MONTHS into the pandemic in its first year (2020) we were fully in agreement that all health workers qualified to be dubbed as the new “superheroes” of the country. Yes, many of them had been infected with the deadly CoViD 19 virus at a time when the government and health authorities in both the public and private sectors, were actually groping in the dark on how to contain it.
During the first few months of the pandemic the health workers were hardly aware of what arms they should bear and what protective measures they must equip themselves to at least be isolated from the infection of the virus. But they persevere even to the point that many of them including doctors and nurses were either hospitalized for long or died working. These incidents though happened at a time when all of them were focused on working because they have a sworn duty to perform regardless of the risks attendant to meeting their commitment. Besides, many of them, if not all, were also bound to obey whatever job description given them in their employment contracts, or detailed in their appointment papers.
But lo and behold. Their oaths were eventually set aside to give way to the materialistic cravings of a good number of them. These few who were basking on the glory of being acknowledged as the new superheroes, eventually found in the pandemic the opportunity to satisfy the gnawing greed in their system. Even with the growing number of their fellow Filipinos are literally pushed to the ground because of poverty brought about by joblessness due to the pandemic; even as many fellow Filipinos are dying slowly because of hunger and infirmities these supposed country’s new superheroes are demanding for the release of all the add-on benefits they believed are due them from the government. Some of these “superheroes’ ‘ are literally taking “hostage” the government’s sincere efforts in stemming the CoViD 19 pandemic and in giving the economy some breather to keep it afloat. Yes, a good number of the health workers, who claimed to be the ideal ones, now speak the activist’s language and aping the latter’s action and body movements to emphasize that their demands are non-negotiable and therefore have to be satisfied by the government by all means.
Many times over, the same group of health workers had threatened to unilaterally quit their job and go abroad where their pay would likely be much more than they are receiving in the Philippines.
In effect they are saying that they should not be faulted by the government if only an insignificant few will be left to attend to the needs of CoViD patients. They apparently are manifesting signs that they cannot be bothered by their conscience if the worst will come to the country if they are already not around to provide their brand of service because the level of their pay here is wanting here is wanting
Now, are these sectors of the so-called new “super heroes” really deserving of the high accolade? Or, do they have the moral right to bask on the glory of being called as such when they are even willing to forget all about their oath and instead lead the Filipinos on the road to perdition if only for their greedy desires to be satisfied?
To us, the real and genuine new “super heroes” are those among the health workers, still a good number of them, who keep working silently and content themselves of what they get at the moment and praying that soon, when this pandemic would be over, they will eventually get what is rightfully due them.
Yes, to us they are the true new super heroes. After all, they must have realized that they at this point in time “short of their expectation in their remuneration but are much better than those worst affected Filipinos” — those who lost their livelihood because of the CoViD 19 pandemic.
Indeed they must be recognized as the real “super heroes” and their recognition must be accompanied with the appropriate reward voluntarily given by the authorities and their fellow Filipinos; not demanded with some threat upended on it.
