From left: Mars Miranda, Kuya Kim, Guyito, Ritchie Santayana and Ivan Leopando
It’s our responsibility not to panic,” said TV host and weather man Kim Atienza on how people in show biz should react to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019). “This is because people watch us, emulate us and listen to what we say,” he said.“Panic creates chaos and leads to more deaths,” Kim told Inquirer Entertainment shortly after he read to 150 kids at the Don Bosco Technical Institute Makati as part of the Inquirer Read-Along session for February. Kim is an Inquirer Read-Along ambassador.
“Everyone is scared,” he admitted. “Most of the people in ABS-CBN (his home network) are wearing face masks, even inside the studios. Show biz people are very much the same as ordinary people. The health scare has the same effect on us, but since we’re public figures, part of our job is to explain what’s going on.”
Kim, who is known to be a trivia expert, also said: “All of a sudden, there are many health specialists on Facebook. You will get confused if you listen to all of them. Now, according to them, there are two ways to wear the mask. We should just trust the mask for what it is—the absorbent side on the inside, the waterproof side on the outside.”
Kim, an alumnus of Don Bosco Makati, talked to the kids about how to properly wear the face mask. He also arrived with his cyclist friends, wearing full biking gears, because he read Rebecca Anonuevo’s “Ang Bisikleta ni Momon.”
KimAtienza is an Inquirer Read-Along ambassador —PHOTOS BY LEO SABANGAN II
The host of “Matanglawin” and “It’s Showtime!” further said: “The biggest misconception is that when people get the nCov, they will die. It will not kill you, especially if your immune system is strong. You just have to rest for a few days. This is something that show biz people have to explain again and again.” INQ