‘I can neither confirm nor deny…’

Early this week, I heard of a message shared in an expat Facebook group, that an “embassy” had messaged their citizens residing in the Philippines, informing them of the availability of a dengue vaccine by next month. As a first step, I asked my source to take a screen grab of the message and to confirm if the source is authentic and reliable.

Everything I requested came back positive. The post read: “Embassy (have) just announced they are offering us QDenga vax next month if we want it.” I found out that the “embassy” referred to was allegedly the Australian embassy.

As I continued to ask around, I learned from different individuals with friends in the diplomatic circles, or friends working in embassies and multinational companies, that there has been a growing concern about the number of dengue cases among expats, their dependents as well as support personnel or domestic employees.

After a few more inquiries, the needle was pointing to the Australian embassy, so I politely asked a fellow columnist to check with a high-ranking official to confirm or deny the matter, which my friend claims he did so by text message. After more than 24 hours, there has been no reply or response from embassy officials.

But as I continued to “shake the bushes,” as they say, a source of a source came back with information that fills in the blanks. What I was told is that the Australian embassy, like other embassies, has allegedly received numerous reports about dengue infections among nationals in the Philippines, as well as requests for assistance or referral to get a dengue vaccine.

Presumably, local embassy hires checked and were informed that the vaccine remains under review by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration and is not commercially approved or available.

As a next move, the Australian embassy – once again I say, allegedly – reached out to the “International SOS,” a globally established and pioneer in international health and security management that “cares for 9,000 organizations in 90 countries.”

International SOS was requested to procure or provide the needed amount of QDenga vaccines as well as provide the qualified health experts to conduct the vaccination, presumably on embassy grounds. The plan all makes sense since embassies enjoy numerous diplomatic privileges and immunity. The only thing that may not be allowed would be vaccination of local hires or Philippine citizens.

What remains to be known is if all this is fact and when it all takes place. I sincerely hope that the Australian embassy and their honorable ambassador pursues this medical intervention not only to protect Australians in the Philippines from the deadly dengue virus, but so that other embassies as well as large multinational companies would follow suit.

While I have publicly supported the thorough and careful reviews conducted by the FDA under director general Dr. Samuel A. Zacate, their excessive caution must not be at the cost of Filipinos and foreigners alike. One set of requirements and experts is normal, getting secondary experts to verify the first might be prudent although annoying, but running one specific vaccine through multiple tests and experts over a two-year period while Asian neighbors are already conducting mass vaccination – that is more than red tape.

This week, I learned that one child and an adult were added to the list of deaths from dengue. How many more need to die? Maybe, just maybe, ambassadors and CEOs can forward their observations and requests to the Office of the Executive Secretary or to PBBM, because Filipinos’ suffering does not seem to stir compassion or urgency.

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Two weeks after the fact, the NNIC or New NAIA Infra Corp. released its report on how they fared during the “Undas” or All Saints-All Souls holiday that was deemed as their “first major test since taking over management of the airport” two months ago.

“From Oct. 29 to Nov. 4 (one week), NAIA handled 932,405 passengers or a daily average of 133,201 passengers. During Undas, NAIA managed 5,627 flights or a daily average of 804 flights daily, up by 3.53 percent compared to 2023, with an 87.99 percent on-time performance, compared to industry standard of approximately 80 percent.

Of 5,627 flights, 4,599 were on time while 1,028 flights were delayed. This was credited to effective management of incoming aircraft flow and smooth arrival experience for passengers.

On the downside, “departure OTP was slightly below standard, at 75.46 percent due to ongoing challenges with baggage handling due to breakdowns of lower deck loaders of airlines and their ground handlers and equipment used to load and unload baggage from the aircraft’s lower cargo hold.”

Another cause of delay was the long immigration queues during peak times that further compounded the airport’s operational difficulties. The NNIC has strategically engaged with different stakeholders at the NAIA to resolve problems and deficiencies for baggage handling, immigration and passenger related information.

“In the coming months, NNIC will implement infrastructure and system upgrades across NAIA, including working closely with the Bureau of Immigration on biometric system upgrades, airline support and investments in additional baggage handling equipment and workforce enhancements.” Furthermore, the NNIC has launched a transparency initiative that will provide travelers real-time updates and clear information on flight and baggage delays directly through airport PA systems.

With Undas behind them, let’s all pray that better days are ahead and all the stakeholders will immediately invest for better outcomes for the Christmas holiday rush and beyond.

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