A resident of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) writes an open letter to the people living in other parts of Luzon who are affected by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

Netizen Yloiv Satnalac posted several photos taken in Baguio City amid the ECQ to show to the other social media users how the Igorots are strictly following the orders from the government without complaining.

According to Satnalac’s post, Igorots living in CAR doesn’t have politicians who could provide enough relief goods for them or generous celebrity that may help them amid the ECQ.

Satnalac said that despite the help they’re receiving were not as big as the other provinces being obtained, they chose not to criticize the government or wish something bad to the President.

She said that they’re contented with what they’re receiving from the government.

Here’s what she wrote:

“Kaming mga Taga BAGUIO,BENGUET& MOUNTAIN PROVINCE..Walang Yorme Isko at Vico Sotto na kayang ma provide ang 1 sakong bigas na relief goods at ipa disinfect ang buong city. Wala kaming Angel Locsin na makakapag provide ng kits para sa aming mga frontliners. Walang GMA at ABS CBN Foundation na magbibigay ng extrang tulong.. Walang Milyonaryong mag DeDAre para mag ikot at tulungan ang buong neighborhood. We only have our Prayers na sana panatilihin kaming safe araw2. Pero wala kayong narinig sa amin na pagbitiwin at ipanalangin na mamatay si PRRD. Hindi niyo narinig na hinanap nmin ang 275Billion na yan. Walang Frontliners dito samin na binabastos at sinasaktan. We are grateful sa konting tulong na ntatanggap.. Mabigyan man ng ayuda o hindi patuloy kaming nagpapasalamat. Magkaisa,Magtulungan. Yun yung nararapat. Nagugutom rin kami pero hindi namin minsan naisip na isisi yun sa pamahalaan. Puro kayo putak!”

The post of Satnlac already reached 1,100 shares as of writing.

Baguio, the city where Satnalac currently lives was being admired by the netizens after they had not recorded a new COVID-19 case for 13 days.

The Mayor of the said city, Benjamin Magalong revealed that their secret to their success in controlling the virus from spreading is transparency, mass testing, and effective contact tracing.

In Baguio, they’re revealing the names of the COVID positive patients to ease contact tracing.

An alleged beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) was caught playing a popular gambling game in the Philippines amid the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) being imposed by the government in Metro Manila.

The video uploader, netizen Joyce Mance who works at the City Government of Biñan, Laguna, confronted an old lady who has caught playing ‘tong-its’ together with her friends, despite the ban of the government in any types of gambling amid the ECQ.

It can be shown that the lady and her friends are not practicing social distancing.

Mance accused the lady of being angry with the government while at the same time she’s also violating the ECQ rules.

The netizen also recognized the lady as a beneficiary of 4Ps and accused her of pawning her ATM card to sustain her gambling needs.

“Galit na Galit kayo sa Gobyerno tapos pag hinuli kayo nagagalit kayo sa Pangulo ng HOA. Grabe ka nman member k ng 4Ps diba tapos sinasanla nyo Atm at ng to TONG ITS ka,” Mance wrote.

It can be seen that the old lady didn’t stop playing her favorite card game while arguing with Mance.

“Wala akong pakialam,” the lady told Mance.

4Ps aims to end poverty in the country, however, some of its beneficiaries like what you saw in the video posted by Mance are not spending the money they received wisely.

Last February, 6 beneficiaries of 4Ps face court charges after they allegedly used the money they received from the government in illegal gambling activities.

Critics of 4Ps urged the government to stop the said program, explaining that it’s only a waste of public funds as some of its beneficiaries are not using their money correctly.

They also said that there’s favoritism happening in 4Ps, believing that some beneficiaries are using their connections and not really belonged to the poorest of the poor families.

Some of them also fear the people like that woman on the video posted by Mance would also receive financial aid from the government as part of its social amelioration program.

However, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles already clarified that 4Ps beneficiaries are not included to the social amelioration aid.

“Noong ginawa ang calculation na 18 million low income families, hindi na po kasama iyong sa 4Ps kasi nabigyan na po ito ng emergency subsidy [bukod pa sa regular 4Ps cash grant]. Hindi na po sila kasama sa bibigyan ng Social Amelioration Card (SAC) ng LGU,” Nograles said.

Members of urban poor organization Kadamay in Negros Occidental asked the government for additional aid from the social amelioration program.

