Kapamilya actress Janine Gutierrez is the latest celebrity to speak out about the government’s COVID-19 response as the country continues to see a surge in infections more than a year into lockdown.
The 31-year-old actress on Tuesday aired her sentiments about Filipinos being told to refrain from complaining and airing their grievances about the country’s situation.
“Napaka-walang malasakit naman. Isang taon nang nagtitiis ang mga Pilipino, imbis na magbigay ng solusyon, ang maipapayo mo ay mag-tiis pa rin at ‘wag magreklamo? Hanggang kelan?” she tweeted.
“Masunurin at maintindihin ang Pinoy, kung meron lang sanang matinong maaasahan,” Gutierrez added.
Her tweet has so far gained more than 7,000 likes, more than 1,300 retweets.
It has been more than a year since the government placed the country under community quarantine to mitigate the transmission of the viral disease.
COVID-19 cases have been seeing a renewed increase, partly attributed to the presence of the new variants which have made its way into the country.
The Greater Manila Area (NCR, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal) were recently placed under a stricter general community quarantine.
However, no financial aid will be given as the Palace said that people can still supposedly work under the setup.
Actresses on gov’t response
Some Filipinos agreed with Gutierrez’s sentiments and lauded her for using her platform to speak up about the country’s situation.
“Thank you so much po… kasi ginagamit mo ‘yung impluwensya mo to voice out ‘yung hinaing ng karamihang mga Pilipino. Ang brave mo po,” a Twitter user commented with a thumbs up emoji.
Others welcomed her post and ranked her with the likes of fellow outspoken actresses Liza Soberano and Angel Locsin who also recently commented about the government’s pandemic response.
“@janinegutierrez @lizasoberano. Thank you for using your eyes to see the oppression that is happening! Thank you for using your voice! Thank you for being ideal role models! Strong, intelligent and empowered women like you are the gold standard!” a Twitter account wrote.
“Kung mga calibre ni Liza Soberano, Angel Locsin at Janine sana ang iniidolo ng mga kabataan, edi hindi mananalo ang mga katulad ni Duterte at wala sana tayo sa sitwasyong ‘to sa Pilipinas,” shared another online user.
Soberano on Monday lamented the situation of Filipinos who cannot afford to be restricted at home due to financial constraints amid the stricter quarantine measures.
She also cited how another country is responding to the pandemic by giving out financial aid, rolling out mass vaccination drives and testing people without charge.
“Where is the support for the poor in our country? Madali lang naman po mag-stay at home if everyone has food on the table and money to pay the bills,” Soberano tweeted before.
READ: For ex-COVID-19 task force adviser, Liza Soberano ‘gets the dynamics’ of pandemic control measures
Locsin also called out President Rodrigo Duterte for commenting that people should not despair over the pandemic in his pre-recorded speech aired Monday night.
“Kaya natin ito COVID na ‘to. Maliit na bagay ito sa buhay natin. Marami tayong dinaanan mas ano, mas grabe, mas mahirap, mas magluluha kayo… Lahat kayo ‘wag kayong matakot,” he said.
The actress rebutted by sharing in an Instagram Story that the pandemic is not a small thing for them.
“Maliit na bagay? Baka po sa inyo, Sir. Para sa amin po kasi malaki. Malaking utang. Malaking taas ng cases. Malaking human rights violation,” she said on her post.
The Palace said that Duterte only meant that life goes on for the Philippines despite the health crisis.
“Ang sinasabi po ng presidente ay patuloy naman pong ang Pilipinas ay nabubuhay sa kabila ng COVID-19,” his spokesperson said.
“Hindi po minamaliit ng presidente ang ating paghihirap pero ang sinasabi po niya, babangon naman po tayo d’yan, we will heal as one,” the Palace official added.
