Metro Manila has been placed under lock-down in response to the Chinese Corona Virus more widely known as COVID-19.
Prior to that the President gave two press conference, the earlier one was considered by many as less encouraging while being close to incoherent and unintelligible, the other one was just a slurred reading of the inter agency task force decision for Metro Manila lock-down.
Because of the two two press conference, and the inundating fear and panic of the people, there also happen to be massive panic buying and criticism of the President, which in return was responded by government trolls.
Here is an example of government trolls at work:
Here is an example of a brilliant criticism:
While others decided try to make sense of the President’s speech by making it into a piece of glorified poetry”
Others just aren’t too happy at all:
With all these said, there are still some REAL people who thinks highly of the President and believes that he is still thinking of the greater good of the Filipino.
Such person was Attorney Lia Badillo – Crisostomo, her post was shared a thousand times and garnered thousands of likes.
These posts could be a classic case for Toxic Positivity
She wrote two posts as seen below:
1st post Written last March 13, 2020
Last night, I watched our President give a “talk” regarding the on-going situation in the Philippines.
Before I get bashed or killed via hate comments, let me just state that I am neither a DDS nor a dilawan. I am just a woman who loves her country and sees things as they are. I speak my mind and I am my own person.
During his talk, I saw a very tired and old man. A very tired and old man who was speaking from the heart.
He may have his silly and rather frustratingly questionable quirks (e.g “We should thank China and Bong Go is the most hardworking) but you know what, siya na yun e.
Wala na tayo magagawa. Kasi ganun na siya. Diba sabi saatin sa prayer, “Lord, help us accept things we cannot change.”?
Whenever he did not know what to say, he said it like it is. Well, marami nga siyang hindi sure about the technicalities and how to implement what he was saying but you know what, ganun naman talaga siya e.
Again, he is a very tired and old man.
Usually, sasabihin ko na “Ano ba yan, hindi niexplain ng maayos. Ano ba yan, bakit kulang kulang. Ano ba yan, mas kaya pa ng iba magsalita e.”
Actually, madami ako masasabi.
Why? Siguro kasi lawyer ako, may alam ako sa mga bagay-bagay kahit papano, and siguro madami kasi ako ayaw sa mga nagawa ng presidente natin.
Pero, I don’t know. Last night was different. Naappreciate ko siya magsalita.
Kasi he wasn’t talking to us lawyers, he wasn’t talking to the upper class, and he wasn’t talking to the intellectuals. No. He wasn’t doing any of that.
He was talking to the Juan Dela Cruzs of the Philippines.
He was talking like a real person to another real person. Despite his lack of knowledge with a lot of things, he was trying. He was being real.
Naramdaman ko na para siyang Tatay na nageexplain sa mga kids niya kahit nakikita sa mga mata niya na pati siya natatakot. Pero hindi siya pwede maging takot lang. Kailangan niya to at least, try to be reassuring sa mga anak niya.
Again, I am not DDS. But I am human. And as a human, I can see that he was explaining these things in a very simple, comforting, and reassuring manner. Magulo man, pero siguro wala na tayo maggawa kundi to fill in the blanks with the help of the Departments who would be in charge.
Our President is a very tired and old man. His eyes show a lot of sadness and he looks sick too.
At this juncture, we need to stop criticizing and start assessing what we can do to make this unfortunate situation better.
When we say we have to be kind to everyone, that includes our enemies and people we do not like too.
If God does not discriminate, we should try not to also.
May God bless the Philippines. May God bless the entire human race.
May God bless us all.
2nd post Written last March 15, 2020
“This isn’t about the DDS versus the Yellows anymore. This is about being HUMANE, compassionate, and learning how to follow.
Yes, the execution of the lockdown/quarantine could’ve been made more smoothly. But because of the sudden surge of the pandemic, THERE’S NO SUCH THING.
It’s normal to have hiccups here and there. Look at Italy. They have more resources than us, yet their situation is worse compared to ours. No country was prepared for this insidious virus.
There are things that are unclear in the President’s speech. And it’s okay to ask questions. What’s not okay is the non-stop complaining, blaming, ranting, and arguing. Does it help in any way? NO. Instead, let’s just help each other, follow protocols, and find ways to alleviate things on our end.
DISCIPLINE IS KEY.
God only ALLOWED this pandemic to happen for a reason and a season. The reason may be different for each of us, so let’s use the 30 days to reflect on what those may be and work on what needs to be improved in our lives.
