Community service or being in the service sector isn't degrading. However, there are times community service can become a punishment. Singapore has its proposal of fining violators up to SGD 10,000.00 but the big question is how can that be implemented in the Philippines? A lot of Filipinos can't pay a fine that will cost around PHP 360,000.00 maximum! My proposal is to let them do community service WITHOUT PAY. Community service isn't a punishment unless they are made to do it without pay. That is if they can't pay the hefty fines proposed then do community service without pay. I got my idea from Cebu City Mayor Edgar Labella who proposes that quarantine violators will be forced to do community service as punishment. His proposal, after all, came because of some stupid people who decided to violate the quarantine crowded the markets when they shouldn't.
Why am I in favor of letting them do community service? It's because of the sad fact that many Filipinos tend to belittle menial labor. Many of them even ignore simple tasks such as cleaning the place up after every activity. The incident in Hong Kong happened where some Filipinos were outraged over the textbook is something. Did they expect to be viewed as the conquerors of Hong Kong when they weren't? In their belittling of menial labor then menial labor is a punishment for them. It made me think a wealthy friend of mine didn't even mind unloading and loading stuff from the vehicles of his workers. What's the excuse of lower-class anti-elitist Filipinos (who ironically hate capitalism but love its products) to belittle menial labor then? If they think doing menial labor (even with pay) is degrading then why not let them do menial labor without pay which is truly degrading? They can't even complain that frontliners who do menial labor get paid while they don't. Why? Because their pasaway attitude will just end up prolonging the quarantine even longer and the work of frontliners ain't easy. Frontliners deserve to be paid because they didn't do menial work as punishment. They don't deserve to be paid because they're doing menial work as punishment.
Here are some of my ideas for community service punishment. Those who can't pay and those who can pay but refuse to pay will do it. Middle-class and rich Filipinos who refuse to pay will do community service too. There will also be special cases where people will both pay the hefty fine AND to do community service. The middle class and rich who violate quarantine will be required to do both for this reason - they have a NICE HOUSE to stay in during the quarantine so why get out of it? Let them experience the pain and suffering of frontline workers but don't give them payment like the poor violators. The poor violators can be exempted from paying the fine only if they agree to do community service without pay. The middle class and rich violators though get more punishment because they have no excuse. If the violators are minors then make their parents also do community service without pay by giving FREE MEALS to the frontliners on a daily basis. The irresponsible rich parents must be on the field too WITHOUT any chaperone. Either way, give punishment fit and proportionate to the status of violators.
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