Dengue comeback; DOGE instead of ICI “

No news is good news” they say, but it is not always the case in matters of public health in the Philippines for 2025.

It seems that very little news came out last year concerning dengue cases and related deaths in the Philippines in 2025. Whether it was being ignored or suppressed, I have no idea. But what’s certain is that you have to dig to get the numbers.

Fortunately, there are other sources such as the World Health Organization’s South East Asia Regional Office (SEARO) and the WHO Western Pacific regional Office (WPRO).

There was both good news and bad news in 2025, based on a summary I acquired. The good news is there were fewer cases and fewer people died from dengue compared to other years.

The bad news is that we were once again on top or number one with the highest number of cases: 283,109. Even worse is that 1,132 Filipinos died because of dengue. Whether that is good news or bad news, I’ll let readers decide.

My question is: will it be worse in 2026, given how dengue has a history of rebounding from a lower infection year, then bursting open to an outbreak situation the following year or two after?

Just because dengue has been part of the health landscape of the Philippines does not mean that the DOH can relax its public awareness campaigns. This is the very reason why dengue makes a brutal comeback every other or every two years. People forget that dengue is around, and the only reliable alternative is getting vaccinated against dengue.

Another related concern is the “silence of the lambs” at the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding the application for approval of a Japanese dengue vaccine that has been undergoing field trials and applications for seven years.

After two administrators in office, the application for approval of the vaccine is languishing in some bureaucrat’s computer or desk. The applicants can’t check, ask or inquire what their status is because it’s not allowed at the FDA.

So, who stabs us first, the dengue-carrying mosquito or a needle and syringe carrying lifesaving anti-dengue vaccine? Or do we wait until the Marcos Jr. administration is no longer in office? By then, how many thousand Filipinos will have to suffer or die?

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With only one commissioner left in active duty and several confirmations that the Independent Commission for Infrastructure has no real investigative or prosecutorial power, there seems to be little hope that the people will see justice served.

Even if the ICI commissioners remained intact and able to investigate, it is a known fact that justice in the Philippines takes a lifetime or two generations to be resolved and then you might just get justice if it doesn’t kill you first.

So, do we just give up and let the crooks at the DPWH, private contractors and Cong-Tractors get away with the biggest robbery in Philippine history? Of course not.

I don’t want to get God angry at me for not believing he will give us justice or as he accused the Israelites of saying things against him in Malachi 3:13-15:

“You have said, ‘it is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord almighty? But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly, the evildoers prosper, and even those who challenge God escape.’”

Filipinos understandably want results as quickly as possible. But, as God pointed out, don’t tell him what to do and when to do things.

If you claim to be a believer, choose your word wisely, don’t speak out of line or disrespect God in your frustration.

But then is there any other way or thing we could do, given what has been done by leaders and what has happened to the Philippines? There is actually – we can collectively pressure people like President Marcos Jr. to revisit his political promise or plan to right-size government.

Our situation is one where working and earning Filipinos are burdened with so much tax and taxed in a manner that is seen “Only in the Philippines.” Right now, several groups are on the attack against the travel tax and the reduction of the VAT, as well as real estate taxes on retirees.

Government agencies and offices providing services for the public are pressured to earn or generate income for government spending. Where it goes wrong is that unreasonable quotas are imposed, with the penalty of attrition. Lawmakers and politicians have basically turned bureaucrats into mafia debt collectors.

But how do you hit quotas if even businesses and commercial establishments are all saying business is bad? That is where the dirty word of compromise comes up.

It becomes a “one for you, one for government, one for me” deal where bureaucrats collect some, then keep some and businessmen get rid of both until next year.

The best solution I see on the ground is to pressure Bongbong Marcos to implement his declaration to right-size government, scale down the support and adopt the strategies of Javier Milei of Argentina.

Milei cut nine ministries, cut government spending by 30 percent, slashed government subsidies, etc. Do some research on the proposal of Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, who wanted to create the DOGE or Department of Government Efficiency in the US.

We need to right-size, downsize, cut the fat and radically reduce government spending. Then we can reduce corruption and taxation. God helps those who help themselves – so let’s do this!

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