Gassed or gasp

Tourism is a tricky business. It’s like inviting into your home strangers who may not be looking for sights and hospitality but

Aside from being uprooted from their homes and villages, the next problem of those living near Taal Volcano was the lack of or overpriced dust masks to protect themselves against inhaling hazardous volcanic ash.

At least 40,000 evacuees needed N95 face masks, but their supply were not enough and the available ones were being sold for several hundreds of pesos by profiteers. It only sells from P40 to a little more than P100.

Many of the millions of residents in Metro Manila also joined in the scramble for the protective gear making the N95 scarcer. Thus, people resorted to handkerchiefs, scarves and surgical masks. Even ninja masks and balaclava which covers the nose can be alternatives.

Two days after the eruption of Taal Volcano, Department of Health (DoH) Assistant Secretary Maria Laxamana suggested other alternatives, like a wet baby diaper or bra just so the nose and mouth can be covered. Whether people took her advice was unknown.

To ensure adequate supply of N95 masks for evacuees, Laxamana also said residents of Metro Manila need not use them, since they are too far from the 14-kilometer danger zone or the Batangas and Cavite areas that overlook the erupting crater of Taal Volcano.

On Friday, DoH Secretary Francisco Duque III contradicted Laxamana on the use of a bra as an alternative to the N95 or surgical face masks, saying it is not porous or breathable. He also said that Laxamana’s suggestion to use a bra was only her opinion.

Duque was not being sexist or disgusted with covering the nose and mouth with a woman’s intimate apparel for protection against ashfall. He is just being practical as using a bra cup as dust mask may protect one from inhaling abrasive volcanic ash but could suffocate the user.

While a bra can protect at least two evacuees and thousands of it can easily cover 40,000 people displaced by the eruption, the Health secretary wouldn’t want to see people unconscious in evacuation centers with bras covering their faces.