The true heroes

By: Keane Santiago

For years, we have been confined to our houses, unable to perform the daily tasks
we take for granted. Some of us work from home, while others wait for relief
supplies so they can make it through the day. This means that neither we nor our
friends are permitted to go outdoors to work or to hang around late at night.
However, more Filipino workers are putting their lives in danger to provide for our
basic needs—food, water, healthcare, cleanliness, energy, internet connections, and
even entertainment—while some of us are stuck at home, bored and irritated
because we can't go outside. An example of the people who support us, whom we
may not know or will ever know, are the frontliners who put in the work day and
night so that most people will not have a hard time going outside and risk getting
sick and hospitalized.

A few people respond to the call of duty in the quiet of the night after everyone has
retired to the comforts of their homes due to the prohibition on alcohol, the curfew,
and the communal quarantine situation. These folks continue to help others in need
even when there may be viruses present in their immediate environment. Although
the term "frontliners" has long been known to many, it has only recently received
recognition and complete understanding. Contrary to popular belief, the scenario
surrounding Coronavirus Disease (Covid)-19 is more akin to a global conflict in
which nations are pitted against one another than a common foe. Rather than
camouflaged military, medical professionals are the first line of defense.

Frontliners are people, too. They have families to support and children to raise, as
well as the risk of going out and supporting strangers, some of whom they may not
even call friends, who risk it all for us. Why? Because they are our heroes with no
capes. Not only do the frontliners risk their lives for the safety of others, but they
also risk missing out on seeing their children, fathers and mothers, and family.
Who are we to say that at this point in time, while we are still living and breathing,
we are not fortunate?