By DANNY O. SAGUN

EXPECT vacant positions in local governments filled up by the outgoing mayor or governor before the election ban. Expect relatives and supporters who may not be adequately qualified placed in enviable positions instead of the more deserving ones.

Dagupan City alderman Jojo Guadiz reportedly got mad and figured in a clash with city administrator Raffy Baraan over so-called ” midnight appointments,” which run contrary to a pending reorganization of City Hall that practically shelves hiring.

If we recall, that was the reason given to a relative of mine who was applying for a job at city hall – no hiring with the pending reorganization. But the plan has long been pending and it appears Mayor Benjie Lim has forgotten all about it or he seems no longer interested in it as his sight is now trained on another elective position.

It’s expected of any politician, including Lim, to place his men in permanent posts before he bows out. It’s actually happening every election time. Sickening.

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We had a fruitful seminar-workshop on Avian Influenza or bird flu in Mandaluyong organized by the Philippine Information Agency in coordination with the Unicef, an agency of the United Nations that specifically takes care of the welfare of children.

Why Unicef, not Unesco or the World Health Organization (WHO) or the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO?. Because many of the bird flu victims were children, according to the Unicef representative. As of the last count, 167 persons out of 273 cases died of the killer disease caused by the Influenza A H5N1 virus.

Thankfully, the Philippines is one of three remaining countries in Asia that are not affected yet by the health problem. All14,046 blood samples taken from native/game fowls, chickens and ducks from 16 regions tested negative. The country has not slackened however in its campaign to keep the Philippines bird flu free.
Thus the aggressive information and monitoring campaign by the national avian flu task force and its local counterparts.

The following is what the general public should do to avoid or prevent the spread of the disease:

Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before and after handling live and dressed chicken.
Cook chicken thoroughly.
Do not sell live chickens and other birds in the market while there is a threat of bird flu.
Do not let chickens roam freely. Keep them in cages or pens.
Do not place chickens, ducks and pigs together in one area, cage or pen.
Do not catch, get near or keep in captivity wild birds.
Report to the nearest agricultural/veterinary office any unusual death or illness of chickens and other birds.
Report to the nearest local health centers any case of respiratory illness with history of exposure to sick or dead chickens and other birds.

Yes, we’ve got to cooperate with the measures taken by the government and concerned agencies. We do not want a repeat of the 1918 killer Spanish flu, a pandemic that left P50 million people dead – much, much more than those killed by the first world war.

Sudden death characterizes the victims. Once infected, a person very much alive in the morning may already be dead in the afternoon. That’s the story from our grandparents who lived through those times.