Republican Rescue

My original plan, when I first thought of reading, and then writing a blog post on Chris Christie's new book, Republican Rescue , was to entitle the eventual post, I'm Reading Chris Christie's New Book...... So You Don't Have To ,but that plan changed once I began reading the book.

I hadn't actually been aware of Christie's book until I came upon an article about how abysmally awful the sales of the book were. At the time I read the article, Republican Rescue had failed to sell even 3,000 copies. It was those low sales numbers which actually led me to want to read the book.Obviously, if sales were that bad, Christie had pissed off a lot of people. I wanted to find out why.

I wouldn't say that I had ever been a fan of the former New Jersey governor, but I didn't really have any particular dislike for him. When he was running for President, he didn't seem to be someone I'd vote for in the Republican primary, but had he managed to become the Republican candidate for POTUS, I'd certainly pick him over any Democrat.

I'm sure many of the folks angry with Christie are Democrats who would be upset at any Republican.....especially one who might have been in Trump's camp at one time. I was also sure that maybe of the Republicans staying away from his books are those who see him as a turncoat against Trump. I've got my own problems with Trump now, so I wanted to see how Christie saw this need to rescue the Republican party.

Let's go back to the presidential campaign of 2016.

As readers of one of my other blogs may remember from 2016, I often compared the idea of voting for either Trump or Hillary Clinton to the question as to whether one wanted mustard or mayo on their shit sandwich. However, after Donald Trump had won the election, I thought I'd give Trump the benefit of the doubt, and see what he'd do as POTUS.

For the most part, I was happy with most of the things Trump had managed to accomplish, although I wasn't really thrilled with his personality. At the beginning of 2020, like a lot of folks, I was sure Trump was headed for re-election. I feel safe in saying that it was COVID that killed Trump's return to the White House.

One of the reasons I wanted to read Chris Christies new book was to see how he viewed the last days of Trump's presidency. It turns out that Christie and I are in agreement on that. As Trump refused to accept defeat, I became more disillusioned with the President. With Trump's reaction (or rather non-reaction) to the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 06, 2021, I knew I was finished with Trump. Christie appears to be finished with him as well.

The full title to Christie's book includes "Saving the Party from Truth Deniers, Conspiracy Theorists, and the Dangerous Policies of Joe Biden". It's Christie's hope, and mine as well, that the Republicans can escape from the really bizarre elements trying to make their way inside the big tent. He does a good job of explaining who these crazies are. Let's all hope the Party is successful.

Belief

I recently came upon a photo of a couple holding a sign on which their beliefs were listed. The couple were participating in some sort of outdoor event, which I'm guessing may have had some political agenda.

The sign was basically a laundry list of bumper sticker slogans; the entire list could be classified as an Internet meme. The list of their beliefs is as follows:
Black Lives Matter
No Human is illegal
Love is love
Women's Rights Are Human Rights
Science is Real
Water is Life
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere

I felt I might address each of these slogans with my own interpretation of the sentiments behind each individual slogan.

Black Lives Matter
I've come to find this a troubling slogan. Of course, Black lives matter, but so do the lives of every single human individual regardless of race, ethnicity or skin color. I don't particularly like the idea of segregating the different "lives that matter" into separate groups. In the WOKE culture, one is now considered racist if you believe that All Lives Matter.

No Human is illegal
The implication of this slogan is that the term "illegal alien" is no longer appropriate. In the wider sense, it suggests that borders should be eliminated. Being the husband of a woman that immigrated to the United States, I have sympathy for anyone wanting to come to the United States for a better life, but I'm also aware that unlimited migration into any country isn't workable. It certainly isn't "fair" that people that can walk into the U.S. from their country should take precedent over people from Asia, Europe or Africa who have no choice but to enter the country legally. I know quite a few Filipinos who would come to the United States today if it weren't for the visa requirements.

Love is love
I've come to see this slogan as support for same-sex marriage. In my opinion, the Government should remove itself from the issue of marriage. I see marriage as essentially a religious ceremony...I don't quite see the reasoning behind pledging your love for someone before a government official. When a couple choose to marry, the couple should present themselves to their religious advisor - priest, pastor, rabbi, qazi or madhun. If your religion sanctions same-sex marriage, then no outsider should have a say in the matter. However, there are many religious groups which are opposed to same-sex marriage, and their believers should not be forced to participate or sanction a ceremony that goes against their religion .

