While everyone waits, albeit with bated breath, for the vaccine that will end the pandemic, the Philippine government through the Department of Health (DOH) has issued health and safety protocols to the public via its BIDA Solusyon sa COVID-19 program with no less than Kapuso Multimedia star, Alden Richards, as the face of the campaign.
BIDA stands for B-awal walang mask, I-sanitize ang kamay at I-was hawak sa mga bagay, D-umistansya ng isang metro, at A-lamin ang totoong impormasyon.
But it’s not only Alden that’s leading the public health message advocacy. Even television stars Jodi Sta. Maria and Dimples Romana are using their influence not just to encourage compliance to minimum health standards, but to practice the Filipino value of “malasakit” to put an emphasis on accountability to one another.
In their social media accounts, Jodi and Dimples posted Unilab’s recently released public service campaign dubbed “Malasakit Para sa Isa’t Isa.” The campaign is both timely and relevant as it talks about how people should care enough to remind others whenever they forget to adhere to the health and safety protocols set by the health department.
Jodi has been the face of Biogesic and its children’s syrup format for the past six years now while Dimples has just been introduced as the latest brand ambassador of Solmux for Kids together with her son, Alonzo. Biogesic and Solmux are long-standing brands under Unilab.
Admit it or not, sometimes we get too absorbed with what we need to accomplish at the moment that we forget to put our masks back on after maybe drinking or eating. Maybe we got too excited chatting with someone that we failed to notice that we’ve gone too close to the person we’re conversing with when we shouldn’t.
Or maybe we have gone too long without sanitizing our hands and we are about to touch our face or our food. Wouldn’t you appreciate someone telling you while they flash a friendly smile your way? Wouldn’t you appreciate someone pleasantly reminding you of what you forgot to do?
Maybe it is time we take a different approach to how we conduct health and safety protocols. It’s not enough that we think only of how we comply with these guidelines. Perhaps we should be more proactive by helping someone remember what they need to do by telling them straight when no one would. Because sometimes, a reminder goes a long way.
The crisis brought by COVID-19 since it began in the Philippines early this year has already claimed so many lives, displaced so many people, distanced so many families and friends, not to mention affected businesses big and small.
The doctors and nurses can’t put a stop to the spread of the virus on their own. The government’s bureaus can only do so much with their finite resources. The last stakeholder in the picture is the public and that is us and so we must do our part.