To all those on the battlefield,
We want to thank you for all your efforts in fighting this ghastly virus. If not for your efforts, the rest of us would have died out by now. We would have doomed ourselves to an apocalypse where we would actually have to resort to killing. It would have been anarchy. As of now, you are the last line of defense against this virus.
You’ve come so far. From the failing grades, fighting the ignorant – in both the medical field and not, and to fighting the urge to give up when everything was ready to crash on you, and today – your baptism of fire happens. It is a day we all wished wouldn’t happen. It was a day that we thought wouldn’t happen considering medical technology. But it has happened, all because of a slight misjudgment that turned out to be disastrous.
To all the janitors who clean up in the hospital to make sure the medical practitioners do not get infected, we salute you. For you to break your backs in making sure the place is clean. We wish we knew all your names so that we could thank you for your efforts. Because in what the world deems small, the parents of these medical practitioners can see their children come home healthy and safe despite being in the thick of it all.
To the interns, look around and well. This is the battlefield that you have spent 8 years learning to fight in. This is the kind of battle that you’ll have to fight. It’s not the usual one with a gun. No. This is done with a different kind of gun. It’s the gun that lurks inside your brain: your neurons. Keep those neurons firing and assist in every way you can.
To the doctors and nurses, you’ve done so well to fight not only misinformation but also the terror that it’s in each patient. They’re scared of dying. Everyone is. But you who spent years learning how to speak with Death and medically negotiate with it, we salute you. You’re out there comforting each and every patient who’s scared. Whether it’s scared of the virus or scared for their families, you’ve offered your hearts to them.
source: Philstar
To the soldiers at the checkpoints, we know you’ve trained under blazing sun. We know you’re under orders from officials who may or may not get the situation. But we want to applaud you for your valor despite your fear of infection. Like what West Point Academy says, duty (gawa / tungkulin), honor (dangal), and country (bayan). If your superiors have forgotten that, may you never forget that. Because a real soldier serves his country with honor. That the lives they were forced to take were in the name of keeping their country safe.
To the parents of these medical practitioners and to all those on the front line, sleep well knowing that you’ve raised wonderful children who have willingly stepped forward to save the Philippines when the financially capable did not. We will gladly stay quarantined in our homes to make sure you can see your children for the next few days and for the many days to come.
Know that the rest of the world is watching. Though we cannot come out of our homes to tell you straight to your faces of how wonderful a job you’re doing, we will let you know here: you are doing a wonderful job. We will do our part as best as we can. And thank you for leading us in this war.
Signed,
All those in the Non-Medical Field