Women's Rights Are Human Rights
If by "Women's Rights" one means actual "Women's Rights", then there is no question that those Rights should be supported. However, if by "Women's Rights" you mean "abortion rights" then you've lost me. I have to go back to an earlier statement that All Lives Matter. An unborn human fetus is a human being that is entitled to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Jumping ahead to the next slogan, it's clear that the human fetus has it's own unique DNA and is a separate individual from the mother.

Science is real
Yes, science is real, but unfortunately scientific beliefs are political. I know certain Liberal leaning folks who believe the science if the science supports their views on climate change or COVID, but who ignore the science when it supports Conservative ideas on sex and biology.
Likewise, I know quite a few Right-leaning folks who might embrace the science when it supports their Right to Life beliefs, but are reluctant to follow the science when it contradicts their particular interpretation of the Bible.

Water is Life
Honestly, I don't know anyone who against clean water.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere
It's hard to argue against that point from a humanitarian viewpoint. But, I wonder if those holding a sign advocating that principle are willing to do whatever it takes to eliminate injustice around the world. Are they willing to boycott every nation that doesn't live up to their standards of justice? Are they willing to send combat troops to countries which do not hold the same values on Human Rights?

Unfortunately, my entire belief system can't be explained in a single blog post, and it certainly can't be summarized on one sign.

Follow the Science?

In a recent opinion piece for aljazeera.com [In science we trust], Andrew Mitrovica tells us that now that the "white-coat army" of scientists and physicians have lead the way to realizing humanity’s salvation by kinda-sorta-almost-very nearly tackling COVIS-19, we should finally address the problem of climate change by.......ta da !!!!..... following the science.

Of course, it might have been helpful if Mitrovica had actually explained what he means by that.

Groups such as Fridays for Future demand that we
1) Keep the global temperature rise below 1.5 °C compared to pre-industrial levels.
2) End Fossil Fuel Investments, and
3) Listen to the best united science currently available.

How do we keep global temperature below 1.5 °C compared to pre-industrial levels? One way, activists say, is to end fossil fuel investments world wide. Unfortunately for activists, people have a need for energy. How can those in the "global North" survive in winter without heating? We need fossil fuel to power the trucks and trains that transport food from one location to another. Can we reasonably expect people to sit back and freeze and face starvation?

People all over the planet have come to expect a certain lifestyle which depends on reliable energy sources. Electricity and clean water come with a cost.

What does it mean to "Ensure climate justice and equity" and secure "Climate justice and equity for everyone"? Should the poor in the Third World do without the "luxuries" that First World people call "basic necessities" ?

I agree that certain changes in the environment need to happen, but those changes can't happen without a one world, totalitarian government in control of the planet. In spite of what many may think, we're nowhere near that yet.

Biden's Name Will Not Appear On Stimulus Checks

According to an article at  thehill.com , Biden's name will not appear on the upcoming round of stimulus checks. The article goes on to say that the stimulus checks sent out during Trump's term had President Trump's name on the memo line of the checks.

Having received the stimulus money thru direct deposit, I had no idea that Trump's name appeared anywhere on the check.

The article quotes White House press secretary Jen Psaki as saying:
"We are doing everything in our power to expedite the payments and not delay them, which is why the president’s name will not appear on the memo line of this round of [stimulus] checks."

Apparently, the checks will be signed by a career official at the Bureau of Fiscal Service.

First of all, will the checks actually be "signed" by anyone? I imagine the signature will be a facsimile. Even if the check did have Biden's name on them, he wouldn't be signing each individual check. The poor guy would get writer's cramp long before many of the checks was ready to mail out. Not having Biden's name on the stimulus checks will in no way speed up the process.

I think Trump's wanting his name on the check was typical, over the top Trump behavior. Biden's decision to go in the opposite direction is just a way of undoing anything Trumpish.

Isn't Biology "Science" Too?

When being lectured on climate change or the covid 19 pandemic, we are often told to listen to the scientists......follow the science.

