Medical and social solutions, not checkpoints

We are one with the entire nation in the fight against the spread of COVID-19. We recognize that this is a time for proactive measures to flatten the curve and prevent the further spread of the virus. We continue to adhere to the safety precautions that must be observed during this time.

Mass testing must no longer be an option but a need and a priority for all. This health crisis is not divorced from political and social issues that our country is facing. We call out the gross ineptitude that this government has demonstrated at the onset of this crisis.

Despite the pandemic, farmers have to continue working in order to provide food for their families. This harvest season, the cost of reaping is P400 a day. They are forced to look for other means of income. Farmers have been calling for support even before the pandemic. It is common for farmers to experience hunger and poverty, but the situation now is graver. Our farmers are our frontliners in food security, but the government continues to neglect them in these dangerous times.

Instead of prioritizing the creation of medical solutions, this government has the audacity to place the country under a pseudo-martial law state, endangering the lives of the most vulnerable and the marginalized. All citizens, especially those who are in the margins of society, should feel safe and protected by their government, not threatened and coerced to submission. We call on the government to shift the focus; what the nation needs now are medical solutions and assistance for farmers, peasants, the rural and urban poor who are being prohibited from farming and working.

We also demand a quick and mass response to the medical needs of each and every Filipino. All communities should be given the necessary medical needs. Ensure that there are enough doctors, nurses, and medical professionals in the frontlines to combat the rise in COVID-19 cases. All frontliners should also be given the necessary equipment to protect themselves from the virus. We also call on the government to protect consumers from opportunistic resellers of medical products such as soaps and alcohol.

Finally, we demand that the government provide subsidies for all workers affected by the extended enhanced community quarantine due to loss of income. It is time for the government to step up and give citizens what they need. #SolusyongMedikalHindiMilitar

VITTO LARDIZABAL
Rural Women Advocates
ruralwomenadvocates@gmail.com