In a live video posted by GMA reporter Adrian Prietos, it showed the members of Kadamay asking the government for additional aid because the 6,000 pesos per month intended by the government for them may not be sufficient for them.

According to pedicab driver Leonilo, the 6,000 pesos aid was not enough for them and it could only feed them for one week to two weeks.

So he suggested to the government to increase the money intended for them to 10,000 pesos.

He also shared that his family was also complaining already because they’re always eating sardines.

The other older women who also interviewed by Prietos also asked the government to have a generous heart and make the financial aid to 10,000 to 12,000 pesos.

They said that 6,000 pesos might not enough for them because it could only afford to buy fish and rice, but they need to buy other things like coffee.

To save money, they said that they’re just going to eat rice with condiments.

One of the women even said that the aid was not enough because some members of their family are still studying.

However, the reporter reminded the woman that the classes are already suspended for the whole period of the enhanced community quarantine.

The people on the viral video received a tremendous amount of criticisms on social media for being not thankful to the government.

“Please enlighten the minds and hearts of people like them Lord….It’s not solely the government who will feed you. Do your part dear people,” netizen Anna Marie Juanites said.

Some netizens also questioned how the people who got interviewed considered themselves as members of the ‘poorest of the poor’ if 6,000 pesos could only feed them for a week or two.

The government is not yet giving a statement if they’re planning to increase the financial aid.

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President Rodrigo Duterte admitted that he’s already losing sleep because of thinking about the current situation of the country amid the COVID-19 crisis.

In his televised address on April 6, Duterte said that he’s thinking about where to get the money to help the people if ever that the crisis continues in the country in the upcoming months.

“Hindi natin gusto ‘yan. Ayaw ko — ayaw kong magkulong ng tao. It gives me nightmares kaya ako pumayat. Kasi ako ‘pag nagising ng gabi, ‘pag umihi ako, hindi ako bumabalik sa kama. Diresto ako sa lounging chair at mag-isip na ako maabutan ako ng daybreak magtingin ako sa labas sa bintana paano ko… Sa akin lahat eh,” Duterte said.

“Maghiram o mag… The 100 billion pesos for one month or the 270 billion pesos for two months ‘yan naka-program na as earlier estimated is not enough. I’m calling on the Secretary of Finance to generate. Magnakaw ka, maghiram ka, wala akong pakialam, i produce mo ‘yung pera kasi ‘pag naubos na ito… Hindi ko malaman,” he added.

According to him, he’s already desperate on trying to solve the problem in the country that forced everyone living in Luzon to stay at home and the businesses to close.

“Ako, desperado na rin. Sabi ko nga nakatutok ako sa bintana makita ko na lang nag lu… May tulog ako? Kanina nagising ako mga three plus. ‘Pagka dalawang beses ako umihi before getting to bed. And once talagang mag-ihi ako isang beses then umaga na,” the President stated.

“Iyong gabi, nagising ako, nakatutok ako sa madilim na langit. Well, it’s a
private thing but nagdadasal ako. Basta nagdasal ako para sa bayan ko. Eh
kasi ‘yung iba, iba ang Diyos nila eh,” he added.

Even Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Wednesday said that the President is having a hard time to get a sleep.

However, they’re confident that the President is in good health.

“Sa totoo lang po nakita naman natin ang itsura niya. He’s actually fit and healthy, but gaya nga ng sinabi niya eh hindi siya makatulog nang wasto sapagkat iniisip niya ang problema ng ating bayan,” Panelo said

“So other than lack of sleep, eh mukha namang okay si Presidente,” he added.

Panelo also assured the public that the 75-year-old chief executive was being protected well from the virus.

President Rodrigo Duterte urged the apartment owners and landlords to stop collecting renting fees to their tenants amid the enhanced community quarantine, telling them that everyone was affected by the crisis.

During his televised address, Duterte explained that landlords cannot force their tenants to pay as they’re jobless and saving their remaining amount of money until the end of the community quarantine.

“Huwag mo muna hingin kasi wala talaga. Whatever na ang nasa kamay ng mga tao ngayon, they are saving it for the rainy days to come.” Duterte said.

Duterte also encouraged the tenants not to let their landlords evict them if they insisted to collect renting fees amid the community quarantine.

“Kung magsabi na i-evict mo ang tao ngayon sa bahay, sabihin ko talaga sayo ‘wag mo sundin ‘yan. Ako nag wa-warning lang ako, pipilitin niyo na hindi makabayad,” the President stated.

