Good thing Filipinos are very patient

IN the current worldwide crisis brought about by the deadly coronavirus, some people are preparing for the worst.

In the United States, my relatives and friends in California told me the shelves of guns and ammunition in gun stores had been emptied because of panic buying.

Unlike in the Philippines, the US Constitution allows citizens to keep guns in their homes.

In some US states like Texas, citizens are allowed to carry firearms so long as the weapons are in plain view of the public.

What does the panic buying of weapons and ammunition signify?

It means even in the US, where citizens can call for police help in minutes by dialing 911, people are putting their safety in their own hands.

What am I driving at here?

That there might be rioting in the streets in the next few days if these twin problems are not addressed soon: no available public transport and closure of public markets.

The poor, who are forced to be confined in their homes along with the well- off, are getting hungrier by the day and may do something drastic.

And our policemen might not be able to stop the rioting poor because of their sheer number.

Do I hear “Huwag naman sana ( Let’s hope not)” or “Knock on wood?”

I am not an alarmist. I was a witness to people breaking into stores in Tacloban City in 2013 in the wake of Super Typhoon “Yolanda” (international name: “Haiyan”).

There were no policemen to prevent the looting; in fact, some of them took part in the looting.

If the poor are not fed now, burglaries of homes ( akyat-bahay) and other crimes will go up exponentially.

Good thing many local government units in Metro Manila are addressing the problems of no transport and closure of public markets by distributing food packs at the doorsteps of homes.

But will they be able to cover all homes in their towns or cities?

***

Many distributors of medical supplies, such as face masks, in Manila’s Bambang in the Sta. Cruz district complain that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) favors a supplier in Bataan.

In January, for example, a face mask in Bambang cost P1.60 apiece, while the Bataan supplier of the same mask sold it at P8 per piece.

Because of the demand for face masks, Bambang suppliers sold it at P80 per box and were raided by the police for alleged overpricing.

The DTI, according to the Bambang suppliers, has confirmed there are no more stocks of surgical face masks.

Not fair, Bambang suppliers say, because the Bataan supplier now sells the face masks at P28 per piece or P1,200 per box.

The Bambang suppliers say they can sell the face mask at P1,200 per box so long as there is an assurance from DTI that they will not be raided.

If the claim of Bambang suppliers is true, hasn’t DTI heard of the law of supply and demand?

The cost of a product rises or falls according to its supply in the market; if there is a small demand on the product, the price goes down and if the demand is high, the price goes up. Elementary, dear Watson.

***

During the time of President Ramon Magsaysay, the price of rice was going up because of the great demand for the staple.

Magsaysay, concerned over the plight of the poor, asked his Cabinet officials to lower the cost of rice.

“Mr. President, we can’t do that without violating the law of supply and demand,” a Cabinet member said.

Magsaysay shot back: “Repeal that law!”