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Pasay City councilor Arnel “Moti” Arceo was bashed by netizens after a video showing him “badmouthing” medical workers who were conducting COVID-19 rapid tests on city hall employees went viral.
In a video uploaded by Alexia Guevarra on Facebook on Saturday, Arceo can be heard of cursing and scolding medical technologists who were conducting the tests at the session hall.
https://www.facebook.com/alexiansg/posts/10216296836041482
When Arceo arrived and saw the med techs conducting the tests at the Sangguniang Panglusod Session hall, he began cursing and scolding the workers even though they were only following a directive from the City Human Resource office.
The rapid mass testing aims to “ensure the safety of its employees and workplace” as stated in the memorandum, which Guevarra attached to her post. The memo also stated the venue to be used for the conduct of tests, the Sangguniang Panglusod Session hall.
“Ganyan ba kaikli mga pag-iisip niyo?! P******a kung hindi delikado tanggalin niyo, p********g yan. Araw-araw namin dinidisinfect yan eh,” the councilor said at the beginning of the video.
Arceo also said that someone told him not to be angry because it is not dangerous, but, he said that if it is not dangerous why are the med techs wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
“Kung hindi delikado, bakit naka-PPE kayo?”
“Bakit hindi niyo ginawa sa opisina ninyo yan? Bakit dito sa amin?!” Arceo also asked the med techs.
In the middle part of the video, he caught one of the medical workers recording his rant on video.
“Kinukunan mo ko? Kunan mo ko. Konsehal ako ng bayan,” he said.
The disappointed frontliners decided to file a legal complaint against the councilor at the Health Department of Pasay. However, the head of the said department, Cesar Encinares, refused and said, “Wag niyo nalang dibdibin.” Now, the people involved are scared to push through the complaint as this might cause them to lose their jobs.
Guevarra, the uploader of the video, said it is disappointing that some politicians like Arceo act like this way in the middle of a pandemic.
“Nakakagalit lang na habang ang buong bansa nagsa-struggle pa sa public health at econ effects ng COVID-19, yung mga politician and people in position like Moti Arceo manage to get away with things like this. Yung #1 frontliners–healthworkers–ang minumura-mura niya when in fact, service yung ginagawa nila. Something that will benefit everyone,” Guevarra said.
Netizens reacted to the video.
https://twitter.com/elainespillsit/status/1264470004130476033
A Pasay Councilor: express his regret over his anger to our FRONTLINERS. I dont think he is sorry because he hurt someone, his sorry is to save himself from people’s anger.
— happy me 🐘 (@kahelty) May 25, 2020
Whatever the case, there was absolutely no need to yell and cuss. No one is more exposed than the healthcare workers themselves. https://t.co/brRI7jgIGd
— Barnaby Lo 吳宗鴻 (@barnabychuck) May 24, 2020
This seems so common nowadays. Bakit kaya naging uso ang ganitong asal? 👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽 [Pasay councilor berates, curses at health workers testing city hall employees] https://t.co/EAmgUodemF
— Nono 🏳️🌈 (@noel_acosta) May 24, 2020
“They simply followed orders. Didn’t he receive a copy of the memo? Cursing the frontliners is too much!!!” a netizen said in a comment.
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) is now planning to file sanctions against Arceo.
Jonathan Malaya, DILG Undersecretary and spokesman, said that harassment against medical health workers will not be tolerated.
“The DILG will not tolerate any form of harassment against health workers,” he said.
The local governments of Quezon City, Manila, Muntinlupa, and Pasig have passed ordinances prohibiting discrimination against medical frontliners.