Maybe it’s the season to have that much needed time with your family? Maybe it’s the season to get a better job and re-set some goals? Or maybe, it’s a little nudge from God asking you to work on your relationship with Him.
Keep safe, everyone! I pray earnestly and declare that no disease or harm shall befall you or your family, in Jesus’ name.
Let’s pray for our brothers and sisters who are in the medical field, the frontliners. Let’s pray for our soldiers, policemen, and security guards. Let’s pray for the people who are working in banks. Let’s pray for those working in the groceries. Let’s pray for those working in pharmacies. Let’s pray for the people who are still working to transport us safely to one destination to another. Let’s pray for the online sellers who are still working to deliver our needs. Let’s pray for the janitors and janitresses who are exposing themselves to dirt and whatnot. Let’s pray for the delivery men/women who deliver our food and other necessities. Let’s pray for the waiters and waitresses who serve our food amidst this predicament. Let’s pray for the gas stations’ employees who provide gas for everyone. Let’s pray for the workers who are risking everything just to sustain their families. The Kuya Mangtatahos, the Kuya Sorbetoros. The Kuyas of the streets. Let’s pray for the businesses who are now feeling the losses because of this situation. Let’s pray for our spiritual advisers, those who are praying for all of us.
Let’s pray for our children, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, helpers, workers, drivers, bosses, and everyone else dear to us.
Let’s pray for our government. No matter how you think they’ve screwed up, A LITTLE PRAYER GOES A LONG WAY.
Let’s pray for everyone.
God bless you in abundance.”
On the other hand there is the counter post of Richard Heydarian
BE CRITICALLY THINKING CITIZENS, NOT MINDLESS SHEEP
To all those who say “let’s just follow the government” or “don’t politicise a crisis” and “puro kang criticism and kuda”, let me SAY THIS TO YOU my friend:
We got here BECAUSE of INCOMPETENCE, and that incompetence got here because you blindly SUPPORTED it. Call this whatever you want, but the Philippines is set to become the FIRST in the WORLD — yes first in the entire world — to impose large-scale restriction of movement within its CAPITAL FIRST. NO OTHER ASEAN country — majority poor developing countries like us — is locking down any major city, especially their capital.
And Italy had lockdown on northern Italy and Milan first, giving time to the capital and rest of the country to prepare. So why only the Philippines? Goodness, you elected someone who struggles to give even a single coherent paragraph in a televised address on a national emergency. PITY the COUNTRY not only your lodi.
THINK OF THE COUNTRY not your own president and party. And now, we will ALL SUFFER because of you! Yes, because of you! So please lang, before blaming us the CRITICAL thinking citizens, let me remind you:
Almost TWO MONTHS ago, I and many experts publicly warned over and over again: To MINIMIZE RISK — because it was never fully eliminating risk, but minimising it like Singapore, Hong Kong, Mongolia and elsewhere — we should impose STRICT TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS, especially from LOCKDOWN areas in China.
BUT NO! You said we are just paranoid and racist, fools! FYI, we had NO mass produced KITS. NO PREPARATION. They even cut the DOH budget in recent years. And no nothing, and yet your beloved leader ALLOWED THOUSANDS of people from most affected areas still come in day after day after day. And some say until today.
WHY? POGOS? “love” for the Chinese leaders? Until recently, there were still flights incoming from China, and some reports suggest more.
This is NOT RACISM. I hate racism, which is anathema to people of mixed background like me. I love the Chinese People, their ordinary good folks. And I even love more my own people.
This is NOT POLITICS. It’s being PATRIOTIC and vigilant about the future of the country. You tried to silence voice of reason two months ago. Now you want to shut down any criticism again, even if the LOCKDOWN is a lockdown that is not a lockdown and a curfew that is not a curfew that is…a TOTAL MESS! They just triggered exodus of THOUSANDS of people in Manila to poorest and least prepared areas by giving more than a day of window into implementing what — they can’t even pinpoint what it is! IF you prefer INCOMPETENCE, wag mo kame idamay.
And please lang, F off my page if you don’t want facts and sober analysis! I don’t need you… we welcome CRITICAL THINKING PINOYS and good folks and conscientious citizens here. I am tried of this nonsense and reckless incompetence endangering millions of Filipinos and affecting billions of dollars in economic activity.
