The Government vs. The Crowd Favorite

For years of living in a country governed by corruption and inefficiency, we Filipinos have grown tired of anyone who administers unusually, yet a well-deserved leadership was then given of recognition and acclimation. With over hundreds of public officials in the country whom we all expect to do their job, even just the bare minimum, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto stands out as an exemplar of his performative and humble governance, and people are hopeful about it.

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It’s no surprise that everyone’s on the look out for his every move, because as the youngest city mayor, his proactive COVID-19 initiatives are truly worth applauding. In case you didn’t know, he ordered the installation of sanitation tents on the entrances of the Pasig halls and in its two government hospitals, and proffered three disinfection drones to help sanitize public places.

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As we faced this pandemic, alarm and panic had become an evident reaction from people. So in an effort to curb this creeping fear among his constituents, he imposed the anti-hoarding ordinance to avoid basic necessities to run out from bulk buying and also set up mobile kitchens to cater food for frontline workers and responders.

We’ve all been made aware that President Rodrigo Duterte expects everyone, especially the Local Government Units to cooperate with him, after he placed the entire region of Luzon under enhanced community quarantine.

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He even reiterated that mayors can issue executive orders to “make the environment of their municipality more conducive to a healing process,” which means allowing them to actively take control of their communities without waiting for the national government.

On that note, despite the mass public transportation ban, Mayor Vico allowed the operation of tricycles in Pasig, with the intention of making an easier transfer of patients from their homes and to ferry the frontline workers to hospitals.

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But recently, President Duterte threatens criminal charges to LGU’s who don’t follow lockdown rules, pointing specifically on the transportation ban, as Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said on a statement, that tricycles were unsafe because COVID-19 could potentially be transmitted to its passengers. 

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How odd? If we come to think of it, these warnings were only stressed by the president soon after Sotto’s name and efforts became an online sensation.

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Now it’s caused another turnabout. What does the pro-government sees as a real danger? Is it the virus or the fame and recognition that Sotto receives from the masses, which they consider to be a potential threat to them?

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It is truly alarming and demoralizing how despite of this pandemic disease, politics stay as is, dirty and manipulative. As a true Filipino citizen, let this be your wake-up call to involve yourself. Whoever wins in this battle of the government or the crowd favourite lies in our hands, and it is about time to live with our eyes wide open, not with the lies being fed to us. We don’t deserve the bare minimum. The system has to change, so be the catalyst.