I don't have a problem with that advice. During this pandemic, I've avoided crowds, I observe social distancing, I never go out without a face mask and will carry a face shield when going to those places that might require them. I don't object when my body temperature is checked before I enter a business.

As for climate change, I acknowledge that the planet's average temperature is rising, due in large part to human activity. I don't dispute the science, but I do question some of the solutions put forward by some activists. The idea that people on this planet will suddenly stop using fossil fuels for transportation or the production of electricity isn't a practical solution. 

The folks living in the so-called first world are too dependent on the automobile to ever expect them to give up the car. If automobiles operating with an internal combustion engine were to disappear, replacing them with electric vehicles would cause the current electrical grid to fall apart. Producing electricity with solar and wind without the use of fossil fuels would exacerbate the situation.

I have no problem listening to the science, but isn't biology a science too?

Far too many folks, who believe themselves to be following the science, seem to ignore the science involving DNA. These people seem to forget "science" when science tells us that the human fetus is, well, a human. A human fetus can only grow to become a fully functioning human. A human fetus cannot magically transform into a dog, or cat, or dolphin or some alien life form. Killing a fetus in the womb is killing a human being. That is an undeniable scientific fact.

The DNA of the fetus also proves that the fetus is a separate and distinct individual and not a body part of the mother. Prematurely removing a fetus from a mother's body, by way of abortion, is not the same as removing an appendix. 

While we're on the subject of DNA, examining the DNA shows that human beings come in only one of two genders. An individual's DNA and chromosomal makeup reveals whether the person in question is male or female. No matter how you may feel about whether or not you're in the "right body", your DNA reveals your gender.

So, when you lecture me about following the sciences, just be sure you follow the biological science as well.

Michael Moore's Insane Trump Rant

On another of my blogs, I posted my thoughts on Michael Moore's recent rant on Trump having contracted COVID-19.

I wanted to link that blog post to Facebook, but that blog is still banned from Facebook. I've posted a link to that blog post here to get around that ban.

Click on.

President Pence or President Harris?

 

One of the many talking points put forward by the Right since it became clear that Joe Biden would become the Democrat candidate for POTUS, is that Biden is merely a Trojan Horse and not the real Presidential candidate the Dems will attempt to elect in November. Quite a few believe Biden will never complete a first term if elected, with some going so far as to say he won't finish 2021.

Contrary to what nearly everyone believed would happen at the first Presidential debate, Joe Biden did not melt down in an obvious display of senility that would wreck his chances of winning the election. That's not to say he's in fine health. It's very well possible that the meds he's taking simply kicked in at the proper moment.

Now that Trump has been diagnosed with covid 19, the President's health has become an issue as well. Being POTUS, he has access to the finest medical care available on the planet. Still, at 74 years old, the President falls within the group that is most vulnerable to covid. Although his weight is a problem, he doesn't appear to have any of the other risk factors. However, even if he survives covid, the disease can have a serious effect on his future overall health.

Trump is 74 and Biden will turn 78 on November 20th. All things considered, I doubt if anyone would be really surprised if neither of the two make it to January 20, 2021. This has been the year of surprises, after all.

All this makes the choice for Vice-President especially crucial this election. I will certainly be watching the Vice Presidential debate on Oct. 7 (Oct 8 here in Philippines).

There is a real possibility that we could have a President Pence or President Harris in the very near future.

Top Three Items Expats Need While in Philippines

In a recent Youtube video, friend and fellow compatriot, Vern Dahnke gave a list of three items he felt were "must have" for expats living in Philippines. At the end of the video, he asked for his viewers to leave their own lists in the comment section.

Naturally, I couldn't resist the opportunity to put in my 2 pesos' worth, but I felt the space available in a Youtube section wasn't big enough for what I wanted to say. Hence, this blog post was born.

This is actually my second attempt at writing this post. The first attempt was nearly finished, when it was lost, due to a split second brown-out.

Starting over, I decided to approach the post differently this time around. First time, I critiqued Vern's list before putting forth my own list. With this post, I'll only give my own list without any editorial comment on Vern's list. This decision came about in part due to my present physical condition brought upon by my recent stroke.

