THEIR arrival reminded me of that famous scene from the movie “Apocalypse Now” where several airborne helicopters were on their way to drop napalm on a scenic beach while Richard Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” played on the loudspeaker.
Okay, so they were on board a plane. And no, tactical weapons were not involved. As for Wagner, wer ist er?
Anyway, maybe their arrival was not as operatic as Francis Ford Coppola’s cinematic masterpiece—come to think of it, it didn’t even come close—but when I thought of the more than 100 members of the Special Action Force (SAF) who were sent to Cebu City by President Rodrigo Duterte in the third week of June to help local authorities enforce quarantine measures, my first reaction was we’d better start getting used to the smell of napalm in the morning.
So what did residents of Cebu City do to deserve such special attention from Malacañang?
Well, let’s jog our memory, shall we?
Cebu City was virtually a ghost town for the first two weeks it was placed on enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) at the end of March. The situation might have eased a bit after that, but people’s movements were still restricted. The situation pretty much stayed the same until June 1, when the city’s status was downgraded to general community quarantine.
Overnight the atmosphere changed.
People who had no business being outside thought it was okay to walk the streets once again. Families and friends who hadn’t seen each other in a while thought a reunion was in order. Many let their guard down.
Life slowly returned to the city that had been blindsided by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, not knowing that death continued to lurk right around the corner.
I know I’m being overly dramatic but Wagner does that to me. Oh, just so you know, his music also puts me to sleep.
Anyway, and so the scene was set.
Remember, the highly contagious disease was still in our midst. So it wasn’t long before Covid-19 cases in the city went through the roof and skyrocketed.
I have to hand it to authorities for putting a lid on things because there was no panic. Worries? Yes. Sleepless nights? Definitely. Weight gain? But I digress.
Word about the situation reached the President and Cebu City was back on ECQ on June 16.
Well, you all know what happened next so there’s no point in telling you. But here’s a brief recap:
SAF troops were deployed to the city. A former general who is now the environment secretary was sent to oversee the city’s Covid-19 situation. And yadda yadda yadda.
By the way, in case you’re wondering what happened to the SAF troops, they’ve left.
Their departure reminded me of a line from the poem “Closings”: He left Tree alone and desolate / but without anger. Tree knew Liam / did what he planned and needed to do.