Bitten by the June bug

June 2009 saw a sudden and rapid increase in A(H1N1) cases, from 22 in the first week to over 445 towards the end of the month. The World Health Organization (WHO) also officially declared H1N1 a phase 6 global pandemic, due to its unprecedented spread across the world. Despite increased vigilance against the virus, low-level outbreaks were reported in several schools in Metro Manila. Some schools like De La Salle University and Ateneo de Manila Grade School had to suspend classes when some of their students were diagnosed with H1N1. A community-level outbreak also occurred in Jaen Town, Nueva Ecija where 11 children tested positive for the virus.

Although majority of H1N1 victims recovered right away, the country’s first swine flu-related death occurred on June 19 when a 49-year-old woman infected with the virus suffered complications from a pre-existing heart condition. Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque warned that people who suffer chronic ailments are at “high risk” and that most H1N1 fatalities around the world were people who had existing medical problems.

By the end of June, the Department of Health switched gears from a strategy of containing the virus, to a policy of mitigation signaling the preparation of households and health facilities in anticipation of more cases.

Together with H1N1, the issue of charter change continued to make headlines. On June 1, House Resolution 1109 was approved by the members of the House committee on constitutional amendments with a vote of 22 to 10. By June 2, the resolution to set up a constitutional assembly (or con-ass) was approved by the House of Representatives.

The approval sparked a firestorm of criticism from the opposition and militant groups, who warned that charter change was a means for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to extend her term in power and possibly postpone the 2010 elections.

Due to additional fears that the House would push through with a con-ass without the participation of the Senate, others came forward saying that such a move would be illegal and unconstitutional.

The outrage over HR 1109 flared particularly strongly online, with Filipino netizens taking the lead in spreading the word about the issue.

On June 10, around 10,000 people marched to the intersection of Ayala Avenue and Paseo de Roxas in Makati to decry the passage of HR 1109. Petitions against HR 1109 were also drawn up by Oliver Lozano together with Evangeline Lozano-Endriano and Louis Biraogo, but were dismissed for being premature and “grossly lacking” in legal cause. At the end of the year, the bid for charter change continues to be a much-debated issue.

In the global community, June 2009 also saw mass protest action happening in Iran, where hundreds of thousands protested over the span of a week against the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Leading the protesters was Mir Hossein Mousavi whose supporters claimed was the real winner of the much-contested elections. The Iranian demonstrations were not covered by mainstream media because of a blackout on international media groups. However, a picture of what was happening in Iran became apparent through the numerous news bits, comments, photos and videos put up by Iranian protestors via networking groups like Twitter and YouTube.

Iranian people protest the election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Wrapping up June were a pair of celebrity deaths. The first was 1970s American TV icon Farrah Fawcett who passed away due to cancer which she had been battling since 2006. The second was legendary pop icon Michael Jackson, due to cardiac arrest at the age of 50. He had been on the brink of launching his highly-anticipated comeback tour. The aftermath of his death and speculations over his sudden passing would fill the news in the months to come.

Photo: “嚴防H1N1” by Simon, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved.

Video: Uploaded by NewClearBombs to YouTube.com.

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