Aristotle Pollisco or Gloc-9. Image: Instagram/@glocdash9
Filipino rap idol Gloc-9 (real name: Aristotle Pollisco) lauded health workers for their hard work and dedication in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
The rapper, who is also a nursing graduate, thanked the frontliners for their sacrifice through a heartfelt message he posted on Instagram yesterday, Aug. 3.
“Nakita ko mismo ang hirap at dedikasyon ng mga kababayan nating mga healthcare workers. Kaya naman pinag aagawan sila sa buong mundo at itinuturing na isa sa pinakamahuhusay sa larangang ito,” Gloc-9 said.
(I saw the hard work and dedication of our fellow Filipino healthcare workers. This is why the whole world is chasing after them because they are considered the best in the field.)
Gloc-9’s message came with a throwback photo of himself in uniform as a nurse, seemingly in action as he takes care of a newborn child.
“Napaka rami kong natutunan sa kanila at alam ko din kung gaano sila kaingat hindi lang sa mga pasyente kundi para din sa mga Mahal nila sa buhay na nag hihintay sa kanilang mga tahanan,” he stressed.
(I learned a lot from them and I know how careful they are of their patients and loved ones waiting for them at home.)
“Nasa inyo po ang aming taos pusong pasasalamat sa lahat ng inyong serbisyo at sakripisyo!!! Mabuhay po kayong lahat!!! #kayanatinito,” the rapper added.
(You have our sincerest gratitude for all your service and sacrifice! Long live to all of you!)
Gloc-9’s message comes just after Malacañang heeded the plea of health workers to impose a modified enhance community quarantine (MECQ) in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Laguna, Cavite and Rizal.
The two-week MECQ, which takes place starting today, Aug. 4, until the 18th, was called for to give health workers a “timeout” as COVID-19 cases in the country continue to pile up.
The frontliners also asked for comprehensive and effective measures to counter the surge of COVID-19 cases other than a strict lockdown.
In response to the health workers’ criticisms and call for action, however, President Rodrigo Duterte ranted in a taped speech last Sunday, Aug. 2, that health workers should not “demean” the government. He also dared them to start a “revolution.”
The Philippine College of Physicians has since clarified that health workers never called for revolt and that there was no intention to “humiliate” the Duterte administration and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Diseases.
Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque has since defended the president’s remarks. He stated in a recent televised Palace briefing that the medical community should have given the government a chance to respond to their pleadings first before seeking “publicity.”
He also said that Duterte’s “revolution” comment stemmed from the Filipino rendition of a song from the musical “Les Miserables” that is being sung by critics. The song “Di Niyo Ba Naririnig?”, which speaks of an uprising and resistance from oppression, was a translation of “Do You Hear the People Sing?”. JB
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