“Ngayon kung sundin mo lahat ng batas para makapabor ka under the law, but itong panahon ng COVID at gawin mo ‘yan, magsasalubong tayo. I-evict mo ‘yang tao, personal kong puntahan sabihin ko ibalik mo ‘yang tao, wag mong itapon diyan sa daan,” he added.

He warned them not to force evict their tenants or else he might do something to them that against the law.

“Kung hindi mo naman pala gustong tumulong sa kapwa tao mo, sunugin na lang natin ‘yang mga apartment mo, tutal may bumbero, ‘Wag ganun. ‘Wag ninyong i-pressure. Ayoko magsalita ng ganitong parang holdupper,” Duterte said.

“Wag mong pilitin ang tao, walang pilitan kasi talagang mag-e-enkwentro tayo, hindi ako talaga ako papayag, wag ninyo akong pilitin to go against the law,” he added.

Duterte doesn’t care even if the landlords believe that it’s still their ‘right’ to collect rents amid the community quarantine.

“Do not pressure a poor person just because you have this right. It is not the time for you to pressure other people just because of your right. Sinasabi ko sa inyo mag-e-enkwentro tayo sigurado yan. Itaga niyo sa bato,” he said.

He also said that he would order the police not to cooperate with the landlords if ever they asked for their help to evict their tenants.

Duterte made the said remarks after he received complaints from some netizen that they’re being forced by their landlords to pay their rent despite not earning money because of the community quarantine.

A 4ps beneficiary who recently received the social amelioration package from the government worth 8,000 pesos caught the attention of the netizens because of complaining about the help she got.

In a news report by GMA’s 24 oras, Alma Aquino said that they’re trying to save the money she got from the government as she estimated that 8,000 pesos would only last for one week for their family.

According to her, they’re spending 500 pesos a day for food to feed the 8 members of her family.

“Hindi po, mga one week lang yata,” Aquino when asked if the money she received the government would last until the enhanced community quarantine ends.

4ps beneficiaries like Aquino are receiving 1,900-2,400 a month from the government.

Aquino received criticisms on social media for complaining about what she received from the government and even questioned if she’s really saving.

Most of the critics of Aquino are taxpayers who said that they didn’t receive financial aid from the government.

“Grabe ka ate 8k sweldo ko na po yan 10 po kami sa family pero nagkakasya po sa amin for 15 days syo 1 week lang ano ba yan,” netizen @centinalesHelen said.

Grabe ka ate 8k sweldo ko na po yan 10 po kami sa family pero nagkakasya po sa amin for 15 days syo 1 week lang ano ba yan

— min yonngi72 (@CentinalesHelen) April 7, 2020

“Wow, may na receive na reklamo pa. Kami nga nagbabayad ng tax ni singko wala pa natatanggap eh. Tsk tak tsk. Tao nga naman talaga,” @AdvinculaJenny commented.

@tinapperez wow, may na rcv na reklamo pa. Kami nga nagbabayad ng tax ni singko wala pa natatanggap eh. Tsk tak tsk. Tao nga naman talaga

— Jenny Advincula (@AdvinculaJenny) April 7, 2020

“8k is already enough for us for 1 month. Ano ba ginagastos nila? 1 week? Tsk. Nasanay kasi sa bigay kaya madali lang gumastos para sa kanila,” @love_carballo remarked.

8k is already enough for us for 1 month. Ano ba ginagastos nila? 1 week? Tsk. Nasanay kasi sa bigay kaya madali lang gumastos para sa kanila.

— Love Anna (@Love_Carballo) April 7, 2020

In the current rules of the social amelioration program, only the poorest of the poor are eligible to receive financial aid.

A few days ago, President Rodrigo Duterte backs the suggestion of Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla to include the middle-income families in the social amelioration program of the government.

However, Duterte said that they need more funds to make it happen.

“Marami ang may gusto, I will discuss it when I reach the point raised by Governor [Jonvic] Remulla of Cavite, which I think is valid. I will try to remedy whatever, kung may mapulot pa tayo sa daan,” Duterte said in a televised speech.

“The economy is not moving, standstill so wala tayong kita. Ang ginagamit natin, ito na ‘yung inireserba natin na pera. Ang ipinagyayabang ko na may pera tayo, P300 billion,” he added.