Since college, me and my friends have had differing views on politics. Some were for Arroyo, others were staunch critics. During the 2010 elections, I had friends who supported Noynoy, Gibo, and even Erap. When the 2016 elections came along, me and my friends supported different candidates - vastly different candidates. During the midterm elections last year, yet again, we supported different political parties.
I, for one, voted for Duterte. I'm honestly disappointed by his performance but wouldn't go any other way if given the chance. Since 2016, my political ideas have changed and I was only able to put them into practice in the 2019 midterm elections. Those close to me know I didn't vote along party lines. I looked at what each candidate brought to the table and voted accordingly.
Flash forward to today. Duterte announced a community quarantine (that, let's face it, is a lockdown of sorts) of Metro Manila. A few days ago, the province of Cebu and city of Cebu announced a similar ban on travel. Curfew is being enforced (in Cebu) to minimize contact between people during this pandemic. But when news of the PNP and AFP would be patrolling the borders of Metro Manila, the activists of UP (students and graduates) went crazy online calling it a de facto martial law.
Just like that, friends of mine who couldn't see eye to eye on key political issues, against all odds, united in calling this conclusion crazy. And this is because the current COVID pandemic is NOT political. The virus doesn't care who you voted for or what your political leanings are. It doesn't care if you're rich or poor. It simply doesn't care. Meanwhile, we, as a society must act now doing whatever we can within our means now.
Bringing up the budget cut on the Department of Health is important for next election season. It's not important NOW. Calling for a medical solution instead of a military solution is not helpful NOW. Call for more testing kits to be made more readily available but don't fear monger and call mobilization of the AFP and PNP as a case where martial law is being enforced.
With our limited resources, mobilizing the AFP and PNP is crucial at stopping the disease from spreading further than it should. Metro Manila, which has notable land borders with neighboring provinces, needs to man said land borders. The police and the military are ready to be deployed. It's an imperfect solution but at this time, there is no such thing a perfect solution. Everyone needs to do their part and cooperate.
Whether or not you like this president, whether he's making the right calls or not, one thing is for certain, we need to cooperate with each other. Practically everyone is on board with the Metro Manila lockdown save the tiny noisy internet activists calling it a de facto martial law.
To the internet activists, stop your fear mongering. The province of Cebu is imposing something similar here. Curfew is being imposed as well. Everyone understands why this is being done. No one wants it but people understand it. Yet no one is calling out Governor Garcia or Mayor Labella for imposing a sort of martial law on the Cebuanos.
Let's all unite against this virus. It's been said a million times in the news and in company briefings but why not say it again? Wash your hands regularly. Practice social distancing including avoiding handshaking for the mean time. Don't go to the mall or other crowded areas unless absolutely necessary. Sanitize whenever possible especially after touching surfaces that have been touched by others like door handles, collection boxes in church, etc. And avoid touching your face. The last tip, usually forgotten by people can be summed up by, "Assume you're a carrier." This includes practicing proper cough etiquette and generally maintaining a healthy body.
Stay safe, everyone!
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