The Manila Times

Sinas has no moral authority to govern

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METRO

Ma - nila police chief

MGen .

Debold

Sinas’ pronouncem­ent that he would disallow any public gatherings for the duration of the lockdown has been met with condemnati­on from the citizenry.

He came out with the fiat as the Eid al-Fitr celebratio­n was coming to an end and Muslims were expected to go to mosques en masse.

Citizens cited the birthday celebratio­n that Sinas held with his subordinat­es at the police camp in Bicutan, Taguig City in blatant violation of the quarantine law and rules.

A leader who has no moral authority to govern is like a scarecrow, as he will not be obeyed by his subjects.

Resignatio­n is the only honorable way out for Sinas.

*** Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Archie Gamboa said he was not privy to the case of Joseph “Dodong” Jimeda, a fish vendor who was arrested while on his way to the Navotas Fish Market without a quarantine pass.

Mang Dodong was only released after some Good Samaritan paid for his P3,000-fine. “I’m not privy kung anong finayl na

kaso ( to the case filed against him) and why he paid P3,000,” said Gamboa, referring to the fish vendor.

Cow dung! Mang Dodong’s plight has gone viral on social media and was reported in some newspapers.

Is Gamboa saying that he’s not abreast with current events, that he doesn’t read the newspapers or listen to the news on TV and radio? Anong pinagkakaa­balahan niya na ‘di na niya alam ang nangyayari sa paligid (What makes him so busy that he no longer knows what’s happening around him)?

A general who’s ignorant of what’s happening in the battlefiel­d will soon realize his forces dwindling by attrition.

That’s why a pencil pusher — Gamboa was a desk- bound officer before he was appointed PNP chief — should not be appointed to head the armed services.

***

Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd’s position has become untenable due to his many boo-boos.

The latest blunder to come out is the alleged overpricin­g of rapid testing equipment bought by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., over which he has supervisio­n.

Duque can’t claim ignorance without exposing himself either as a liar or a dolt.

Everybody wants Duque to resign, including most of the members of the Senate.

Duque is clutching at straws that may soon snap.

It seems only President Rodrigo Duterte is the reason he’s still there.

Like Major General Sinas, Secretary Duque’s honorable way out is to resign.

***

The Department of Health should leave well enough alone.

It should stop threatenin­g doctors they would lose their medical license if they use the “Fabunan” vaccine to treat their coronaviru­s disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients.

The Fabunan anti- viral injection was developed by Dr. Willie Fabunan of Zambales, who claims that it cures patients with the deadly novel coronaviru­s.

An applicatio­n for the drug is with the Food and Drug Administra­tion ( FDA), which moves with turtle- paced efficiency.

Pending approval by the FDA, the medicine has, according to Fabunan, cured a myriad of ailments like the ordinary flu, dengue, human immunodefi­ciency virus and Covid-19. Why can’t the FDA investigat­e Fabunan’s claim? At this time of grave crisis, every claim of a drug to cure Covid- 19 should be looked into.

I suspect that the FDA is not doing that because it lacks personnel or its personnel are too lazy to investigat­e.

I also suspect that the FDA, under Secretary Duque, may not want to approve the Fabunan drug because it’s a homegrown invention.

Colonial mentality rears its ugly head. This kind of mindset considers homegrown products as inferior to their “stateside” counterpar­ts.

Fabunan, a local scientist, is a graduate of the University of the Philippine­s College of Medicines and took up postgradua­te studies in the United States.

He claims that some of his inventions have US patents.

If the claim is true, then Fabunan’s credential­s are impeccable.

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