True to form, the politicians were there at the head offices of Beneco when it was forcibly taken over by a mob of employees and their sympathizers. The city mayor was there, center stage. Well, it was a vote-getting appearance.
We said it before, and we say it again. So many people are going hungry.
It is on account of the covid restrictions? How about the businesses that were closing down resulting in unemployment everywhere?
The expected answer was, the epidemic could have resulted in a lot more deaths.
Before imposing restrictions though that kill sources of livelihood, the other measurers to curb that eventuality should have been strictly implemented. An example is social distancing. Go to any jeepney station where people get rides to nearby towns during rush hours and the jeepneys are packed.
The only measure to counter-act the sad state of the unemployed and hungry was to distribute food to them. Am sure the city has some funds for that, or some infrastructure projects could have been held in abeyance and use the funds therefor to assuage grumbling tummies.
We certainly have no bones abut making sure electricity is assured households and business establishments, thus, the meddling in Beneco matters, but taking care of the hungry and the needs of the jobless are far higher in the ladder of priorities.
Thousands of jeepney and taxi drivers have been suffering for more than a year already. As one related, it would be a good day if they could bring home P200.00. How could you feed a family with that amount for two days or more? Drivers are only allowed to go out every other day or every after two days.
Sometimes taxi drivers could not even bring home anything. They have a word for it– “abonado. Kung minsan abonado pa kami sa boundary.”
While balancing the two problems, avoiding the spread of covid-19 versus hunger and joblessness, what appears is taking the least resistance. Impose restrictions and let the hungry and the jobless be damned.
For those who had been through hunger and being jobless, that was a terrible choice.**