Palma calls for unity

CEBU, Philippines —  Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma has joined the call for Cebuanos to unite as they continue to fight the coronavirus disease.

“Panahon na gyud aron atong ipakita ang ka-importante aning atong tandem together, ang atong paghugpong, atong panaghiusa,” Palma said yesterday in a broadcast initiated by the newly formed Cebu COVID-19 Citizens (CCC) Initiatives.

(It’s about time that we show the value of our tandem, of coming together, of being united.)

Palma said that Cebuanos, especially the residents of Cebu City, should cooperate, collaborate, and coordinate so that the city will finally get to move on and revive its ailing condition, especially that frontliners are getting exhausted.

Cebu City is the only local government unit in the entire country that remains under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

“Cebu(City) na lang gyud, no, ang nag-ECQ. Ang ubang probinsya, ang ubang mga siyudad, GCQ na; and iba MGCQ. Buot ipasabot, strikto pa gyud ang atong kahimtang. Evidence-wise, daghan pa ang naapektuhan,” Palma said.

(Only Cebu City is under ECQ. The other provinces, the other cities are now on GCQ; the other even on MGCQ. This means, our situation is still serious. Evidence-wise, many are still affected.)

As of July 3, the city registered 5,824 cases, of which 2,567 are active. Yesterday, July 4, it recorded 167 cases and nine deaths but also logged 96 recoveries, one of the highest numbers reported in a day.

Cooperation

Cooperation need not be complicated, Palma said. What the public can do, in general, is observe protocols and follow preventive measures advised by experts. For example, the public can help stop the spread of the virus by staying at home when there is no important reason to go out and observing social distancing when in public.

“We usually say the COVID-19 virus would only need warm bodies to thrive. Kung ma-contain kana, mamatay man kana; maundang iyang pag-spread. Mao kini ang importante,” Palma said.

(We usually say the COVID-19 virus would only need warm bodies to thrive. If we contain it, we can kill it, and we can stop the spread. This is what’s important.)

“Kung maghugpong kita, magkahiusa, in just a matter of a few weeks, kining COVID-19, maundang iyang pag-spread ug matabangan nato ang mga naapektohan. Kay ngano man? We try to shape public behavior. Unta, kining atong paningkamot, magdulot unta ug paglaom natong tanan,” Palma said.

(If we unite, we can stop the spread of COVID-19 in just a few weeks and we can help those who have been affected. Why is this? Because we try to shape public behavior. Hopefully, our efforts will give hope to all.)

Palma said the church has been supporting initiatives locally, albeit in a low-key manner. Aside from helping feeding program and lending church facilities, the priests continue to pray for the crisis to come to an end, for healing, and for revival of development.

He reminded Cebuanos to keep their faith and trust in the Santo Niño and in Mother Mary.

 “I would like to end with what Pope (Francis) has said: We pray that we would discover within our hearts the antibodies of justice and love that would help us stop the stem of COVID and help towards our revival of our community. Magtinabangay kita and believe that something good will happen,” he said.

Recently, Secretary Roy Cimatu challenged Cebu City residents to help end the quarantine.

“ECQ-End Cebu’s Quarantine. We have to end your quarantine already and I’m making this a message to all the Cebuanos. You help us end Cebu’s Quarantine,” Cimatu said during a virtual presser, hours after the Inter-Agency Task Force decided to extend the city’s ECQ status.

Cimatu is assigned to oversee the government’s response to the COVID-19 situation in the city, particularly the implementation of ECQ protocols.

Labella’s Call

Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella has also called for unity and urged to set politics aside while the city faces the crisis.

For its part, the CCC Initiatives is calling on Cebuanos to unite, to stop blaming, and to follow health protocols.

“We are calling on our Fellow Cebuanos to please take this pandemic, this crisis, really seriously. The COVID-19 virus only needs warm bodies to thrive. In two weeks, it will die if it touches none. Let us hang on. But we ask you, mga Kaigsu-onang Sugbo-anon, let us do this, truly in unity. We ask you to stand in solidarity as a community to defeat the virus once and for all,” the group said in a statement. JMO (FREEMAN)