Briefing Sheet

Prepared by: Francis Jose Lean L. Abayata

Guladi B
(Important: This is a simulation exercise. You are not to show this briefing sheet to
the other party at any time during the activity.)
You are a Tsinoy university researcher-scientist with expertise in toxicology. At the
height of the Abu Sayyaf crisis, you were hired to work on a secret project.
Intelligence reports show that the ASG may have acquired a newly developed and
extremely deadly warfare bomb. Unconfirmed reports indicate that this way be part
of a stash that was smuggled out of Iraq just before the downfall of Saddam.
Reliable reports say that the amount of bombs under Abu Sayyaf control is enough
to annihilate the entire population of the Zamboanga Peninsula (Zamboanga City,
Zambuanga del Sure and Zambuanga del Norte). The Zamboanga Peninsula, while
populated by Muslims, is predominantly Christian.
Report further say the ASG intends to use it as a last desperate act to cause severe
and lasting damage to their enemies, inspire by the “gains” of the militants in
Baghdad who succeeded in forcing the Philippine government to withdraw its troops
in exchange for the life of OFW Angelo de la Cruz. Lately, developments have begun
to point to this as inevitable. In its latest clandestine press conference, the ASG has
given the government two weeks to act on tis demand for a final and definite
independence for Mindanao. They have made it very clear in their statement that
they will detonate the deadly bombs that are now in their possession if this demand
is not met.
As a sign of their resolve and to “show their capability,” they detonated two days
ago a smaller version of the bomb in Si-ay, Zamboanga del Sur. The result was
catastrophic, considering the size of the bomb and the operation. An entire
mountain barangay, with a population of 1,800, was wiped out with one explosion.
The bomb’s active agent is a deadly and highly toxic gas known by its codename
Sobrin.
The bomb is activated by detonating a carrier rocket that can be fired either from a
shoulder-fired launcher, from 105 mm howitzer, or even dropped from an ultra-light
aircraft. Ultra-light aircraft do not require an airstrip. They can be launched from
any clearing and have a 100 km flying range. Intelligence reports show that suicide
ASG squads are preparing to use all three methods. Reports reveal that the ASG has
recently acquired two (2) ultra-light aircraft.
The carrier bomb or rocket detonates when it reaches an altitude of 200 feet. It
produces a mushroom cloud that quickly spreads a gaseous poison that remains in
atmospheric moisture and clouds.
The highly potent and toxic Sobrin, when inhaled by humans, causes the liver to
activate a series of chemical reactions that eventually convert it to methanol inside
the body, causing internal toxicity and certain death – it attacks the central nervous
system.
It also has a residual effect – it sticks to vegetation that, unless washed away using
a neutralizing agent, could be ingested by animals and passed on to humans in the
form of contaminated meat. When the meat is eaten by humans, the enzymes in
the human liver again convert it through a slightly longer process to eventually
become methanol, leading to certain death months after the initial exposure to the
contaminated meat.
You developed an antidote, Nirexan. Your laboratory experiments showed that it is
by far the most effective antidote to Sobrin. You developed Nirexan from an extract
of the rare wonder fruit known as “Guladi.” The active ingredient is an enzyme
found in the Guladi Fruit.
“Guladi” (Scientific name: Guladitus Marababolea) is a melon-like fruit, newly bred
by a reclusive scientist-farmer. He discovered it on an isolated hilltop as a tiny
cluster of plants. From the single cluster, the scientist farmer succeeded in planting
an entire crop. A fully-grown fruit weights around one (1) kilo and its succulent fresh
yields around 5 milligrams of the enzyme you need. This enzyme is the most
important component of your Nirexan concentrate.
There is only one grower, the hermit scientist – farmer, Nerissa Marababol, whom
you have met in the course of your research as your only supplier of the precious
raw material. Marababol, has successfully propagated the fruit to crop size in rocky
and isolated Culion Island, off the northern tip of Palawan Island. The acidic soil of
the island is unsuitable to most crops but favors cashew and the very rare Guladi.
Rumors say that Marababol is a “brilliant madwoman” obsessed with the “search for
the Tree of Life, You realty do not know if you will believe the story. But there could
be other reasons.
One crop season takes seven (7) months. One crop size is about 5,000 kilos of the
fruit. Marababol will harvest an entire crop in about a week’s time.
One (1) ton gross weight of ripe fruit yields enough to produce 400 mL of
concentrated Nirexan. Nirexan is very potent and highly concentrated. It is meant to
be used together with other needs, for example, mixed with distilled water and salt
solution.
Your recent experiments have shown the multi-media potential of Nirexan. The
dextrose-like solution can be administered to potential victims who then develop
immunity to Sobrin while the solution is in their bloodstream. This could be the
lifesaver for the threatened Zamboanga peninsula population.
The Nirexan liquid can also be mixed with a solution chloride formula to produce
treated salt that can be used to seed clouds. “Treated rain” can be induced to wash
away the toxic gases that linger in the atmosphere to cause the substantial damage
to life, and to wash away the residue on plants that lead to animal meat
contamination.
Your present experiments, though limited in size, have yielded very positive results.
You have not done your experiment yet on a larger scale.
Your computations show that to cover the entire Zamboanga peninsula
(Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga del Norte included), with a safety perimeter
covering the surrounding islands in the area of Tawi-Tawi, Sulu and Basilan, and
adjacent provinces (the Lanao area, Oluntanga Island off the southeaster coast of
Zamboanga del Sur, and the Wester portion of the Cotabato Sea), you will be
needing 2000 mL of highly concentrated Nirexan. This will be used to both to
produce vaccines to inoculate the entire population and to provide ‘cloud cover.”
While the entire thing has never been tired before, you are very powerful.
Failure to succeed could seriously strain and irreparably damage Muslim-Christian
relations.
