Bacoor City guard Eric Acuña has always been ready to lace up his sneakers whenever the Strikers needed him on the floor during the 2019-20 Chooks-to-Go MPBL Lakan Season.
But when the country figured in a fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Acuña laced up his army boots and heeded the call right away.
“Masaya na nakakatulong kahit malayo sa pamilya kasi eto yung trabaho namin e, pagsilbihan ang bayan. Yun ang sinumpaan namin kaya kahit anong crisis ang dumating handa kami para sa bayan,” said Private First Class Acuña, who enlisted in the Philippine Army five years ago.
The past few weeks have been tough for the 30-year-old Acuña.
He has been staying at Fort Bonifacio, serving as a frontliner ever since the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Luzon took effect. Making things much harder for him is that he will miss son Ezhekiel’s fourth birthday on May 12.
Though it has been hard, Acuña is grateful that his wife Jhana always makes sure to call him up to give him an extra boost.
“Yung asawa ko lagi ako nun pinapaalalahanan na mag-ingat, ma-disinfect at laging uminom ng vitamints pati mag dasal parati,” said Acuña.
“Yung anak ko naman, nung ‘di na ako umuuwi, dun na siya nagtataka bakit daw ang tagal tagal ko umuwi. Miss na miss na daw niya ako nasanay kasi yun dati na kahit duty ako, umuuwi rin ako sa kanila after.”
With the war against the pandemic very much far from over, Acuña hopes that everyone follows the current protocol of staying at home at all costs.
“Sa ganitong panahon, tayo tayo ang dapat nagtutulungan. Sumunod tayo sa kung anong sasabihin kasi para sa atin lahat ito. Lahat tayo gusto bumalik sa normal na buhay. Ugaliin natin mag dasal at maniwala sa Diyos,” he said.
“Stay at home, kaya natin ‘to!”