“Buti Pa Ang Pupunta Sa SONA” – Doctor Speaks Out For Frontliners
GOVERNMENT’S PRIORITIES – As President Duterte was about to give his State of the Nation Address (SONA), a doctor Tweeted: “Buti pa ang mga pupunta sa SONA, may mandatory RT-PCR”.
Dr. Jose Mari Garcia expressed his dismay over the government’s priorities during the COVID-19 pandemic. With Duterte’s SONA on the horizon, the doctor said this on his social media post:
Buti pa ang mga pupunta sa SONA, may mandatory RT-PCR. KAming mga humaharap sa pandemya, pahirapan pa. Taena nyo.
(Those who are going to the SONA have it good, they even have a mandatory RT-PCR. Meanwhile, us who are facing the pandemic head-on are suffering.)
Here are some of the comments from the Twitter post:
Attendees of Duterte’s SONA were required to undergo swab and rapid tests for COVID-19. According to Roque, those who tested positive in the tests would no longer be allowed to physically attend the SONA.
However, this fact irked Garcia as thousands of medical frontliners risk their lives everyday but weren’t given the slightest of priorities. Recently, several hospitals warned that they were reaching full capacity and could no longer accept COVID-19 patients. However, instead of addressing the Issue, Malacañang emphasized that hospitals had enough beds to cater to the COVID-19 infected patients.
The market cost of COVID-19 rapid tests usually go for around P1,200 to 2,000 pesos while prices for the swab tests could reach around P8,500. Additionally, getting these tests proved to be a daunting task that usually takes hours for ordinary citizens.
Meanwhile, lawmakers and their staff who are attending the SONA have their own private venues for testing. Furthermore, the attendees of the event needed to be tested twice, one before the event on July 26, and another on the day itself on July 27.
READ ALSO: SONA 2020: President Rodrigo Duterte’s State of the Nation Address