Besides, this could just be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for to prove your
true worth to you father. A successful Chinese businessman engaged in
manufacturing plastics, but an aging one now at 80 and with no credible heir to the
family business, he has been critical of your research-oriented life. For him,
academic research does not translate into financial success and is a waste of time.
You are feeling very optimistic. Just two days ago, you were given a PhP 20 million
budget just for the purchase of the crop. There is one problem, however. You
received reliable information that another scientist is also after the entire crop. Your
information is still sketchy, but he has contacted you and you are having a decisive
meeting today. You have prepared yourself to meet and negotiate with this other
scientist.
Briefing Sheet
Prepared by: Francis Jose Lean L. Abayata
Guladi A
(Important: This is a simulation exercise. You are not to show this briefing sheet to
the other party at any time during the activity.)
You are a doctor from the National Epidemiology Center of the Department of
Health. You were a medical board topnotcher, much sought by the leading
pharmaceutical companies when you graduated from medical school. Lean offered
you a very profitable and prominent position in its headquarters in Leverkusen,
Germany as part of a crack team of researchers assigned to develop vaccines
against new deadly strains if viruses. You developed a reputation of excellence as a
medical research assistant even as a medical student. Not wanting to lose an
opportunity, Lean made a serious offer for you to join its research team.
You turned down this opportunity to offer your services to the government and to
the Filipino people. Your education in the state university convinced you that the
Philippine situation will never improve if people did not make sacrifices for their
country.
In no time, your commitment and dedication paid off. You are now the head of the
National Epidemiology Center.
You have been monitoring and researching on a rare but deadly disease whose first
reported cases were in some Pacific islands. You are making a lot of headway in
your research and have succeeded in developing a prototype vaccine which showed
promising results in laboratory experiments. You long, however for an opportunity
for actual testing.
In the past three weeks, alarming cases of disease and death were reported in
several Central Luzon towns. In particular, an ebola-type epidemic has broken out in
Lubao, Floridablanca, Guangua and Santa Rita, Pampanga. Cases have been
reported in Dinalupihan and Olongapo City. Four suspected cases were admitted in
the municipal hospital of Apalit, the Pampanga town right next to Calumpit,
Bulacan. Unconfirmed reports say that several burials were hastily undertaken in Sn
Isidro, Nueva Ecija after serval children were stricken by a mysterious disease.
Symptoms are strikingly similar to those of the disease you are tracking.
Immediately you went to work. Yesterday, you arrived at the conclusion that this is
the disease you have been researching on.
The disease had no prior recorded cases in the Philippines. Documents show that
the only cases prior to the Philippine outbreak were confined to an island in the
Saipan group. It is believed that as American serviceman may have possibly
brought in the dormant virus. He stayed in the Pampanga area just before the
American bases pullout.
The virus is harmless to adults, but may be transmitted in its dormant stage by air
when coughed violently, or through kissing. It is suspected that the dormant virus is
passed on by carrier parents (both male and female) to children. You suspect that it
remains dormant in children until hormonal changes in the body caused by puberty
trigger psychological changes that make the environment conducive to the virus’
growth and propagation.
Only children of puberty-age are stricken. 70 percent of cases involve boys.
A vicious virus, the rare Bekker-Clive strain, attacks the cell membranes of the
lungs. It breaks down cell walls, causing liquefaction of the organs. Death is swift
and certain once the virus has reached the lungs. The victim usually dies within 8
hours upon reaching terminal stage which is signaled by the oozing red phlegm fro
the victim’s nose, mouth and ears. The virus is suspected to start at the throat area,
very similar to bacteria that start at the same area and descend to the heart
rheumatic fever. If arrested at the stage when it is just in the throat has settled in
the lung area (as evidenced by profuse watery and bloody discharges from the
mouth, nose and ears), recovery is almost nil, and death certain.
You discovered the antidote – an enzyme extracted from the Guladi fruit. Guladi is a
melon – like fruit, newly bred by a reclusive scientist-farmer. She discovered it on an
isolated hilltop as a tiny cluster of plants. From the single cluster, the scientist
farmer succeeded in propagating an entire crop. A fully-grown fruit weighs around
one (1) kilo and its seeds yield around 3 milligrams of enzyme.
There is only one grower, the hermit scientist-farmer, Nerisa Marababol, whom you
have met in the course of your research as you only supplier of the precious raw
material. Purca has successfully bred the fruit to crop size in rocky and isolated
Culion Island, off the norther tip of Palawan Island. The acidic solid of the island is
unsuitable to most crops but favors cashew and the very rare Guladi. The trhill of
discovering and developing something probably motivated him. But there could be
other reasons.
One crop season takes seven (7) months. One crop size is about 5,000 kilos of the
fruit. Purca will harvest in about a week’s time.
Your research team’s estimates show that if the epidemic is not contained in the
next 2 ½ weeks it will spread to Metro Manila. Within the 1 ½ months it would have
spread all over Luzon, and in half a year’s time, the entire Philippines and possibly
neighboring countries. The President, herself a native of Pampanga, has already
expressed alarm over the growing epidemic.
Your team has been given the clearance to purchase immediately the entire crop of
Guladi. You were given a budget of PhP 20 million just for the purchase.
You Gulaid-based vaccine is the only hope. When injected, it can prevent
occurrence or effectively immunize a young person. It is also believed to have the
potential of eventually neutralizing the virus in its adult carriers (a neutralized virus
is not necessarily dead but is just kept in a dormant state.)
This epidemic could also be the big break that could cap your research conclusively,
and give you a Nobel Prize.
There is one problem, however. You received reliable information that another
scientist is also after the entire crop. Your information is still sketchy, but you have
to make a decisive move today. You have made arrangements to meet and
negotiate with the other scientist.