‘Kaya pinagtatawanan ang Tondo’: Isko admonishes organizers of boxing amid GCQ

Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno. (Photo from his office)

MANILA, Philippines — Manila Mayor Isko Moreno has admonished organizers of a makeshift boxing competition in Tondo, which drew large crowds as the city still grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, saying it is the reason people poke fun at the community.

Moreno on Friday presented three of those involved in the boxing match caught in a now-viral video, including one barangay kagawad.

The video showed two young people, one believed to be minor, slugging it out along a road in Tondo.  The match drew people along the road, disregarding physical distancing protocols to avoid COVID-19 transmissions.

“O, masaya na kayo?  Nagkatuwaan kayo eh, eh di masaya na kayo, tama ba?  Moreno asked sarcastically.  “O tignan niyo itsura ng tao.”

(So, are you happy?  You were having fun, right, so are you happy now?  Look at how crowded the area is.)

“Kaya tayo pinagtatawanan sa Tondo eh.  Tignan ninyo, o kayo naman ang humusga dyan, tignan niyo kung nasa tama tayo.  Wala akong makitang tama tayo rito eh […] halos di na natutulog ang gobyerno ng Maynila mailagay lang kayo sa ayos eh, kayo naman nagpapariwara,” he added.

(That’s why they laugh at us in Tondo.  Look, you should be the judge; look if there is something correct in what was done.  I cannot see anything right in this issue.  The city government of Manila is losing sleep just to put everything to order, but you do such things.)

Before presenting the three individuals, Moreno asked them if they understood that Metro Manila and adjacent provinces are still under a general community quarantine (GCQ) and knew that the COVID-19 pandemic is still around infecting and killing a lot of people.

The three organizers agreed with the Manila mayor.

According to Moreno, such actions, especially from government employees and officials, would prevent people from respecting government orders and protocols set in place.

He also noted that District 1, District 2, and Sampaloc — areas near Tondo — have the highest COVID-19 infections in the city.

“Hindi talaga tayo igagalang ng tao, pagtatawanan tayo.  Para bang ang tatapang natin sa COVID.  Tignan niyo naman ‘yon o, ilang bata ‘yan, ilang matanda,” he stressed.

(The people would not respect us, we would be a laughing stock instead.  It seems like we are not afraid of COVID-19.  Look at the situation, how many children and adults are there?)

Last Tuesday, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said that it would be probing mass gathering incidents in Metro Manila, from the feast celebrations in Baclaran, Parañaque, and the boxing match in Tondo.

Both incidents happened recently, or just days after Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal shifted to a less restrictive GCQ status.

However, before the GCQ status, the bubble composed of the above-mentioned areas dealt with a surge of cases that almost paralyzed the areas’ healthcare systems.

PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said that the police have already filed complaints against the organizers of the boxing match.

This is not the first time that mass gatherings occurred despite the COVID-19 pandemic still raging.  It is also not the first time people were reminded to adhere to protocols.

Last May 17, President Rodrigo Duterte himself asked people and the church to forego feasts and other celebrations to avoid transmissions, as the bubble shifted to GCQ.

READ: It’s GCQ but don’t be lax, PNP chief Eleazar tells public

READ: Duterte to churches, faithful: Forego all festivities for now to avoid COVID transmission