Dengue and Eid’l Fitr

Dengue is on everyone’s mind these days, what with hundreds already dead from the current wave and thousands more getting sick with this viral ailment spread through mosquitoes. While both government and private institutions stress the need for environmental cleanliness and monitoring against possible breeding grounds of mosquitoes, one environmental NGO is seeking help from a most unusual source to defeat the scourge of dengue.

The EcoWaste Coalition now proposes the “creative re-design” of school uniforms and children’s clothes “as another practical measure to protect kids from mosquito bites.”

“There’s a place for our great pool of innovative designers in the country’s fight against dengue. We need protective clothing ideas that will safeguard our children from Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that fly and feed during daytime,” said Roy Alvarez, president of EcoWaste Coalition.

“We’re calling on our civic-minded designers to rise to the occasion. Please come up with creative, color-appropriate, weather-suitable and affordable options that will lessen children’s exposure to mosquitoes, especially in communities where dengue occurs,” he added.

Alvarez addressed his appeal to the Fashion Designers Association of the Philippines, Fashion Designers Council of the Philippines, Fashion Designers Alliance Manila, Young Designers Guild of the Philippines, Young Fashion Designers Group of the Philippines and other related associations.

Dengue fashion? Not so far-fetched and entirely doable, don’t you think?

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ECOWASTE Coalition also proposes a review of the safety aspects of chemical fogging and spraying operations being carried out by local government units.

“We’ve been seeing well-meaning government personnel conducting fogging and spraying activities that have been proven ineffective in stopping the reproductive lifecycle of dengue mosquitoes,” Alvarez noted.

The Department of Health discourages indiscriminate fogging and only recommends it “when there is an impending outbreak (in potential hotspots) as evaluated by the health officers.”

“For the safety of sanitation workers and the community members at large, we urge the authorities to disseminate safety guidelines on the fogging and spraying of chemicals into the surroundings, giving due emphasis to essential precautions and safe alternatives,” Alvarez said.

In addition to being the least effective measure versus the dengue bane, the EcoWaste Coalition is concerned over the potential harm that chemical fogging and spraying can cause to people, especially to young children and the elderly in densely populated places.

The group had earlier emphasized the importance of properly managing common household and personal trash in the fight against dengue.

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FILIPINOS will observe this week the feast of Eid’l Fitr which marks the end of the month of Ramadan during which Muslims are expected to fast and do good works.

In Metro Manila, there will be an Eid’l Fitr Festival from Sept. 2-4 at the SM Mall of Asia aimed at teaching young people (and the public at large) about the culture and traditions of Muslim Filipinos and Muslims in general. The “Feast of Breaking the Fast,” also known as “Hariraya Puasa,” is a national holiday but is observed throughout the Islamic world as “an occasion of joy and thanksgiving among Muslims, shared with non-Muslims.”

Organizing the Eid’l Fitr Festival is the Magbassa Kita Foundation, Inc. (MKFI) with the support of the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy, the Department of Tourism, the Metro Manila Development Authority, and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process. Proceeds will benefit MKFI’s literacy and scholarship programs in Mindanao “to help improve the economic and social integration of Filipino Muslims into a modern democratic society.”

Envisioned to become an annual activity, the three-day festival aims to create a better understanding and appreciation among Filipinos of ethnic, racial and religious diversity in the country; showcase the richness and diversity of the cultural heritage of Muslims in the Philippines; forge stronger social, cultural, as well as economic partnership between Muslims and non-Muslims; create a positive environment of mutual trust and confidence among Muslims and non-Muslims; and provide an attraction for tourist arrivals from the Islamic countries who go on vacation during the Eid’l Fitr.

The festival will have the following components: an art exhibit of works by the first and only Muslim National Artist for Visual Arts, Abdulmari Imao, and the artists he has inspired; a trade fair of Muslim and Mindanao products; showcases of institutions and government units on peace and development; and cultural presentations. The Young Moro Professionals Network will be presenting Moro dances, games, food, clothes and music during the cultural presentations each day at the Music Hall of the Mall of Asia.

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I DO hope the Eid’l Fitr Festival is able to attract a sizeable crowd. At this crucial time in our history, with the peace negotiations between the government and MILF panels hitting what is hopefully just an impasse, creating greater understanding between Filipino Christians and Muslims is all the more necessary and urgent.

Understanding, after all, begins with knowledge, after which, it is hoped, friendship and solidarity will ensue. It’s also important to create a civilian constituency for peace and development, one made up of both Muslims and Christians, young and old, men, women and youth.