Memo to critics who keep on bashing public officials

If you have nothing positive to say, and you cannot even help yourself, better shut your mouth and find solutions to feed your family, save them from infection and hunger and follow all the protocols. Do not add more problems, be part of the solution. This isn’t the time to hurt our frontline commanders. We are engaged in battle and the political leaders aren’t our enemies.

To those who keep criticizing the government and insulting President Rodrigo Duterte, Governor Gwen Garcia, Mayor Edgar Labella, and other officials, please look into your hearts and conscience and ask yourselves: Do you really realize how much sacrifices are our public officials doing for you, to alleviate your conditions and help you and your families? They haven’t been sleeping regularly. They have been exposing themselves to infections, and they are cracking their heads how to make every one safe and fed. Of course, you'd say that these are their duties. No, they are doing much beyond the call of duty. While you, there, are just sitting, waiting for “ayuda” and speaking with a sense of entitlement and irresponsibility.

It’s too convenient for you to malign, and throw mud at the president, governor, mayor, and barangay captain. They are trying to do everything to help everyone. But the resources aren’t enough because many of you aren’t paying taxes. It is the poor middle class that are over-burdened even when they are overworked and underpaid. What have you done to help? You only have your family to think about. The barangay chairman has hundreds of families to serve. The mayor has thousands and the governor has millions of constituents. The president is minding the welfare of 110 million Filipinos. And they never complain. They never stop doing what they think is best for you. Angay kang maulaw.

US President Theodore Roosevelt wrote “The Man in the Arena”, which I quote to hit the minds and hearts of reckless complainers, bashing netizens, unfair critics, and incurable detractors: “It is not the critic who counts, not the spectator who complains how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust, and sweat and blood, and who strives valiantly, who errs and come up short again and again, because there is no effort without shortcomings.” It isn’t the critic who is wounded and scarred in the battlefield. It’s the one who goes out there to meet the enemy at the frontlines.

President Roosevelt went on “The credit belongs to the man in the arena, who knows the great enthusiasm, and struggled with great devotions, who risk himself for a worthy cause, who, at best, knows at the end, the triumph of high achievements, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least, he fails while daring greatly... The honor belongs to him and never be to the cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” Therefore, you, out there who have not even donated one grain of rice, and who keep on asking for “ayuda” as if the government's resources are limitless, you haven’t even tried to help your neighbor. Don't even think that the government will carry you and your family forever.

You produced too many children and expect the government to feed them till kingdom come, while you spend your day gambling and drinking away the money gifted to you by government. You should be ashamed of yourselves. If you are blind to all that the president, the governor and the mayor have done for you, the least cruel thing for you to do is to keep your mouth shut and start planting camote. COVID-19 will stay for another year or longer. Soon, there will be no more SAP or 4Ps. Go hunting for your own survival. And shut your mouth.