By Minerva Newman CEBU CITY – The Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), through its President Felix Taguiam, issued an urgent appeal for calm and sobriety, and rallied everyone to work together and strongly support the local leaders in the war against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that continues to wreak havoc here. Taguiam said that it was not the time for finger-pointing, and that everyone must buckle down to work together to protect the vulnerable and support the disadvantaged communities. “Censure, criticisms, and slurs will not stop the pandemic. Resilience, empathy, and a strong sense of community are what we need to defeat this common enemy. It is only when we are together that we stand the chance against this global menace,” the appeal read. It continued that “the people must be wary of those who agitate to disrupt the community as people can disagree on many matters, but let them not lose civility and the sense of being Cebuanos”. “Be wary of those who seek to politicize issues to divide the people,” the appeal said. Taguiam called the COVID-19 crisis as our “Generation’s Great War” and that “each of us are called to wage our own private battles”. “The missions then are simple, and the community’s survival depend on these individual victories: wear masks, practice physical distancing, and frequently wash hands,” he said. The business sector then called on Cebuanos to support the local leaders; Cebu City mayor Edgardo Labella; Cebu Province governor Gwendolyn Garcia; Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino and Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, the President’s special envoy to Cebu during the COVID-19 crisis. “The war is still raging, the pandemic continues to take a heavy toll on lives, has gutted businesses, depleted government resources and has battered the spirits. The consolation is we have each other, and we share an unsinkable Cebuano spirit,” the appeal read.