THE COVID-19 pandemic is certainly not far from over but there is never a fitting time than now to honor the unsung real life heroes on the frontline of the fight against the novel coronavirus.
We pay tribute to all the COVID-19 frontliners. We honor doctors, nurses and many others performing ancillary services in facilities looking after the sick for their immeasurable sacrifices. We honor them for their heroism and for their unconditional love.
At the same time, we express regret for the discrimination, harassment, and stigma that some of them have to contend with, alongside coronavirus patients, from persons lacking in information and compassion.
Let us also recognize and pay homage to other frontliners who are making it possible for us to carry on with our disrupted lives while we stay home during this health emergency.
Thanks to the farmers, fishers, grocers and vendors for keeping the food supplies flowing; to the truckers for hauling vital goods from farms and ports to the marketplace; to the food and water delivery service providers, retailers, pharmacy staff and others for providing us our needs.
Thanks to the garbage collectors, street disinfectors and sweepers for keeping the surroundings free of rubbish and disease-causing germs; to all workers in basic public utilities, money remittances and other key establishments for the seamless continuity of essential services.
Thanks to all media practitioners and workers for their coverage of the pandemic and the people’s situations and needs; to all barangay workers for enforcing the curfew hours, liquor bans and physical distancing, and for the emergency relief assistance.
Thanks to all law and order personnel for keeping us safe, including operatives against hoarding and profiteering; to the designers and makers of protective masks, face shields, and garments for filling up supply shortages; to celebrities and nameless volunteers for their acts of charity.
Thanks to church, school, hotel and facility administrators for opening up their facilities for frontliners, the homeless and the sick; to funeral home and crematorium workers for giving the fallen COVID-19 victims a dignified departure; to everyone in the government service for ensuring that the promised social amelioration package reaches all the needy as quickly as possible.
We thank them all for their heroism, love, solidarity and for bringing out the best in us, Filipinos, amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
