Partido Reporma chairman and standard-bearer Panfilo “Ping” Lacson vowed that he will continue serving his functions both as an incumbent senator and political party leader via remote work while observing quarantine.
Lacson gave this assurance to his party mates and supporters late Friday as the reply and comments section of his official Facebook and Twitter accounts were flooded with well-wishers for his fast recovery shortly after announcing via social media that he tested positive for COVID-19.
Netizens meanwhile expressed support to Lacson on social media.
“Pls (please) stay safe po, Sir. We need you as our leader,” wrote one of his followers on Facebook under the username Li Mo. “Get well soon, Mr. Lacson. Stay safe always. Our country needs (you). God please heal this man,” said Nenita Aniz Abiera, who commented on another post.
“Wish you the best of health, sir. God Bless,” netizen FRCBen wrote on Twitter followed by a prayer emoji. A number of similar tweets that Lacson received also attached the #WeNeedALeader and #LacsonMostQualifiedPresident among other supportive hashtags.
Some netizens, meanwhile, commended Lacson for immediately informing the public and everyone he came in contact with about the results of his COVID-19 test. This prompted many people to take the coronavirus threat more seriously, especially the highly contagious Omicron variant.
“This is an eye-opener to everyone to always take things seriously because our enemy isn’t visible to our naked eye. COVID isn’t a joke. So, please always practice the safety protocols,” wrote Barbara Ortega in her comment.
To assure his followers that he is doing okay, Lacson posted a screenshot of his Zoom meeting with his grandchildren last night to virtually celebrate the 16th birthday of his granddaughter Checa. The presidential aspirant remains in isolation at their residence to avoid infecting the rest of his family.
Lacson repeatedly reminded his followers on both popular social media networks to obey public health authorities and observe the necessary protocols at all times whenever they had to go outside of their homes amid the continuing pandemic.
“Doble ingat po tayong lahat. Magsuot ng (Let’s all take extra caution. Always wear a) face mask, mag-social distancing, umiwas sa mga matataong lugar at maghugas ng kamay. (Practice social distancing, avoid crowded places and wash your hands),” Lacson commented.
“Please observe mandatory health protocols. Stay safe sa lahat (everyone)! Para naman sa mga katulad ko na nag-positive sa Covid, magpalakas po tayo. Kaya natin malampasan ‘to! (For those like me, who tested positive for COVID-19, let’s get stronger. We can beat this!)
Get well soon!” he added.
He reiterated that ending the COVID-19 pandemic, especially with the recent spike in new cases powered by the Omicron variant, rests on the individual discipline and personal accountability of each Filipino to get vaccinated against the disease, cooperation with science, and compliance to public health protocols.
“Talagang ang basic, ang pinaka-basic na pantugon talaga rito tao, tayo-tayo rin e. Kapag hindi nag-cooperate ‘yung mga mamamayan sa siyensya ay talagang the government can only do so much. Ngayon na-re-realize nating ganyan, especially dito sa Omicron,” Lacson said.
(Really the basic, most basic response to this is the public, we the people. If our citizens do not cooperate with science, the government
can only do so much. We are realizing this now, especially on this Omicron [issue].)
According to Lacson, increasing hospital beds for patients who would require serious medical attention in the middle of a pandemic is only
a stopgap measure. The daily three-word reminder ‘Mask. Iwas. Hugas’ bears repeating.
“Lalo itong COVID-[19], hindi itong kayang tugunan ng paramihan ng hospital beds. Parang pang ano lang ‘yun e, pang-stopgap lang e (Especially with COVID-19, it will not be addressed by adding more hospital beds. That only serves as a stopgap measure),” Lacson said.
Even with the national government’s current orders to restrict the unvaccinated from leaving their homes and a law that punished offenders for spreading a contagious disease, Lacson said he was still bewildered why some Filipinos persisted in shunning protection against COVID-19.
“Libre naman ang bakuna, ‘yung ibang LGU nga apaw ang doses, nag-offer na sila sa hindi taga-kanila, nag-encourage na pumunta sila dito, hindi pa ba sapat ‘yun?” the longtime public servant said.
[The vaccine is free, some LGUs (local government units) have an overflow of doses, and are offering them even some to non-residents, encouraging them to ‘just come here,’ isn’t that enough?]
“Kung bakunado sila, hindi sila vulnerable, ika nga. At kung sila man ay tamaan, at least may proteksyon pa rin kahit paano,” the three-term senator added, proving that vaccines do work, when he himself contracted COVID-19 but did not have to be hospitalized because of it.
[If people are vaccinated, at least they won’t get vulnerable [to the virus], so to speak. And if ever they get infected, they are protected
somehow.]