Michelle Silvertino: Horrified by death of Filipino woman stranded during coronavirus closure
Michelle Silvertino, 33, was found unconscious on a sidewalk along the main highway in the capital, Manila, on June 5th.
Silvertino was hiking from Quezon City, north north of Manila, to the town of Pasay City in the south, hoping to make it from there, CNN Philippines reported. However, this proved to be in vain, so she was stranded on the sidewalk for several days, where she was found unconscious and later pronounced dead in hospital.
Her death sparked outrage in the Philippines, and the hashtag #JusticeforMichelleSilvertino was addressed on Twitter. People across the country have joined a social campaign calling for justice and criticizing the government for not doing enough to help impoverished workers like Silvertino.
Silvertino’s condition is shared by many Filipino workers who were left dry during the cover-up because they could not travel home due to restrictions.
“We’re here like beggars. All we want is to go home to our families,” one passenger told the news agency.
The rush over Silvertin’s death, however, reached the presidential palace and on Thursday the government announced it would help stranded workers in the country return home.
“No one wanted that to happen, but now we will take steps to make sure what happened to Michelle doesn’t happen again. We have a new policy to help all those who lie in airports and bus terminals,” he said. Roque.
The statement added that the stranded workers would undergo rapid tests for Covid-19 before finding it.
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