The Usefulness of Face Shield

UNDER the Duterte administration, there are two kinds of Filipinos: first, the so-called Duterte Die-hard Supporters (DDS); and second, the Die-hard Against Dutertes (DADs).

Actually the topic of what I am writing is about a very close friend of mine. Neil (not his real name), a very close friend of mine since I started with government service in 1987 (he was also a government employee). Now we are both retired, he when he reached the mandatory age of retirement, and me, when I availed the early retirement program of the government under then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Anyway, our retirement from government has not diminished our closeness. In fact, it gave us more time to be with each other, talking over a cup of coffee in our favorite hang out in downtown Naga or in my house or in his place. Unfortunately, close as we are, we have a different political perspective. I as DDS and he, as DADs.

As a DADs, he is not keen on following, as much as possible, any orders coming from PRRD (President Rodrigo Roa Duterte) or his alter ego (cabinet secretaries).

One such order is the use or wearing a face mask or a face shield. Ohhhh. How he hates to wear face mask or face shield, not because he doesn’t believe in its usefulness as preventive measure against being contaminated with corona virus, but because the order to wear it came from PRRD or IATF.

However, the non-wearing of face mask and especially face shield is now a “thing of the past” for him. It was because of a funny event that happened to him while he, together with my wife and I were about to enter a mall, one weekend for the usual coffee talk. When we were getting out of his car, I reminded him to bring and wear face shield and face mask (though he is against it, he always brought with him a face mask & face shield) because the mall has a policy of “No face mask, no face shield no entry.”

While on a long queue at the entrance, the guard at the entrance door who was holding on his right hand a sprayer full of alcohol to disinfect the hands of customers, and a thermal scanner on his left hand to get their temperature.

When its our turn to get through the guard (I was following him and my wife was next to me. I noticed the guard put the sprayer and thermal scanner on the table as his supervisor was approaching his post and the guard readied to make a salute to his boss. After the boss passed, he again held on to his sprayer and thermal scanner. At this point, it was Neil’s turn to be sprayed and scanned for temperature) the funny incident (unfortunate thing) happened.

The guard’s right hand was now holding the sprayer with alcohol, while the thermal scanner was on his left hand. So when it was Neil’s turn to enter, the guard, thinking that his right hand had the thermal scanner, mistakenly put his right hand on Neil’s forehead and sprayed it with alcohol, at the same time scanned his hands with thermal scanner.

Good for my friend, he was wearing his face shield, if not, he might be blind by now.

Lesson of the story: Do not politicized everything. Politics is bad to your health.

Now, he knew the usefulness of face shield.