Only witches at the NIATF can answer this

 ILOILO CITY (July 16, 2021) - Witches dominating the office called national inter-agency task force (NIATF) on infectious diseases are succeeding - not in healing people from or constricting statistics on the spread of, COVID—19 - but in confusing them to mad scramble.

Early afternoon today, employees of government and private offices and commuters are scrambling after news broke that an NIATF grand witch announced that Iloilo City and Province (total population: 2 M) are under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). They wanted to go home early fearing they might be stranded, again.

ECQ is the most constrictive mode of mass quarantine. All offices and save the “essential” ones, even the courts,  are locked down. Roads are off limits to public vehicles, only one person is allowed per household to go out to do groceries, buy medicines and whatever errands the traveler who must wear a quarantine pass is tasked. Many a sad tale of the ECQ occurred of civil liberties curtailed and public officials — cops, barangay officials, AFP soldiers — who are duty bound to uphold those rights, are themselves given the license to enforce the repression.

We remember a PTSD-stricken retired Army soldier was shot dead in cold blood — nanlaban — went the narrative of the cop-murderer of the man who was raising his hands, his back facing his murderer, which the CCTV video captured including the planting of a revolver in his shoulder bag as his body was lifted to a vehicle.

Curfew from 6 Pam to 6 am is imposed and we don’t forget hundreds being detained in PNP precincts to spend the night there because they could not reach their homes on time as public transport is off limits and the only to get to and from jobs are private vehicles, motorcycles and bicycles which everybody doesn’t have, or  on-foot which not all, especially the sick and disabled, are capable of.

What we know (yours truly included) since the night of July 15 until the following morning are the incantations of an overweight witch-master that Iloilo’s  modified enhaned community quarantine (remains effective until July 22), which means, July 16 today, Ilonggos are under MECQ until July 22.

The virtual meeting of the provincial council against trafficking - and -violence against women and their children (PCAT-VAWC) was cut short for the same fear.

What’s going on? The national government, the NIATF chaired by his Inutility the Loan Ranger seems to be guided by witchcraft instead of science. That’s a kind observation Iloilo City mayor Jerry Trenas has of the task force. Using the vernacular term for the sorcery — manoghiwit — Trenas’s reference is among the kindest, in fact. 

Netizens have only unprintables for national officials running the NIATF wondering why they discarded science, notably statistics in placing Iloilo province and city under the most restrictive quarantine. The City of Davao under presidential daughter Sara D. Cardio fares worse in the figures of Covid-19 daily afflictions.

In fact, on July 13, the Department of Health reported Iloilo’s status having improved from “high risk” to “moderate” category. Where’s science here? Only witches at the NIATF can answer that. (30)