By Art Jimenez
Finally, the local business sector has taken notice that the city (and for that matter, the entire country) is regularly going around in quarantine circles – actually since mid-March – to their collective detriment. In my past columns, I described this occurrence as “quarantine roulette.” We don’t know where the ball will land next fortnight or month. Not until after Malacañan says where it will land.
These Q roulette stops and the adjustments each requires is one reason why so many prefer to just stay home (and even risk going nuts) till the pandemic blows over. Those who go out also hesitate to eat at restaurants for the reasons I mentioned some columns ago.
The Q roulette goes: One moment, it’s MGCQ, another fortnight, it’s GCQ, and the next two weeks, it’s ECQ, then back to another quarantine alphabet soup. Who causes these frequent changes?
The IATF, chaired by DOH Sec. Duque, recommends to President Duterte who makes the decision with extra counsel from his core group led by Sen. Go. He announces his decision on TV with effort and with little animo. Then the LGUs obey although local executives can tweak the new Q level, since they’re right here on the ground. Thus, they can issue their own EOs placing these and those barangays under granular lockdown for a length of time like what Mayor Jerry is doing here.
Now let’s retrace. The IATF bases its recommendations on at least two major factors. First would be the DOH Covid Tracker statistics, which somehow get “corrected” (to me “adjusted” is the right term) when spikes occur. They use gut feel with some observations on the ground to recommend this or that Q level to the president. I’m pretty sure the latter does not really know how accurate these figures are.
And second, the Task Force listens with an appreciative ear to LGUs executives, be they near or far away from Metro Manila. However, I bet these execs have not done any serious business survey to ascertain by just how much should their local economy open without unnecessarily risking more lives to Covid. For example, do they know how many and which establishments have to be shuttered under each level of community quarantine, how many will lose their jobs, how and who will help them eat and live as dignified human beings, and how much will the LGU lose in terms of foregone taxes owing to the shutdowns, etcetera?
Imagine also this hassle. Under one Q level, a restaurant can operate, say at 50 percent. Fine. Then after two weeks or a month, the Q level hardens and the resto has to run at only 30 percent capacity. The owner lays off a third of his employees, reduces his inventories, loses customers but pays the same monthly rental.
In the next full moon, the owner returns to a 50 percent sitting capacity. But his kitchen does not have enough materials and ingredients because the supplying ship is under lockdown in its port, wherever it is. And this drives away more customers.
Same thing with PUJ operators who have to adjust the seat dividers and generously reduce the daily boundary. When the wind or Q changes, its time this time to widen the dividers and raise the boundary. And their drivers could only scratch their heads.
No wonder the business sector is complaining. Actually, voicing their concerns now is rather too little, too late. But that is better than nothing, really.
Meantime, the local government executives, including our very own, have to find a slippery balance between health and wealth, between survival and growth.
I suggest they get the hard facts first.
Then. Choose!
-0-0-0-0-
Will it be the Los Angeles Lakers or Miami Heat? Who is your favorite? Sans favoritism, who is your pick?
Here are some hard facts to help you choose. The Lakers own 16 NBA crowns to the Heat’s three. However, the 16 were won over five decades, starting in 1949. They were five-time winners in the 1950s and 1980s; non-winner in the 1960s, and won but once in the 1970s. They strung up three titles from 2000 to 2002. Their last two crowns were earned in the 2009-2010 seasons. The latter stat means the last time Lakers went to the Finals was in 2010.
Miami Heat, for its part, has three NBA crowns: 2006, 2012, and 2013. They could have made it four in a row had they won the 2011 and 2014 Finals. Though few titles, they are of the latest vintage.
Next set of data. In their best of seven Western Conference Finals, Los Angeles Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets four games to one (4 – 1) with a total margin of 22 points. That’s four points per game rounded average. Meanwhile, Miami Heat bested Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals in six games (4 – 2) with a total score spread of -1.
The final set of statistics. Six of the eight top players of the Lakers have NBA 10 championship rings: Lebron James has 3, Mcgee JaVale and Danny Green with two each, and Rajon Rondo, J.R. Smith, and Quinn Cook, one each. The defensive and scoring prowess of Dwight Howard and Anthony Davis will add some odds to their winning the Lakers’ 17th to tie the Boston Celtics.
For the Heat line-up, I’m sure only of Andre Iguodala and Udonis Haslem who have three rings each.
With those data. You can now think and Choose!
