After President Rodrigo Duterte announced an “enhanced community quarantine” for the entire mainland of Luzon, the PNP personnel manning one checkpoint allowed people only 30 minutes to run to the border of Batasan Quezon City and San Mateo, Rizal before closing it.
This situation has caught the attention of some public figures including Bela Padilla, Karen Davila, and Jules Guiang.
Bela cried out that these people were already tired from work and the PNP forcing them to run instead of walking was unnecessary.
https://twitter.com/padillabela/status/1239526638326403073?fbclid=IwAR2eQnfUyEU6pX1_ZvVpg-sSMzA48mBOI6zoHHVSJ16nuj4XOo34hH1nZ2U
As for the ABS-CBN broadcaster Karen Davila, the community quarantine was supposed to make Filipinos feel safe and protected. Asking people to run within 30 minutes after the declaration of ‘enhanced community quarantine’ only instills fear.
Karen stated: “Citizens should not be made to flee in fear.”
Citizens should not be made to flee in fear. The quarantine should make Filipinos FEEL protected. This is what we need. https://t.co/kVuzMqHGVy
— Karen Davila (@iamkarendavila) March 16, 2020
Meanwhile, TV Host Jules Guiang felt pity for the Filipinos who were asked to run.
https://twitter.com/JULESguiang/status/1239527803139182593?fbclid=IwAR2A9TPfWkzCqZxYXxNVGMdFFoT6x6NwiEyZ__92XF99C5pLXVh1KvBGjTQ
Netizens could not help but to be irked by the PNP’s action to give the people 30 minutes to run cross the borders of Quezon City and San Mateo Rizal, it was more like ‘Hunger Games.
Ano ‘yan? Hunger games? Some of them are too old to run! The current PH government is the real killer, indeed.
— Jojo (@proseccopunch) March 16, 2020
Here are the other reactions from netizens:
Malayo ako sa ating inang bayan pero ramdam ko ang pahirap at pasakit ng inutil na gobyernong ito sa ating mga kababayan ng dahil sa maling pamamaraan laban sa #coronavirus
— totoybato (@Totoybato1220) March 16, 2020
@pnppio, you're supposed to safeguard the health and safety of the citizens, not run the Hunger Games.
— Paul Catiang (@paulcatiang) March 16, 2020
https://twitter.com/justjessie___/status/1239507194892017665
https://twitter.com/jace_md19/status/1239494180142899201
tapos itong mga pulis nood nood lang? hAHAHA eh kung tinutulungan na lang sila makauwi tangina hindi talaga covid ang papatay sa bansang to i swear
— gale (@googale_) March 16, 2020
Pano kapag matanda na at di na makatakbo diba? Or yung pagod na nga sa trabaho papatakbuhin pa 😖
— miss antigravity (@missantigravity) March 16, 2020
Could have stopped and barred them prior to crossing after “30 mins” why let them run like chickens crossing the road?
— alexbeeee (@alexbeer_) March 16, 2020
Ano ba yan. Undeclared Martial Law? Di ba nila naisip na ang taong yan ay maghapon nag work at baka hindi man lang naka-upo yan sa buong maghapon, then they need to run? Ano ba dapat habulin?
— maria (@mara0162) March 16, 2020
This. After a day's work.
— tkate (@imtkate) March 16, 2020
This shows who suffer most from the lockdown/quarantine.
Mga common tao.
Sana naiisip ng gubyerno na madaming ordinaryong tao na nais mag provide sa pamilya nila.
At YES, mamamatay ka kung hindi ka kakain ng isang buwan.#lockdown#EnhancedCommunityQuarantine#totalquarantine— Iéna Schrei (@schrei_und_tod) March 16, 2020
