Coronavirus casts long shadow on Independence Day in Bohol, Negros Occidental

TAGBILARAN CITY—Remembering Independence Day in the provinces of Bohol and Negros Occidental went on in the shadow of an invisible conqueror that has sickened thousands and killed hundreds—SARS Cov2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

Bohol Gov. Arthur Yap turned his Independence Day message into an appeal to people in the province to stop discriminating against returning Boholanos who had been either stranded in infected places or coming home from interrupted jobs abroad.

“Our freedoms are all intertwined,” said the governor.

“When anyone in Bohol is threatened, when anyone in Bohol is sick, when anyone in Bohol is hungry or cannot go to school or has been denied equal opportunity or discriminated, then all of us are less happy and all of us are less free, ” said Yap as he led the commemoration of the country’s 122nd Independence Day at the New Capitol Building on Friday (June 12).

At least 2,122 stranded individuals and 957 overseas Filipino workers have returned to Bohol since last month. They have all been on quarantine in preparation for their return to their families.

So far, Yap said at least 590 stranded individuals and OFWs have already reunited with their families after testing negative of coronavirus.

Although two Boholanos, who returned to the province, had been infected, Yap said Bohol currently has no “active” COVID-19 case.

Echoing the sentiments of national officials, Yap said Bohol is a prime candidate for early opening of tourism destinations.

The governor urged Boholanos to continue heeding health protocols like social distancing and wearing of face masks to prevent the spread of SARS Cov1, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

“In Bohol, we must remember that when anyone of us here is infected, or sick, or hungry, or has no work nor opportunity, our combined freedom to live happy and prosperous lives is at risk,”  Yap said.

In Negros Occidental, Rep. Francisco Benitez said the country’s COVID-19 experience gave a new meaning to Independence Day.

“The pandemic has exposed and exacerbated economic and social inequalities,” he said in a press statement.

“Rising unemployment has deprived thousands of poor families of their source of income, driving them to extreme poverty, and more economic difficulties are on the horizon,” he said.

“We must observe distancing protocols in the time of COVID-19, but let this not fray the bonds we hold with one another. In the face of the pandemic, let us come together again as a nation, as we did against our colonizers,” he said.

In recognizing responsibilities, Benitez said  “we gain the privilege to express and manifest our common humanity.”

He said the nation’s heroes and martyrs had given blood to win freedom from colonial masters.

He said the country’s new heroes are the health care workers who are now on the frontline of the fight against coronavirus.

“We are forever in their debt for their courage and dedication,” he said.

TSB