(Fast clip of corona virus issues)

The corona virus pandemic emerged unexpectedly this year,

it came like a thief in the night. No one expected nor wished for it
to happen. But in this time of pandemic the social issue of human
rights abuse didn’t die down.
There were various headlines being published in the news
about abuses amidst this pandemic (insert vid of different head
lines regarding of human right abuse). And one of these headlines
is about
The frontline of this war was being abused and these are the
healthcare workers. It was reported that when the COVID-19
cases rises various formed of abuses were being experienced by
the healthcare workers. there were reports have been
documented in Iloilo City where health care workers have been
targets of discrimination after the press release that hospitals are
managing COVID-19 cases.
Nurses, resident doctors, medical technicians and even
security guards have been told to leave their boarding houses by
landlords and are not catered in eateries because they are seen
as carriers of the virus (Burgos, 2020) (insert interview/ or
headline). And aside from this, the health workers claimed that
they are overworked yet underpaid. (insert interview clip)
The violation to the rights and exploitation of the workers
was never new in our country. This kind of system does
resembled the encomienda system of the Spanish era in 1570.
(encomienda vid or pics) We all knew that encomienda system is
the granting of the land to the encomendero, and he being the
medium between the King and the native inhabitants living on his
allotment, he is much responsible for their spiritual and material
welfare as raising the best crop on his land. But then they had
abused this power which resulted into exploitation and corruption.
They brutally treated the Filipinos, they look down on them. They
are abusing the power that they have by collecting more tribute
than what authorized by law. And forcing the people to work for
them for they are the owner of the land.
These exploitations had happened few centuries ago but
then the prints are still present in the modern times, especially on
the part of exploitation of the workers. Public is still blind of the
exploitation that is happening.
Our health care workers work diligently in accord to the vow
that they made in their respective professions. They are risking
their lives in attending the needs of the sick especially in this time
of pandemic. They don’t deserve to be discriminated and
exploited. The government should be taking action in protecting
these workers and give the rightful compensation towards the
work that they had done. Their safety should be ensure and give
actions to those establishments who discriminate them must be
done. And I commend the lawmakers for approving the third and
final reading of the house bill no. 6817 last June 2, 2020. If this bill
will be approved this can punishes discriminatory practices
against the COVID 19 front liners, patients and repatriates which
includes failure to give assistance, harassment or assault,
stigmatization, and unlawful refusal to honor valid and existing
contracts. Now, I think it is time for this health workers to be
recognized and give raise to their wages which has been
neglected for long time. I don’t think that healthcare workers
needs hold a labor strike as what has been said by Labor
secretary Bello, for them to be heard.
 Its been decades that these workers are raising their
concern but those in position choose to pretend deaf in this issue.
I hope that those who are sitting above will able appreciate and
open their ears and hearts to the cries of our front liners and stop
abusing and exploiting them like how the encomenderos did to
the indios.
And, to the citizens of this country, I know that anxiety and
fear of getting infected lingers in each one of us in this time of
pandemic. But then we should remember that these front liners
are also like us. They also fear of getting infected and they are
hurting as we discriminate them. Let us not add burden to them
instead we should appreciate and show our support to them by
being kind. We should instill in our mind that being kind cost
nothing, but it means everything. Lets us spread love and treat
people with kindness.

Burgos, N. Jr. (2020). Discrimination hits health workers of Iloilo hospital treating COVID-19
patient. INQUIRER.Net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1246537/discrimination-hits-health-
workers-of-iloilo-hospital-treating-covid-19-patient.
https://ir.uiowa.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4112&context=etd
Corpuz, O. (n.d.). Spanish Rule. Retrieved October 8, 2020, from https://www.sfu.ca/fuga/history/hist02.html
Anderson, D. E. A. (n.d.). THE ENCOMIENDA IN EARLY PHILIPPINE COLONIAL HISTORY. ASIAN
STUDIES, 12. https://asj.upd.edu.ph/mediabox/archive/ASJ-14-2-1976/anderson-encomienda-philippine-history.pdf