A year has passed since the National Capital Region was placed in a “month-long community quarantine” alongside the imposition of coined terms like “stringent social distancing” and “enhanced community quarantine” following such health protocols to curb the coronavirus disease pandemic.

The fact that this was a health-related concern, people posed questions on what appeared to be a martial law-like lockdown due to the numerous police and military presence on checkpoints rather than of a medical frontline worker.   

People usually coin catchphrases, perhaps a mere expression, when an event or a phenomenon has gone for that long by saying “one year and we’re still counting”.

In this case, the people are not counting on the government.

Noise barrage

Legitimate demands like ‘mass testing’ and questions over the economic relief assistance remain among the premium campaigns even after a year of lockdown and still fell on deaf ears, according to groups who conducted a spread out noise barrage protest in several communities within the capital region.

At OCS Arboretum in Quezon City
In South Caloocan
At Vitas Katuparan in Tondo, Manila City
At Maysapang in Brgy. Ususan, Taguig City

From the daily spike of COVID-19 cases, to the surging debt from loans, inflation rate, human rights violations, imposition of anti-poor policies, attacks against left-leaning groups, rampant red-tagging and killings versus dissenters, along with the series of online and offline protests— these are among the glaring issues that the people are literally now counting ever since the pandemic has arrived in the country.

That’s it. That’s the tweet.

Netizens could no longer digest the toxic positivity along with the culture of impunity or “pagsasawalang bahala” with regard to the COVID-19 response under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Here are some of their insights.

Harry Roque also claimed a title spot in the twitter trends. This came after his positive notes in line with the government’s response to COVID-19 as “going well” while, ironically, he himself tested positive for the coronavirus.

“Excellent naman po talaga tayo sa handling, until this month of March kung saan sumipa ang kaso ng COVID,” the presidential spox staunchly defended.

Roque was administered a COVID-19 test on March 14. He is the second high-ranking government official to test positive after the mananita cop Police National Police chief Debold Sinas tested positive last week, March 11.

Philippines has set another record-high number of COVID-19 with 5,404 additional infections today and surpassed the 5000 mark obtained just last Saturday, March 13.

Accordingly, it is the highest daily case increase since August 12, 2020 which peaked at 6,958.

The health department has reported that the country has reached a total of 626, 893 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 12,837 casualties and 560,577 recoveries.

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