MALAYBALAY CITY, Bukidnon (PIA)–Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar urged fellow Filipinos to aim high and never give up no matter how the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has shattered people’s lives around the globe.
During the daily ‘Laging Handa Network Briefing’ news program over Radyo Pilipinas, PTV, and other digital broadcast platforms, Andanar encouraged everyone to think big and be inspired by those who succeeded and conquered the many facets of life’s difficulties.
“Our government is doing its best to protect the people by taking a comprehensive blended strategy to get rid of the deadly coronavirus and prevent the pandemic’s spread. We all want this COVID-19 to be over. We want our lives back. We want our jobs back. We want to see our friends and our families. We want the virus to just disappear. But if we do nothing and let the disease run its course, we cannot beat the coronavirus crisis,” he said.
As of June 9, the Philippines has recorded 22,992 cases of coronavirus infections.
Around 4,736 COVID-19 patients have already recovered, while 1,017 individuals have died due to the highly infectious disease.
In fact, Andanar said, COVID-19 is a test of endurance and solidarity that people cannot simply afford to fail the test because such values are innate to being Filipinos.
To illustrate, he cited Sir Edmund Hillary, a New Zealander mountaineer who became the first climber to have reached the summit of Mt. Everest. After a failed attempt to conquer the highest mountain in the world, Hillary once said, “I will come again and conquer you because as a mountain you can’t grow, but as a human I can.” Hillary was firm in his plan to climb the peak despite some trials and tragedy. Finally, on 29 May 1953, Hillary conquered Everest.
“In our lives, there are many obstacles to our dreams and development. Unfortunately, sometimes even we ourselves become obstacles to our dreams. There are self-doubt, hopelessness, and scarcity, among other burdens that hinder us from reaching our dreams,” he said.
In like manner, the PCOO Secretary emphasized that the closest historical example he has remembered is “war weariness.” He said there are countless patterns throughout the past when people grew tired of the hardships and sacrifice of continued combat. Once people no longer support a war, the government would not be able to fight that war.
“Now with the pandemic, we are like Sir Edmund Hillary. Despite the hard times and hard conditions, let us conquer our Mt. Everest. If we stop every time the dog barks at us, we will never reach our destination. Thus, we can’t achieve our aspirations. The same goes for your government under the leadership of President Rodrigo Duterte who is unshakable by any ridicule and criticism because the rule of the game is “never give up,” Andanar said. (RLRB/PIA Bukidnon)