This phrase, said to have originated with King James 1 of England in 1616, is definitely not the case for victims of earthquake stricken Guihulngan City.

"You must have heard of the saying 'ignorance kills,'" Reynaldo Yu, a teacher at the Negros Oriental State University Guihulngan Campus, said.

He said text messages containing wild predictions of an 8.8 earthquake followed by a huge tsunami are keeping the people in a state of fear and uncertainty, more than four days after the February 6 killer earthquake.

Guihulngan has become one big campsite, with everyone who opted to stay in the lowlands preferring to sleep outdoors either in tents or simply under the stars.

With no electricity, Guihulnganons rely on people who have access to the electronic media for their news. "We get our news from relatives abroad, who call to tell us what's going on here," Yu said.

With no real source or information, Councilor Jessica Villarmente said many Guihulnganons easily fall for stories heard through the grapevine.

"People are still living in the hills waiting for the aftershocks to cease," she said. Because of this, the city's economy is at a standstill as stores remain closed. "There is nothing to buy and trisikad drivers also cannot earn a living because roads are bad and no one wants to go anywhere," she said.

Rumors of the inequitable distribution of relief goods are the hottest fodder for gossip, although no one wanted to go on record.

Mayor Ernesto Reyes acknowledged that, indeed, there are those who may be discontented with what they are doing but they cannot please everybody.

"Yes, some people are bound to complain but the criticisms are not true," Reyes said.

He said that the issue of relief distribution is being made into an issue by aspiring politicians, who allege that Reyes is using the relief distribution drive to boost his political stock.

"I do not interfere in the distribution of relief goods. I don't even mind if you distribute them by yourselves," he told visiting journalists.

Reyes said he never lost in the 14 elections that he joined, "because these people know me. I have served them for a long time and I don't need to resort to propaganda to win an election," he said.*AP

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