VIRGEN MILAGROSA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Martin P. Posadas Avenue, San Carlos City, Pangasinan 2420
Tel. Nos. (075) 531-5222; (075) 955-5222; (075) 634-1111 local 136
Website: http:///www.vmuf.edu.ph/ Email : vmuf1068@gmail.com

Padlan, Giane R. Reading and Writing Skills

STEM III – St. Cecilia April 3, 2020

Darryl John Esguerra, “IATF setting parameters for possible lifting, extension or
expansion of Luzon quarantine” (2020)
Article Critique

In a bid to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease in the country, President
Rodrigo Duterte placed Luzon under enhanced community quarantine starting March
16, due to end on Easter Sunday, April 12. In the online news report “IATF setting
parameters for possible lifting, extension or expansion of Luzon quarantine,” Darryl
John Esguerra (2020) of Inquirer.net accentuates on the Inter-Agency Task Force’s
responsibility to craft the guidelines for the President’s decision on the Luzon-wide
lockdown enforcement. Notwithstanding a display of a couple journalistic errors that
may bring readers inconvenience, the article still takes a straightforward approach in
denoting that the government’s next call is yet to be determined.

In emphasis of Cabinet Secretary and IATF Spokesman Karlo Nograles’ defense

during a briefing, Esguerra (2020) indicates that the inter-agency task force is planning
on whether to lift, extend, or expand the enhanced community quarantine on the
nation’s most populous island. The author presents after his lead an image of PNP
Deputy Chief for Operations PLtGen. Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar inspecting a
particular community quarantine checkpoint in Metro Manila. Esguerra (2020) further
stresses on Nograles’ statements illuminating that: (1) IATF will convoke to set the
parameters for the 30-day lockdown’s ensuing step; (2) Department of Health (DOH)
will pilot IATF Technical Working Group (TWG) in assembling and finalizing the
parameters; and (3) the rumors on the supposed 60-day extension of the ECQ in Luzon
are “fake news.” Moreover, the author supports prior ideas, stating that President
Duterte situated the month-long Luzon ECQ on March 16 in response to health experts’
COVID-19 case inflation rate estimate in three months. Esguerra (2020) also informs
about the pandemic’s probable origin, along with the local number of cases, deaths, and
recoveries as of March 30.
Significant information are stated within the scope of the article, but the presence
of journalistic limitations may cause discommode among readers. One relatively
erroneous detail is the author’s choice of the news image. Although the photograph
does “tell” the news in a way of showing the named Philippine National Police officer
walking past the checkpoint signage, it lacks the element to brighten the page. More
specifically, the photo by Niño Jesus Orbeta (2020) lacks camera resolution, has poor
image background choice which may be linked with little to no use of camera focus, and
does not portray any vehicle or chauffeur/rider clearly or without blockage by any object.

© 2020 Giane R. Padlan All Rights Reserved

 VIRGEN MILAGROSA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Martin P. Posadas Avenue, San Carlos City, Pangasinan 2420
Tel. Nos. (075) 531-5222; (075) 955-5222; (075) 634-1111 local 136
Website: http:///www.vmuf.edu.ph/ Email : vmuf1068@gmail.com

A similar online news report from the CNN Philippines Staff (2020), “’Science’ to
determine if Luzon-wide quarantine will be lifted or expanded – CabSec,” flashes a well-
captured photograph from JL Javier, as shown below:

Image by JL Javier. Article by CNN Philippines Staff, published March 31,

2020.
Also, the author misspells Bulacan with Bulucan in captioning the given photograph.

Furthermore, by the end of his article, Esguerra follows up on adding factual

material such as the date of President Duterte’s Luzon ECQ implementation and its
motive, and both global and local statistics of the pandemic. In support of Esguerra’s
news structure, though readers may find these unnecessary, the article follows an
inverted pyramid format – ensuring that the audience sees the important details first
(Fleming, 2020).
This article focused on the Inter-Agency Task Force’s response to queries
regarding the crucial state of Luzon. Esguerra (2020) simply pertained to quotations
from IATF’s Spokesman Karlo Nograles in the early paragraphs, and concluded with
supporting information. Although there is an aspect of a poorly-chosen photograph, the
author was forthright and precise, and used words adequate to let the readers visualize
the news.

© 2020 Giane R. Padlan All Rights Reserved

 VIRGEN MILAGROSA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Martin P. Posadas Avenue, San Carlos City, Pangasinan 2420
Tel. Nos. (075) 531-5222; (075) 955-5222; (075) 634-1111 local 136
Website: http:///www.vmuf.edu.ph/ Email : vmuf1068@gmail.com

© 2020 Giane R. Padlan All Rights Reserved

 VIRGEN MILAGROSA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Martin P. Posadas Avenue, San Carlos City, Pangasinan 2420
Tel. Nos. (075) 531-5222; (075) 955-5222; (075) 634-1111 local 136
Website: http:///www.vmuf.edu.ph/ Email : vmuf1068@gmail.com

Bibliography

CNN Philippines Staff. (2020). 'Science' to determine if Luzon-wide quarantine will be

lifted or expanded – CabSec. Metro Manila: CNN Philippines. Retrieved April 3,
2020, from https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/3/31/Luzon-enhanced-
community-quarantine-extension-covid.html
Esguerra, D. (2020). IATF setting parameters for possible lifting, extension or
expansion of Luzon quarantine. Manila: Inquirer.net. Retrieved April 3, 2020,
from https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1251527/as-luzon-lockdown-reaches-halfway-
mark-iatf-to-stufy-possible-lifting-extension-or-expansion-of-ecq#ixzz6IEqgGWbh
Fleming, G. (2020, February 11). How to Write a News Article That's Effective.
Retrieved April 4, 2020, from ThoughtCo.: https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-
write-a-news-article-1857250

© 2020 Giane R. Padlan All Rights Reserved