public health crisis zone?

These successive incidents in Cebu City seem to confirm that martial-law-like lockdown will be done in this city and perhaps the whole of Metro Cebu. They have chilling effects that overshadow the chills brought by the COVID 19 pandemic-- the threat to our freedom, our civil liberties, and our lives.

These are trying times for all people, especially the most vulnerable poor and marginalized sectors of the population. They are already victimized several times over. First, their long-running deprivation. Second, the loss of jobs and livelihood because of the lockdown. Third, the illnesses that threaten the lives of their friends and loved ones; and, finally the fear and anxiety of the virus’ threats to their lives. These are lingering and are being enhanced by growing state tyranny.

Fear does kill too. Psychiatrists and psychologists can attest to it. The people are being inoculated with an overdose of threats by a tyrannical state.  THIS MUST END.

At this time of crisis, the people need healing and compassion, not intimidation. They need immunity, and protection from the virus. They need proper information and education about this health problem and not insensitive orders like “stay at home” and “do not go out”. They need concrete solutions to their health needs- face masks, testing kits, medicines, PPEs, hospital beds, ICUs, and ventilators, quarantine facilities, more doctors, nurses and medical technologists and other care givers. They need income and not to simply wait, endlessly, for alms. Flaunting authority and naked force will weaken the people against the virus but will build their resolve to resist repression.  

With the people, we demand no less than the utilization of public resources and public power to serve the people’s needs and interests.

Oppose militarization of responses to the COVID 19 epidemic in the country!

Assert and defend the people’s right to good health, to life, to freedom of expression and to all civil liberties. ###