by Peachy Vibal-Guioguio
media.Xchange President & The Philippine Star Columnist
The most heartbreaking situation to be in during this Covid-19 pandemic is to lose a loved one without being able to physically say goodbye or hug him for one last time. But what could be more devastating than one who had to carry his deceased month-old baby and trudge along the cold and empty streets of the city with each step getting heavier with the load of his child and the shattered pieces of his broken heart. I cannot imagine the unbearable pain of Rodel Canlas, a 23-year-old construction worker, who had to endure both the physical and emotional trauma of having to walk home with his lifeless newborn child because there was no available transportation for people like him during this lockdown.
When the government declared the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) more than a month ago to flatten the spread of the virus, only transportation for essential services were allowed to ply the streets. Public Utility Vehicles (PUVs) and shared mobility services like Grab and Angkas had to stop operating because these were possible routes in which the virus can be transmitted and contracted. Never mind that most of our citizens avail of the public transport system just to get to the market or grocery for essential items. And note that at the start of ECQ, even our health workers suffered because there was no transport for them to get to the hospital from their homes. Thus, in the two times I have gone out to do some essential errands, I have seen people in the streets, hands heavy with groceries as there are no available PUVs to take them to them back home. I have also read several accounts of individuals who had been stranded and had to hike several kilometers, staying the night at waiting sheds or by the entrances of some closed malls to rest, then continue to journey the next day to their places of destination.
While there have been efforts from the Local Government Units (LGUs) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to come up with free shuttle services for our frontliners and medical workers, these developments still leave majority of our people without viable means of transportation.
And while I agree that it is necessary to curtail any forms of travelling to curb this pandemic, I would also like to see how we could avoid these tragic situations which our kababayans unnecessarily go through due to lack of foresight and clear plans from the government. I may not be an expert on transportation policies but maybe we could consider partially lifting the suspension of PUVs to allow essential travel of passengers bearing IDs and certification (one only per family) to move around and implement the SOP to wear masks, wash hands and observe social distancing to minimize the risks for the passenger and the public transport staff.
In U.S. states such as New York, which is the hardest hit by the virus, public transport services continue to run with passengers practicing social distancing; wearing of masks at all times; daily cleaning and disinfection; providing hand sanitizers by the doors for passengers, etc.
Our feet-worn citizens who need to get their essential supplies and those going out to do essential jobs are helpless due to this lockdown. We should look out for them and help relieve their suffering in any way we can.
Speaking of the most vulnerable, the lessons from countries hit by this pandemic demonstrate that our senior citizens are the most threatened with majority of all deaths across the globe accounted by those who are 60 years old and above. However, in this whole lockdown scenario, they are also the most neglected as I have seen posts on FB page SuperTsuper, a group of mostly senior drivers, asking for some sort of financial help to buy their medicines. The same could also be said of seniors who live alone at home with their children gone and with no one to look out for them; the lack of medicines/vitamins makes them doubly vulnerable to the virus. Hence, I would like to commend Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco’s program called “Maintenance Mo, Delivery Ko” which aims to deliver medicines to seniors right at their doorstep.
Which brings me to this letter from Baldomero V. Ramos, 90 years old, who, like most seniors, have to stay safe inside their homes. According to Mr. Ramos, he has been trying to call the hotlines of the different government agencies to no avail. The frustrated, old man wanted to know the plans of the government for seniors like him, such as, if they are entitled under social amelioration assistance, etc. Some seniors do not get pension from SSS or GSIS, so the seniors’ children contribute to their non-pensioners parents. But these children are also affected by the lockdown, so government support is the only way to aid these seniors. And I strongly feel that we have to do more for this invaluable member of our society whose talents, brawn and striving have resulted to what the Philippines as a nation has achieved to this day.
Original Story in Wheels.ph
