MANILA, Philippines ? Senator Joker Arroyo offered this piece of advice to the government and the media on the reporting of Influenza A(H1N1) cases: ?Keep it, control it, but don?t advertise it.?
?We have this tendency to have self-flagellation? We advertise how many have been infected instead of stressing what we should do to manage or to control it,? he said at a press conference.
?As it appears now, we have now more infected persons than Mexico where it started because we keep on advertising and this damages the image of the country that we can?t control swine flu,? he said.
On Thursday, the Department of Health (DoH) reported 123 more confirmed cases of Influenza A(H1N1), bringing the country?s total to 727. The DoH also said 536 of the cases that were reported since May have recovered.
Arroyo said the government must be ?prudent? in handling the swine flu issue and should think of the country first before using the issue to advance one?s personal agenda.
?Why is it that everything?s personal? It?s like anyone who makes a report on that becomes a hero. Why is it like that? What kind of mentality is that?? he said.
Senator Richard Gordon said the government must get its act together to address the problem, especially in making public announcements.
It should be the DoH, not the Department of Education or Malacańang, that should decide whether or not classes should be suspended due to A(H1N1).
?We?ve got to have the Department of Health saying if it is wise to close classes. It?s not the call of the Department of Education. It?s not the call of Malacanang. It?s the call of DoH, consulting with the World Health Organization if it?s safe to allow our children to go to school,? he told a forum at the Senate.
?It cannot be cavalierly said by the Department of Education na parang sore eyes lang yan dahil may namamatay dito e [that it?s like sore eyes because people are dying],? Gordon added.
