Resilience can help Pinoys rise above pandemic – Duterte

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte has put his faith in the resilience of the Filipino to rise above COVID-19 in the new year with the nation still reeling from the adverse effects of the pandemic.

In his New Year message yesterday, Duterte urged the Filipino people to stay strong in facing the challenges of 2021.

“Now, we march on to a new year wiser, stronger and more prepared for the challenges ahead,” he said. “I am confident that all of us will see brighter days because we believe in the indomitable spirit of the Filipino.”

For people like him in government, Duterte said this is another opportunity to serve the public with compassion. “We are given another chance to serve our people… another opportunity to render public service with genuine compassion and malasakit,” he said.

Duterte noted that the resilience of the Filipino was instrumental for everyone to endure the challenges caused by the pandemic – from being infected or the threat of infection, unemployment, following strict quarantine protocols and observance of minimum health standards.

As the world welcomed 2021, Duterte urged Filipinos to see this as an opportunity to have another chance to rise above the difficulties.

“Today is a joyful day, a time for new beginnings and a time to be hopeful. We ended the previous year with so much difficulties and trials, but with much gratitude. It was because we endured everything – sustained by our distinct resilience as a people,” he said.

Following the loss of many lives due to the COVID-19 virus, the Chief Executive also noted how one should be grateful for having survived the past year. He also emphasized the value of family and relationships.

“The COVID-19 pandemic may have cost us so many lives and material resources, but we also learned so much from it. We realized the value of human life and our relationships with each other,” he said.

As a nation, Duterte said, everybody should always find ways to reach out to their fellowmen, especially now in the time of obstacles and hardships.

“We understood what it means to be a family, a community, a nation. We learned to share and to look after the welfare of our brethren,” he said.

The Philippines was not spared disasters such as the eruption of Taal Volcano at the start of 2020, and the many destructive typhoons that caused massive floods in Luzon and parts of the Visayas in the last quarter.

Despite the challenges, Duterte said everyone should appreciate life in a new light, with much hope and optimism this New Year.

“This New Year 2021, let us be mindful of all the blessings we have received and on how fortunate we are. Let our grateful hearts guide and inspire us to always do good and make a difference in the world,” he said.

The President spent New Year’s Eve home alone in Davao City as no one was allowed to go near him as part of the health protocols followed for his protection against the coronavirus.

Aside from the Presidential Security Group (PSG), Duterte’s partner Cielito Avanceña, a nurse, has also made sure that whenever the President is home, nobody can go near him and the protocol for his protection should be strictly followed.

And nobody, even the household staff and the PSG personnel assigned to him, can get near the President without a negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) swab test result.

But the President was likewise set to meet with members of his family while in Davao.

It was a silent night for the President as the ban on firecrackers and pyrotechnics has been strictly followed in his hometown for the last 15 years. The ban was enforced when Duterte was still mayor of Davao City.

The President cut short his Christmas break as he flew back to Manila last Dec. 26 to convene the members of the Inter-Agency Task Force following reports of the emergence of a new strain of SARS-CoV-2 in the United Kingdom and in several other countries where cases of the new virus strain were noted. – Christina Mendez