"When Solidarity and Compassion
also meant Revolution"
(Or: Notes after President Duterte's statement in response
to the call of concerned health workers over the pandemic crisis,
and how the President treated their concerns as a "call for Revolution")
and how the President treated their concerns as a "call for Revolution")
At first, this note stands by the people, especially thousands of health workers who spent their life facing the risks of COVID19 and in the face of Duterte's senseless triades against them. For in his recent statement, Duterte has shown his fear as he interpreted the concerns addressed by the health workers as "calls for revolution" and issued threats of using Martial law to silence them as well as ridiculed nurses to join the police "if they want to receive higher wages."
In this part, this statement brought about by the president shows how his treatment over the situation as rather driven by fear than care towards the people. That from having former military heads as part of his task force against COVID19 to those of militarisation/use of police power to control this pandemic crisis, Duterte's obsession with security uses this pandemic as a way to silence the growing opposition against his leadership, having sick and tired of incompetence within his term.
And to think that the president has treated the collective plea of health workers and concerned peoples alike as "inciting to rebellion", this note denounces his petulant response along with threats and insults. Indeed, he declared to remand Metro Manila and adjacent provinces under "Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine" with stringent restrictions and police control as he wanted, but failed to put into place urgently-needed measures to support the capacity of the health system including free COVID19 mass testing and treatment, aggressive contract tracing, and overhaul of the poor system of data collection to effectively manage this growing pandemic.
What more that Duterte himself didn't even announce the distribution of additional subsidies to those who will again be forced to stay at home for the duration of this "Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine".
With this kind of bullshitry brought about by the regime would say that the concerned people rather stood on those who have been working overtime treating and caring for the growing number of COVID19 patients in the country. Overworked and having lack of necessary needs such as protective equipment, a disproportionate number of health workers have died and many end falling ill and being treated all because of ill working conditions at hospitals and health facilities. And despite praised as "modern day heroes" they are grossly underpaid and not given the necessary compensation for the risks taken nor the expenses when they themselves end hospitalised when they contract the disease.
Worse, public hospitals and health facilities are understaffed and efforts to employ enough new nurses and health practitioners as insufficient. Earlier, statements from various medical groups like the Philippine Medical Association, to those of former Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit called for urgent response including comprehensive reforms to address the pandemic- which captured the views and sentiments of health workers.
These calls for drastic measures was issued as the cases of COVID19 infections in the Philippines surpassed 100,000 more than twice the number compared to a month ago. The sentiments of health workers also revealed the real pandemic situation that indirectly includes exposing lies and false assurances from Duterte and his camarilla- especially those who have not provided nor offer people any explanation how the pandemic are spreading except blaming people for not wearing masks or follow "social distancing." And to think that police arrest people in the streets even for the "flimsiest and idiotic" reasons, it has allowed establishments to operate their facilities and firms without government health regulations. The so-called "Balik Probinsya" program and the "Hatid Tulong" for those desperate to leave Metro Manila and return to their provinces has resulted in large crowds congregating, hence another source of spreading infection around the country.
Perhaps, for an orderist like Duterte, he treats the issue on health and well-being of the Filipino people as purely "internal security" matter. Along with his camarilla of former military officials and rabid supporters, they took much time in integrating "security", "health", and "development" and is at all times, difficult. The call for drastic measures, the need for change in the orientation and leadership over this pandemic response, and the need a shift from "strictly security" to those of "health and wellbeing" via medical and public health experts to take the helm from former military generals are quite far from the views Duterte thinks of such as population control and restrictions.
Worse, to see that same regime covering up its failure to address the situation, let alone what they used to instead of heeding the call of the concerned, what more of treating as an act aiming to destabilise the administration and the order itself.