The best and the worst in people during a crisis

AFRIEND of mine, a

Chinese

Filipino billionaire, has donated P1 million to the Ramon Tulfo Good Samaritan Foundation to buy rice for the poor in these critical times.

I’m respecting the tycoon’s request that his name be withheld.

With that amount, I have ordered P500,000 worth of rice shipment from Leah Cruz, president of the Vegetable Importers, Exporters and Vendors Association, who bought the rice from Nueva Ecija farmers.

With the remaining P500,000, I bought rice from Henry Lim Bon Liong, a rice magnate and president of the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce of the Philippines

To go with the rice packs that we’ll soon be distributing among the needy will be P200,000 worth of canned goods, the money to come from my foundation.

Also asking to donate through my foundation is a medical supplier from Bambang, Manila.

The Bambang donor will ship in 1 million masks and 1,000 thermal scanners for frontline doctors and other medical personnel.

The Bambang donor asks that President Rodrigo Duterte directly receive his donation.

Liya Wu, president of Empire Travel and Tours, is donating 200,000 masks and 2,000 protective gears for doctors and other medical personnel.

Wu is coursing her donation through my foundation.

She acquired her Filipino citizenship with my help.

As I said in this space last week, the best and the worst in people come out during a crisis.

I’ve mentioned the best in people above.

Now, listen to the worst in them in the following paragraphs.

***

I completely agree with the study findings that most Filipinos know how to read, but don’t understand what they read.

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Program for International Student Assessment, students in the Philippines

were in the lowest rung in reading comprehension among 79 countries studied.

That makes the Filipinos idiots compared to other nationalities.

I got a bashing from many netizens when I came out with the Facebook post saying I tested negative for the deadly coronavirus disease 2019 ( Covid- 19).

Those idiots misunderstood my message: it took more than one week — actually nine days — for me to get the results after I had myself checked.

They didn’t get the drift of my post, which was that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was dillydallying in approving a test kit for Covid-19 that would come out with the results in 10 minutes.

Repeat, 10 minutes, instead of nine days, which was the length of time it took for my results to come out.

Many netizens accused me of being insensitive when I came out with that post because many others, they said, could not afford to be tested for the deadly illness.

I had a sore throat, which is one of the early symptoms of Covid-19, so I consulted my doctor who said I should have myself examined.

I talked with numerous people before I exhibited the symptom and if I had contracted the disease, I would have had myself isolated from the rest of humanity so that I would not spread the infection.

Those idiots should have considered the fact that I am a special envoy to China and had meetings with mainland Chinese businessmen who wanted to invest in the country.

Unlike many politicians and government officials, who had themselves examined by government doctors in their homes, I personally went to St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig City and paid for the examination.

I repeat, I paid for my examination and went to St. Luke’s to be examined.

So, how can those idiots accuse me of feeling entitled?

Fortunately for me, the findings were that I had pharyngitis, which I get yearly when there’s a change of season — from hot to cold and cold to hot.

By the way, I will never apologize to that woman netizen who I said I would gladly borrow from her husband because of what she said to me — that I should have tested positive of Covid-19 and died along with my family.

She probably lacked romancing from the hubby and being toxic was her way of releasing her pent-up sexual energy. Tsk, tsk!

That woman hasn’t heard about karma: that what you wish upon your fellowman boomerangs on you.

***

The chief of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Dr. Cecilia Carlos, was relieved of her post after politicians and top government officials complained that they were not being given priority.

Carlos was replaced by Dr. Nestor Santiago, an assistant health secretary.

Now, why should I be lumped with politicians and government OFfiCIALS WHO HAD THEMSELVES EXamined in their homes by government doctors and who complained of not being given priority?

To place me in the same category as those politicians and government OFfiCIALS IS THE HEIGHT OF IDIOCY.

***

The FDA has actually approved several Covid- 19 test kits, but they’re all machinebased, meaning a machine will have to be used to come up with the results in hours.

But the test kit that I’m talking about is one that comes out with the result in 10 minutes, just like a pregnancy test.

No need for a machine in the test kit that I’m pushing.