Typing has never been my strong suit, and though my stroke was very mild, I have noticed a slight decline in hand coordination. Let's just say my typing certainly hasn't improved and I was disinclined to retype a post as long as the first one. Even in its condensed version, this second post looks to be quite lengthy. Right now, less typing the better.

So, without further ado, here comes my list of the three items an expat needs in Philippines.

There is one item on our respective lists in which Vern and I are in agreement - the need for top notch Internet service. Having different lifestyles, our reasons for putting this on the list are different. Vern relies on reliable, high speed Internet to do his online classes and to upload videos to Youtube. These are not priorities for me. I simply believe that quality Internet is a must for everyone, regardless of who you are or where you live. I may be downloading books from Project Gutenberg, chatting with friends on Facebook, or streaming videos on Netflix, but I never the less see good Internet as a must have.

Also, like Vern I see the pocket Wi Fi as a complete waste of time and money. It's true that some brands work better in some spots than others, but overall, a pocket WiFi is most definitely not the way to go.

When my family and I lived in an apartment in Sibulan we used Globe DSL. At the time, it was our only option. It wouldn't have been my first choice, but I wouldn't say the service was absolutely horrible. It wasn't the best, but we could live with it.

When we finally moved into our house in Magatas, we had two options regarding fiber optic Internet service - PLDT and Fil Products. By Philippine standards, both companies provide top notch fiber optics. In the end, we choose Fil Products over PLDT. A friend of mine has PLDT, and while he enjoys the Internet, he is dissatisfied with the television packages coming with PLDT. It was the television service that won me over.

My second item on the list actually comes as a surprise, even to myself. I wouldn't have thought so at one time, but I now view an automobile as a "must have" item here. The are negatives to driving a car here. The traffic in Dumaguete can be horrendous and most of the time locating a parking spot in the city can be a royal pain. However, when one takes safety into account, a car wins as transportation of choice. I would say that 50% of the expats I know have been involved in an accident while driving a motorcycle - one accident was especially serious.

It's quite common for motorcyclists to hit a dog ( or some other object ) on the road,and far too many motorcyclists pay no attention while driving or will completely ignore common sense rules. Usually, when an accident involves a car and a motorcycle, the car has the advantage.

In addition to the safety factor, the government has made driving a motorcycle more of a hassle. The practice of backriding on a motorcycle is almost illegal now. Unless you're a single person without wife or girlfriend, riding a motorcycle is becoming less of an option.

My third item on my list of "must have" items for the expat living here is a permanent resident card. Without the card, tourist visas must be renewed on a regular basis. This in itself can become a nuisance. Never having had a tourist visa, I don't know all the ins and outs of the renewal process, but I do know that one requirement of being a tourist is that one is required to go outside the Philippines, I believe, once every three years. This may not seem like a big deal, but during these times of the covid 19 pandemic, going in or out of Philippines has become dicey. If one is required to leave, finding a flight out of the country is extremely difficult and ones being allowed back in may not even be possible at the present time.

Of course, permanent resident cards aren't given to everyone. I suppose, in theory, you can get one if you aren't married to a Filipina, but I don't think that it's easily done. It may seem like a lot to ask, but frankly, I don't believe I'd want to stay here permanently if I didn't have wife and family here.

So, there you have it - my list of the three items an expat must have in Philippines. For Vern's list, click on this link to his Youtube video.

2 Cats in NY Test Positive for Coronavirus

Earlier this month, I wrote about a 4-year-old tiger named Nadia at the Bronx Zoo in New York City that had tested positive for COVID-19. At the time of that writing, six big cats (3 tigers - 3 lions) at the zoo had the same dry cough as Nadia, and while these six had not yet been tested, the zoo was assuming, due to their symptoms, they were also infected with the virus that causes COVID-19.

Now, national geographic.com is reporting that seven more big cats have tested positive for coronavirus at Bronx Zoo.

Yesterday, it was reported that in two different households in New York State two pet cats have tested positive for covid19.

It is becoming increasingly obvious that the virus can pass from humans to animals and it spite of the fact that this disease originated in bats, we're being told that our pets cannot pass the virus to us.

