As often pointed by those in power, trickling down to social media and everyday naysayers, when it comes to the continuing rise of cases in the country, the fault lies in the citizens’ ‘pasaway’ trait, leading us to our current dreary health crisis. As the struggle in flattening the curve, finding a vaccine, and all that continues, in a recent national address, Vice President Leni Robredo takes her stance on the state of the nation, accompanied by feeding us a concrete plan that we have long been in drought for; all while dragging the whole ‘pasaway’ narrative down.

“Ang dami pong pasaway sa atin. At dahil po diyan number one na naman po tayo sa ASEAN sa dami ng COVID-19. Nakakahiya po yan! Itigil niyo na po ang pagiging pasaway,” Presidential Spokesperson, Harry Roque tells the nation on April 16. Now, let’s take it to the top with Pres. Duterte’s address to Cebuanos on July 23 for their overconfidence and complacency that resulted in their surge in COVID-19 cases.

This ‘Pasaway ang Pinoy’ mentality has clouded everyone’s behavior amidst an ongoing crisis. With this, we ask, who’s truly pasaway? This running question has always followed us over the course of the lockdown because for one, Filipinos might be hard headed, but this stems from a lack of education due to the loose efforts enforced in handling our health situation, even more so affected by the disruption of information dissemination by the shutdown of one of the biggest media outlets; and also, because we’ve seen how some of the very officials in power are not following the protocols themselves. If it takes a nation to handle a crisis, well, it takes a leader to be one and reflect it towards his constituents.

Let’s run through some facts: Mocha Uson held a meeting with OFWs in Batangas on April 25 despite the strict regulations of social distancing; to which she argued that they did observe. Senator Koko Pimentel rushed to the hospital for his wife’s delivery and broke the protocols of quarantine; this dented his image followed by a statement “irresponsible and reckless” from MMC Medical Director, Saturnino Javier. Then, there’s the infamous “mañanita” of current NCRPO chief Sinas on May 8 in Bagong Diwa, which evidently showed a number of people gathering for his birthday celebration despite the “no mass gathering” protocols.

The debate remains, if officials who are implementing and promoting the nation’s solution to the crisis can pose a statement to prove their way out of a superficial situation, then citizens who share the same moral compass or simply support them may follow through because that’s how the chain and elections work—influence and power.

On July 29, VP Robredo shared a speech titled “Message of Hope” to address the nation and provide concrete ways and plans to cope up with the pandemic. She iterated on creating a response ecosystem for data gathering, involvement of academe to help with DOH in validating processes and surveillance of cases, scholarships, LGB efforts, and more. But what lies in its bosom is the title that precedes us all.

“This pandemic has taught us: We are all intertwined. Our health and our safety are interconnected, and this is linked to every aspect of our lives, from economy to education and beyond. From center to periphery, from Batanes to Jolo, we are all threads that weave a single tapestry.,” she expresses. In approximately 22 minutes, VP Leni was able to laid out research-backed plans, solutions consulted from experts, and a reassurance that touches the lives and even deaths in our nation—void of fear-mongering, or finger-pointing.

On mainstream television, Eat Bulaga‘s Bawal Judgmental segment, last June 27, enlisted the help of public officials in discussing the plight of local government units on what it really means to address the people’s needs in a time of panic, fear, and uncertainty. Guest mayors divulged and openly shared how mutual effort is a key to battling a pandemic. Mayor Menchie Abalos of Mandaluyong suggests to work together in this situation, encourages her constituents to hold tight at homes for safety, and at the same time, reassures the people that this too shall pass. It might be a depressing moment in our history right now, but pinpointing only serves more confusion.

When asked, “Naging mahirap po ba’ng magpasunod ng tao?”, incumbent mayor of San Manuel, Tarlac, Donya Tesoro answered, “Basta well-informed sila. Basta nararamdaman nila yung care, yung pagmamahal ng gobyerno, na mayroong ginagawa ang gobyerno, very cooperative, yung participation nila, yun ang nagiging resulta. The 29-year-old public official shared that at the early onset of the quarantine, strict policies have been imposed to contain and mitigate risks of contracting the virus in the region. It’s this sense of accountability that has long been missing since the first time we all sat down in front of our televisions and mobile devices to hear our fate this unprecedented crisis—free from the unjust social conditioning of the powerless that we are solely to blame for our sorry state.

People took Kim Chiu’s statement on “Bawal Lumabas” as shallow and made jokes out of it. But looking into the deeper context in it—every nation has its laws, and if you abide or work through it, then we’ll definitely share a mutual growth out of it. Just like the IATF protocol to “stay at home”—it’s what we needed in our dire situation and if we make it through the pandemic, surely at some point, we’ll be free to go back to our once-normal lives.

So, if you know any pasaways, educate them. Make the system work even at the expense of officials’ indisciplines.

with additional text by Leo Balante