We don’t deserve this. We don’t… as ancient wisdom states, to be ignorant is dangerous, especially when its obstinately wilful and fanatically imposed on others. Pity our country, pity our people….the poorest and most vulnerable who have no savings or protection from this preventable PLAGUE. Take care everyone… May God bless our country in these tough times amid the follies of its leaders. #StayStrongManila ♥️
Sincerely yours,
Chad
But what really hit the most was the post of one of the front-liners, doctors who were combating the pandemic head on. Hers is a more heartbreaking post that deserves to be read by everyone, her name is Virgi Lea Esquivel Aguas
I am a frontliner. And I am currently a PUI (person under investigation because of a secondary exposure to a confirmed case in Las Piñas). I was classified as such at a time when I have already committed one to two 24hours of my week for ER duties in hospitals nearby. When I have laid out my plans and schedule for the whole and subsequent months. When I just came from another duty, fulfilled that I have helped save another young life right when it mattered most.
I do my share of wearing personal protective equipment and frequent handwashing. Not because I’m afraid of contracting any illness myself, but because I have children I go home to to protect.
Yet earlier today, I learned that no matter how cautious one can be, no one is invincible.
I could not count how many times I cried today. I cried because I got scared for the growing baby inside me—although there hasn’t been any reports of vertical transmission, any infection can possibly trigger preterm labor.
I cried because the past few days, my boys at home—1 and 3 year olds—have been extra clingy and we’d play and hug and kiss as often as we wanted. I cried because my parents, both diabetic, have been longing to visit us to play with the kids. I cried because I did spend time with some friends and colleagues without my mask on, over lunch or dinner.
I cried because suddenly, my husband had to do all the household tasks I would have done myself—including taking care of the kids. I cried because I haven’t personally seen my 1yr old since getting back home this afternoon and my 3yo would constantly knock, “Mommy! Please open the door!”. While I lock myself up in one of the rooms in our house.
In times like this, my mind challenges my heart if everything is worth it. Yet my heart is strong in its conviction that yes, it is worth it! What started out as a desire in my young heart more than a decade ago has now become my life’s work and purpose.
Unlike how others perceive it, we do not do it for the money or just to get the job done. The years of sacrifice and the daily struggle to balance and challenge each of our own priorities are too heavy a burden just for us to see this “job” as merely that—an income-generating aspect of our lives. And we also do not do it for the glorification or the applause. The skills we’ve honed over the years, the decisiveness we have to have at any given time, and the gift to be able to make patients and relatives understand what is going on are now inherently embedded in our being just to seek approval from anyone.
We do it because it is our purpose. And whether you are appreciative or not, we do have our measures of success—and those are what keep us going.
I am a frontliner. For a couple of days, I am forced to retreat—to protect myself, my family, my colleagues, my patients and the community at large. I will dry my tears, I will regain my strength, I will re-ignite my passion. Then one day, I will be one again with all the healthcare frontliners—to be there for anyone who needs to be seen and taken care of—covid-19 inflicted or not.
The purpose of this post is to make sense of everything that is happening in the country, whether it is right to blame the government or it is right to tolerate its mistakes (willfully or not) in order to be able to defeat the Chinese Corona Virus more widely known as COVID-19.
But first of all there are facts like the ones below:
Lyndon Jaminola adds: Macau, SK, Taiwan or those countries that have successfully ‘flatten the curve’ put a ban on China flights and closed borders on the last week of January. Masyadong late si Digong
And then comes the very insensitive remarks of the Presidential Spokesperson:
In the final analysis I believe that the post of Jose Antonio Custodio perfectly sums it up:
The Duterte administration is finally reaping the bitter harvest of four years of relying on lies and deception to govern. Metro Manila is not a far away city like Marawi wherein it is easy to set up Potemkin illusions for propaganda purposes.
Metro Manila is the site of the nation’s capital, with 20 million or so people dependent on it, and the country’s center of politics, business, industry, and commerce. If it plunges into anarchy, no amount of police and military presence can save the city.
No Chinese copycat draconian measures will work. The millions will go hungry in a total lockdown of the megalopolis. Those critics of which the Duterte administration has ignored and ruthlessly maligned with its troll machinery have long suggested to approach the problem holistically.
Subsidies, genuine international flight restrictions, more health and medical equipment, full support to the frontliners whether medical, civil government or police and military, those are needed. If not, the Duterte administration will have only itself to blame and the outcome will be tragic for all.
As of current time, Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo says President Duterte just announced an enhanced community quarantine in the entire Luzon. | via Alexis Romero, Christina Mendez
•Based on the memo released last Saturday, “enhanced community quarantine” would entail implementation of strict home quarantine, suspension of transportation, regulation of food and essential health services provision and heightened presence of uniformed personnel.
GOD HELP US!