Briones: Uncertain times

WHO would have thought a month ago that Cebu City would be isolated from the rest of Cebu Province, starting Monday, March 30, 2020?

And yet that’s exactly what will happen after Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia announced on Friday, March 27, that she will close the borders of Cebu City as more positive cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) were reported.

The closure will also coincide with the start of the province-wide lockdown.

Cebu is bounded on the north by the town of Balamban and the city of Danao, on the west by Toledo City, on the east by the cities of Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue and the towns of Liloan, Consolacion and Compostela and on the south Talisay City.

However, I’m pretty sure the governor is referring to the movement of people, not goods.

There are plenty of pig, poultry and vegetable farms within the city to supply residents for a whole month. Well, I hope so, anyway. Still, there have been assurances that there will be plenty of food to go around.

And to be honest, I don’t think that will be a problem. That is, for those who will continue to have a job and get paid or who have money stashed away. Unfortunately, if you look around, many Cebu City residents eke a subsistence living. So what will happen to them?

I don’t even want to think about it. I guess, I’ll just cross that bridge when I get there. But I really am hoping against hope that we will soon encounter the light at the end of the tunnel. And the sooner the better because I’m really tired of talking in clichés.

Anyway, with the governor’s announcement, I believe all eyes will be on the administration of Mayor Edgardo Labella. How he will manage the affairs of the city in the next four weeks will cement his political future.

But since this virus does not distinguish between political parties, I suggest everybody get behind Labella. God knows, he will need everybody’s help.

The mayor will not only be up against a rising number of sick people, because believe you me, the number will rise before it will fall, but he will also have to deal with a lot of people who will feel entitled.

The very people who ignored calls to stay inside their homes to prevent the spread of the disease, who refused to take Covid-19 seriously, will be the same people who will be clamoring for assistance when a member of their family gets infected. And if they won’t get it immediately, they’ll be the first to criticize. To finger-point.

Yeah, you know who I mean.