There is a great deal we don't know about the corona virus. Health officials in the U.S. once told us that wearing masks were not necessary, now we're told we must wear masks. Are we now to assume that "pets cannot pass the virus to their owners" is the final word?

A Morning Out

In the province where I live - Negros Oriental - the Governor has had us under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) since April 3. This quarantine was originally scheduled to end tomorrow, April 17, but the Governor extended the ECQ until April 30.

Folks in Dumaguete city are required to have quarantine passes in order to leave the house to run essential errands.

I live outside the city, in the small town of Sibulan. We have fewer restrictions here, but we're only allowed to travel into Dumaguete two days a week - Tuesday afternoons and Thursday mornings. The only opportunity I have to do banking business is Thursday morning.....the bank closes at 1PM now and isn't open when I am free to travel into the city on Tuesdays.

We left the house at 7AM, headed to Dumaguete. There is an inspection checkpoint at the boundary of Brgy. Magatas, Sibulan and Brgy. Camanjac, Dumaguete. Our temperatures were taken - checking for fever - we told them what business we had in Dumaguete and after my wife surrendered her driver's license in exchange for a temporary pass, we were on our way.

Because of the route we took going toward our bank, we did not encounter another checkpoint until we arrived at the bank. Our temperatures were taken again.

Banking business finished, we drove to Lee Plaza for grocery shopping. Passed another checkpoint where our temperatures were once again take.

Due to this limited time period when folks can be out and about, the grocery section in Lee Plaza was very crowded; certainly more than it would have normally been that time of day. If the purpose of this ECQ is to limit our exposure to other people, this limiting of days is counter productive.

I have no reason to go out, except on rare occasions when a gazillion other people are allowed out. I'm home again for a while.

An Unusual Holy Week

As I mentioned in a post on another blog (No Via Crucis in 2020 ) this has been an unusual Holy Week in Philippines, in general and our community in particular as we try to deal the the covid19 pandemic. In our province, we are under what is being called an Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ). Churches have been closed for several weeks. Holy Week began without distribution of palms on Palm Sunday. No Maunday Thursday observance and of course, no Via Crucis on Good Friday. This was the first Good Friday Via Crucis I've missed since moving to Sibulan.

Coincidentally, even our idea to watch The Passion of the Christ was not quite like we'd planned. We have a copy of the film on DVD which I purchased in the U.S. several years ago. While not exactly a family tradition, we do watch the film on the occasional Good Friday. We wanted to do that this year.

Even after a few moves, I was able to locate the DVD faster than I expected. Around 8:00 PM last night, my wife, my son and myself gathered by the PC to view the film. Unfortunately, the DVD hasn't held up. There's some sort of damage and we were not able to view it.

We still wanted to watch the film and I began looking online for an option. My first choice was a search on Netflix, but the film is not available. Youtube wasn't even an option. The film is under copyright restrictions so Youtube won't allow anyone to upload the film to their website.

Still, we were not completely without options. There is a Russian website (OK RU) which I visit to watch films. Being a Russian site, copyright laws are merely suggestions. The site has quite a few copies of the film. In The Passion of the Christ , the characters speak the languages common to Jerusalem at the time of Christ, so subtitles are important for those of us not fluent in Latin, Hebrew, and Aramaic. We were unable to find a version on OK RU with English subtitles. Arabic - yes, Russian - likewise, but no English. In the end, we choose a version that had no subtitles what so ever. Our family is sufficiently Catholic, however, to understand the story without necessarily understanding the spoken language.

Camus During COVID19 Days

There are a number of books which I feel a need to read more than once. Number one on that list is Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, followed by Hunger  written by Knut Hamsun and Camus' The Stranger, which I recently reread.

Upon finishing The Stranger, I thought I'd like to reread The Plague and even though it was difficult finding an ebook copy, I was finally able to download a pdf. which I converted to mobi.  Like many others, it seemed appropriate to me to read it again during this time of covid19.

While you'd imagine many similarities, there are actually many differences between life in Camus' Oran and the quarantine we're currently living under in Negros Oriental.

The obvious difference is in the diseases. We're living in the age of covid19, while the disease in Camus' novel is the bubonic plague. In the novel, the town of Oran is closed, but there, the only people experiencing quarantine are the actual victims of the plague. Those who do not have the disease are free to move about outside the home; cafes are not closed, nor are the cinemas. There is no "social distancing".

