Atienza declares Chinatown SARS-free

A day after a SARS scare hit Manila’s Chinatown, Mayor Lito Atienza led hundreds of residents on a march around the city’s Chinese community to counter the panic and get businesses back to normal.

The Chinese-Filipino community in Binondo condemned the people behind the spread of text messages that there are five Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) cases there.

Ongpin street, the bustling hub of Binondo lined with apothecaries, stores and restaurants, was practically deserted Tuesday as the rumors spread. The community has branded these text messages as cruel and malicious.

Atienza warned individuals engaged in spreading these rumors that they face criminal charges if caught sending out such text messages.

"Chinatown in Manila is SARS-free," Atienza said. "There is no truth to the report that there has been a SARS victim in the (Binondo) area. It is just mere malicious rumor concocted by those who have nothing better to do with their time."

One of the rumors spread by text messaging and word of mouth is that a boy had died of SARS in Chinatown.

The rumor, picked up by some media outlets, was that 12-year-old Jerik Chua died of SARS. Chua was supposedly the son of businessman and Barangay 289 chairman Gerry Chua, who also owns the popular Eng Bee Tin Bakery and Deli on Ongpin St.

Jerik, who joined the march around Chinatown, was examined by medical experts and declared free of SARS or any other communicable disease.

"We strongly condemn this very cruel and malicious act," the elder Chua said. "It not only affects (the) innocent and threatens business in Chinatown, it also alarms people unnecessarily."

Based on the findings of health workers monitoring Chinatown and other parts of the city, Atienza said, there were no recorded SARS cases in Manila.

He added that health workers from the four city-owned hospitals and 44 health centers have been deployed since the SARS outbreak in other countries such as Hong Kong, China, Canada, and Vietnam.

Quoting Dr. Benjamin Yson of the Manila Health Department, Atienza said the quick reaction and monitoring team deployed to Chinatown to verify the reported SARS case has reported negative findings.

While the Manila mayor advised Manila residents to ignore the rumors about SARS cases in the city, he did encourage Manileños to take preventive measures. "All you need is to observe basic hygiene, have proper nutrition and exercise and take vitamins."

Councilor Miles Roces from Manila’s third district, who heads the Manila Chinatown Development Authority executive committee, echoed Atienza’s statement that Chinatown is SARS-free. "We have no SARS problem in Chinatown," Roces said. "Our problem is with irresponsible people with idle minds who circulate these rumors."