AS the saying goes, mother knows best. The nurse is akin to a mother—she nourishes, cherishes, helps heal and uplifts someone from a weak condition.
Lilibeth Liu, 47, is a single parent. She has a 9-year old son, Luisito, but these days she cannot physically care for him. Instead, she must, like thousands of medical frontliners in the war against an unseen enemy, do her duty to fight Covid-19.
Her sister looks over her son. “Tawag tawag lang, ganun.” Small talk, usapang text, napakahaba na sa amin ‘yung isang linggong duty. Ang importante safe kami [Mostly we talk by text. A week’s duty seems so long for us; but what’s important is we’re all safe].”
She works at the Philippine General Hospital Operating Room (OR) Complex, but when the call for troops to fight Covid-19 came and the lockdown that began midnight of March 17 banned public transportation, it became important for her and her coworkers to find a place nearby where they can rest after an exhausting day, and temporarily escape from the anxiety of whether one will be the next medical frontliner infected.
Nothing can replace a home, she says, “pero dito comfortable ka, medyo safe. It’s just walking distance from the hospital, and whatever shift you get, you’re safe,” she said in a mix of English and Filipino.
She is one of the nurses staying at City State Tower Hotel on Padre Faura. The family of the late Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua earlier offered five of their accommodation establishments to house the doctors, nurses and medical workers from hospitals near these places.
In Manila, three Cabangon-owned hotels—City State Tower in Ermita, City State Palanca and Vista Hotel—house mostly PGH workers.
The Dahlia in Pasig and Bermuda in Mandaluyong are also being used for anti-Covid purposes.
Risky commute
Last Friday, March 20, Liu suffered an unfortunate incident, highlighting the risk of workers commuting from their homes to the hospital. While waiting for a ride around 4:30 a.m., “I got held up near Caloocan, just before I took a ride. Because that was my schedule last week, I took the risk.” She suffered bruises and contusions in her right knee and left arm.
She was thankful that when City State Tower offered the accommodation for them, saying it gave her a sense of security.
In City State, they can rest longer and need not worry about being harassed by criminals.
“Instead of going home daily, we can rest longer, more comfortably. We can shower right away,” she added, noting the importance for them to clean up straight from duty in Covid’s war zone.
“We are safe here. I don’t want my coworkers to be held up like me. We’re already risking our lives with our work in PGH, life in PGH is almost like suicide. Everyone should feel safe with good accommodations. This, too, shall pass,” she added.
She told BM that even before this pandemic, they were already giving 101 percent of their best to the patients at PGH. But now, they needed to double the effort because the virus spread faster.
Her advice to Filipinos in this time of crisis? “Please, let’s all follow what authorities tell us so the problem can be resolved quickly. We don’t even read social media these days as we’re focused on work.”