Here in our province, we are under what is being called an Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ). No one is permitted to leave their home except for essential needs, and then only one person per household is allowed outside. Each household is allotted one pass which can only be used on a limited number of days per week, and only for a limited number of hours on those days.

In Camus' novel, while not dying in the streets, many people are dying every day during the height of the epidemic. As of April 07, there have been only 4 confirmed cases of the corona virus in our entire province, with 2 deaths from the disease. These cases were some time ago. No recent cases have been reported.

There are several rumors floating about on Facebook as to when our ECQ will end. I won't repeat those rumors here, as I have no way of verifying any of the reports.

I suppose some might say that our response to covd19, when compared to earlier responses to plague, is out of line and over board. I can't say. Staying home now seems appropriate, although an extreme lock down does appear to be a bit much.

COVID-19 In Animals

According to news reports - [news.yahoo.com and livescience.com] A 4-year-old tiger named Nadia at the Bronx Zoo in New York City has tested positive for COVID-19. Also, six big cats (3 tigers - 3 lions) at the zoo have the same dry cough as Nadia, and while these six have not yet been tested, the zoo is assuming, due to their symptoms, they were also infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. A zoo caretaker with COVID-19 likely infected the cats before he or she developed any symptoms of the disease.

After hearing this, my first thought was, if a human can pass COVID-19 to lions and tigers, why can't a human pass the virus to a domestic cat or dog?

The Yahoo news report on the Bronx Zoo big cats goes on to say that there have been a handful of reports outside the U.S. of pet dogs or cats becoming infected after close contact with contagious people, including a dog in Hong Kong that tested positive for a low level of the pathogen in February and early March.

In March, Hong Kong’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, in a news release, said "There is currently no evidence that pet animals can be a source of infection of COVID-19 or that they become sick" and pet cats and dogs cannot pass the new coronavirus on to humans, but they can test positive for low levels of the pathogen if they catch it from their owners.

Here we have documented cases of humans passing the virus to tigers, lions, domestic cats and dogs, yet we are to believe the virus cannot be passed the other way - from pets to pet owners.

Obviously, there is much we do not know about the virus. We can't jump to any conclusions, but this is worth looking into.

Snus Hunt

Thankfully, I gave up tobacco products twenty eight years ago. Prior to quitting, I smoked cigarettes for many years and I know the difficulties tobacco users experience when forced to do without his or her fix.

Even in these days of ECQ, cigarettes are still relatively easy to come by, but for those using smokeless tobacco (aka snuff, "dip") finding the fix isn't the same. Even under the best of times, it is nearly impossible to find dip in Dumaguete.

My friend, "B1". is stranded here in Negros due to the travel ban during these covid19 days. B1 is one of those who use smokeless tobacco, and not expecting to be stranded here indefinitely, he did not bring enough to last longer than two weeks. Needless to say, he's not happy.

I wanted to help him in his time of desperation.

I thought of another friend, "B2" who also dipped and I contacted him to see if he could help. B2 knew a brand of dip called Snus was available for delivery from Cebu and he suggested I Google "snus in Cebu". Doing that, I was led to the Facebook page of Swedesnus.

I wasn't quite sure that Swedesnus would be able to deliver Snus during these days of Quarantine. While on the page, I saw that another of my Facebook friends, "R" liked the Swedesnus Facebook page. I contacted R and he told of his friend, "J" who sells Snus locally.

Long story short, I contacted J who provided a cell phone number for B1 to text. I've since heard from B1 who tells me he has hooked up with J and will soon have a supply of Snus.

All in a days work.

Temporary Passes

In a post from Thursday, [ECQ - Day One ] I include a photo of the three color coded passes issued to residents of Dumaguete city. Being residents of Sibulan, we were issued a different pass which is valid within our town. There doesn't appear to be a restriction on which days the residents of Sibulan can move about in Sibulan, but non residents of Dumaguete can enter that city only on certain days.

