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By: Nicole Linatoc
“Be critical, vocal, and involved in the political process. We are a democratic country and it is our duty to keep our government in check,” said Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago.
In this pandemic, our government has its flaws. As a responsible citizen, one must speak up for those who could not speak for themselves speak for the marginalized that are rendered helpless during this Luzon- wide lockdown. As this, is an exercise of democracy and freedom. Recently, President Duterte threatened the people with left-leaning ideologies be detained and shot if one displays criticism towards the effort of the administration to address the pandemic. This can be supported by recent events, A reported harassment of police forces on netizens criticizing the government online as highlighted by the arrest of two people in General Santos City last March 29, 2020, and the serving of subpoena by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to an unnamed individual last April 1, 2020 also for a social media post according to Computer Professionals’ Union (CPU)
Amidst these events, there are citizens who didn’t stop being vigilant and are labeled “reklamadors”. These people proved critically viewing the government’s actions towards the pandemic can help the nation. They prove why ‘reklamo’ is better than ‘just obeying’. The criticisms that the ‘reklamadors’ resulted in; (1) an apology from the Department of Health (DOH) regarding the 500 pesos a day for the volunteer health workers and they decided to increase the salary of the said workers; (2) prevented DOH on planning to remove Dra. Celia Carlos as head of Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) due to her strong will against VIP testing; (3) National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) cleared that Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto doesn’t have any law violations; (4) the government provided solutions regarding the front liners’ transportation; and lastly (5) mass testing implementation scheduled April 14.
Citizens are constantly told to contribute instead of criticizing. This is a flawed argument as it assumes wanting the government to fail, but one criticizes to seek for improvements and not failures. Use social media as an outlet or medium to call out the government. Because after all, all the people have right now are the voices that they have to stop criticizing. Keep using your voice and your freedom of speech.
Remain vigilant and view with a critical eye the efforts of the government as they address the pandemic. It is their responsibility to provide proper and equitable services to the public, and they cannot make any actions that can deviate from their obligations.
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