As 2022 starts unfolding, more and more people are reporting they are feeling unwell, with some even testing positive for COVID-19, and we’re seeing more than 20,000 positive cases daily added to our national figures. Your social media feed is probably full of friends looking for medication, telling you to stay safe, or asking for medical advice. So when TV host Korina Sanchez recently shared some holiday pics on Instagram, it wasn’t long before folks on the internet started calling her out. But what exactly was so offensive about what she posted?
This is what she posted
Last night, Sanchez shared a photo of herself in a swimsuit with a big smile on her face. “IMAGINE. Lahat nagka covid na. Ako never pa. And Im ALL OVER. Thank you, Lord. Sadya akong pinagpala kase dami ko tinutulungan?” [sic] the original caption read.
This caption was later edited to read: “IMAGINE. Lahat nagka covid na. Ako never pa. And Im ALL OVER. Thank you, Lord. Sobra akong pinagpala kase baka nakakatulong yung may natutulungan din? Please bless and heal those infected.” [sic]
Regardless of the change and the addition of a prayer, netizens have already caught on. And they didn’t like what Sanchez seemed to be implying with her caption.
But that wasn’t the only one
Sanchez also published another post that raised even more eyebrows. It was just a simple photo featuring a spread of food and a glass of wine.
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Her caption read: “GUESS where? When people are scared to go out and the restos are again loose, best time for al fresco dining to unwind after a full day’s work. Cheers to the end of omicron and today’s 21,000 new positive cases. Kaya natin itoh. #DeathToCovid #Grateful #BestLife”
Why the laughter?
Netizens were pretty perplexed with the last part of her caption. “Cheers?” many were asking. One actually did — and they got a reply, albeit probably not what they were expecting. What does laughing mean in this situation exactly? Can someone explain to us, too?
Some are saying she’s being ‘tone deaf’ and ‘insensitive’
Meanwhile, a few find her photo distracting
‘Tone deaf agad?’
When told her post is “tone deaf,” Sanchez replied in a comment, “Talaga ba? Nagpapasalamat lang na di pa na covid tone deaf na? Baka ikaw?”
The netizen quickly clarified why they described her post that way. They said it’s because she associated a reason for her safety from COVID-19 that not many are capable of doing. “Kase po marami ka natutulungan. So paano po iyong mga hindi kaya tumulong?”
Does ‘helping others’ equate to ‘being blessed’?
But in all seriousness, this is not a give-and-take kind of correlation. Just because you helped other people doesn’t give you a ticket to a bubble of protection from viral infection. And just because you weren’t able to help others for one reason or another (and there are *a lot* of reasons) doesn’t mean you’re bound to end up in the hospital.
This is not a moral issue. COVID-19 is a sickness that chooses no one, and this mentality of equating good deeds with safety would do none of us any good. We’re all just trying to survive to see the end of this pandemic.
Repost
Sanchez has since deleted the first beach photo. But earlier today, she shared new shots from the same day, with a new caption: “Thank you Lord. So many sick and infected. Ive never been positive—- even as Im all over for work I have to do. Frontliner pa ako ngayon sa househelp and driver ko. Help me help others through this pandemic. Kaya natin ito.”
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Any thoughts on what happened?
