PHOTOS | Female worker walks 3 hours to meet mom, kid after Manila shuts down public transport
Czarina Denosca finally gets a ride.
With reports from and photos by Bernard Testa
Czarina Denosca, 29, was forced to walk three hours to meet her mother and daughter, get her cellphone back, and give her mom extra cash for mobile phone credits.
“That way my mother and I can finally make video calls to one another,” Denosca said, a week after roads were closed, public transport was shut down, and residents were told to stay home in what is seen as a delayed government attempt to locally contain the Covid-19 virus that has killed more than 16,500 around the world. As of Tuesday afternoon, the virus has claimed 33 lives and infected 501 in the Philippines, reports say.
Denosca underwent sanitation procedures and a temperature check before getting a free ride
“My mother and I were unable to contact one another and I didn’t know what had happened,” Denosca said. “We were not able to prepare for the lockdown.”
Just like other wage earners who need to work daily to eke out a living, Denasco was caught flatfooted.
They were not prepared for the immediate and arbitrary restrictions that impaired their mobility and disrupted their lives.
Most areas in Metro Manila have required residents to secure quarantine passes, allowing them to go out for groceries and other important errands.
But at least two cities have waived the requirement, dismissing it as unnecessary and an undue burden on its residents.
Denosca, seated on the left: I will walk for three hours again for my kids.
Last week, without any bus in sight, Denasco chose to go on foot and cover the distance of more than ten kilometers to reach her mother who was also taking care of her daughter.
Denosca’s trek started in Tambo in Parañaque — where she works as a cashier for a factory that makes siopao (steamed buns) and siomai (steamed dumplings) — to Central Market in Sta. Cruz, Manila, where her mother sells goods.
Fortunately, she wasn’t able to reach her destination on foot.
Upon arriving in Lawton in Manila, she was given a free ride on a bus that ferried stranded commuters even though it prioritized health workers. The bus service was organized by the Office of the Vice-President, Leni Robredo.
Everyone on the special bus service that ferries health workers wear protective gear.
Before Denosca climbed onboard, she had to undergo sanitation procedures, including a temperature check, conducted by staff who wore protective suits.
“I walked three hours and I will do the same again for my children,” she said.
Despite her ordeal, she still considers herself lucky.
After all, her husband lost his job in a factory that was shuttered while Denosca still has hers.
“The factory that I work for is still operating,” she said, adding that safety protocols continue to be observed. “We have supplies of alcohol and we disinfect regularly.”
“There were 70 of us workers before but now, we’re down to 30. Others were unable to go to work because of the lockdown,” Denosca said, as she braced herself for the trip back to work.
One of the two buses in Lawton in Manila that ferry stranded passengers and health workers.
