AFTER more than three months of sacrifice under mostly enhanced community quarantine, residents of Cebu City were told by no less than President Rodrigo Duterte that we Cebuanos are hardheaded and overconfident. Interior Secretary Eduardo Año was also quoted as saying that most of us (meaning at least about half a million individuals) were not following quarantine protocols and would habitually not wear face masks if police were not around. Secretary Michael Diño, the presidential assistant for the Visayas, lashed out at those who criticized his role in Cebu City’s response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, calling them dumb.

Hardheaded, overconfident, violators of regulations, dumb — there you have it. So, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu was appointed by the President to save us Cebuanos from ourselves and Covid-19.