The photo at the beginning of this post is of a temporary pass. Below is an explanation of the protocol for non residents entering Dumaguete as posted onto Facebook:

REMINDER to NON-RESIDENTS who want to enter the city:

Secure a temporary safe pass to enter the city, which is only allowed on the following days:

 
SUNDAYS 7:00 AM - 12:00 PM
TUESDAYS 1:00 PM - 6:00 PM
THURSDAYS 7:00 AM - 12:00 PM
 
They may voluntarily surrender before the checkpoint their driver's licenses or original copy of the Certificate of Registration to be granted the temporary safe pass.

They must also comply with these policies: No helmet, No Entry and No Face Mask, No Entry.
Every person is subject to thermal scanning. Any person who has a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius and above shall be refused entry.

The driver's license or original copy of the Certificate of Registration will be returned to the owner upon exiting the same checkpoint and upon surrender of the temporary safe pass.

ONLY residents from Cluster 1 Bacong, Dauin, Zamboanguita, Valencia, Sibulan and San Jose will be allowed entry but only to buy basic necessities, food and medicine or access medical assistance and essential health services.

PERSONS belonging to Clusters 2, 3 and 4 will only be allowed entry to access medical assistance or essential health services in the city.

These measures are adopted to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to keep the city safe.

(Source: Executive Order No. 19 series of 2020 signed by Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo)

ECQ - Day One

This post was originally published on another of my blogs. For an explanation read my first post on this new blog.

 

Today is the first day of what we've been told will be a two week Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) in an attempt by the Provincial Governor of Negros Oriental to stem the tide of the corona virus here.

We've been pretty much on a lock down status for a few weeks, but this will be Quarantine on Steroids.

Students and seniors, 65 and older had been ordered to stay at home a while back, and that rule remains in effect. We've all been under a 9:00PM to 5:00 AM curfew for weeks, however now the restrictions on everyone else in the province have gotten tighter.

Only one person from a household will be allowed outside the home, and that person is severely limited as to where and when he can go out. Each household has been issued a quarantine pass which must be presented at checkpoints. I've been told that the person going out must surrender his ID at the checkpoint and must return home through the same checkpoint within a certain time frame in order to retrieve the ID.

I'm pretty much a homebody, so the quarantine hasn't been a burden for me, although now it will be a little more complicated getting my money from the bank. That is my main complain now.

This call for an ECQ apparently comes a recent event at a port in Sibulan, Negros Oriental. The borders of the Province had been closed, with only cargo being allowed to enter. Out of humanitarian concerns, a passenger ferry was allowed to bring home stranded residents of Negros from Cebu island. Photos of the arriving passengers were posted onto social media. These photos showed that these passengers were not practicing "social distancing" and most were not wearing masks. None of these arriving passengers underwent any medical exam, we're told that the passengers were not instructed to self quarantine.

These photos sent the local medical community into a frenzy; generating a petition from front liners to the Governor demanding an ECQ.

I suspect this move by the Governor is based more on politics than on anything else.

The powers that be in our area are notorious for not enforcing laws and regulations. It remains to be seen how this will work out.

My New Blog

I've been blogging since 2006. I've started, and finished a number of blogs, but the one I've used most consistently over the years is Sorry, All The Clever Names Are Taken.

I've been thinking that the name of that blog was just a bit too clever. It works well when using a link, but it's cumbersome when telling the name to someone and expecting them to remember it. I've been lazy, and in spite of wanting to create a new blog with a easier name, I've been putting it off.

Circumstances have pushed me to finally follow through on the plan to create that new blog.

Due to the COVID19 causing havoc around the globe, the area where I'm living in Philippines has been placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) and I wanted to begin writing about the situation and my experiences living under the ECQ. I wrote that post this morning, (ECQ Day One ) and attempted to put a link to that post onto my Facebook page.

Unfortunately, I was unable to post the link. Facebook said the blog was banned due it's not following community standards. I couldn't understand how or why that happened. I put the same post onto another of my blogs, and the link was accepted on Facebook. With all that, I've decided the time was right to create a new blog under an easier name to get across - hence, robertsimms.blogspot.com. Perhaps, one day, if the url is available, I'll use my name with a dot com or dot net.

This will mark the first post on the new blog. It will also be simultaneously posted on Sorry, All The Clever Names Are Taken.