We welcome the reassuring words of Gen. Archie Gamboa, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), who said  Thursday  that the PNP will not be out to shoot dead  those  who gather to protest the alleged lack of food in this time of quarantine,  such as in the demonstration held by the Kadamay in Barangay Bagong Pagasa in Quezon City last Tuesday. “Of course not,” the PNP chief said. “Probably the President just overemphasized on implementing the law in this time of crisis. We see the strong  message  and  I  think all the PNP personnel  understood it.” He was commenting on President  Duterte’s  reaction to a rally held by the  urban poor group Kadamay  who said they had not received any food packs  in the lockdown that began two weeks  earlier. Police broke up the protest and the President  said the next day:  “Follow the government  at this time  because it is critical that we have order….  And do not harm the health workers,  the doctors… because that is a serious crime. My orders to the police and the military, if anyone creates trouble and their lives are in danger, shoot them dead!” This is not the first time the President issued such  an order. He did the same in connection with the police campaign against illegal drugs. In both  instances, he said “shoot  them  dead” if their own lives are in danger. It is evident  that  the  President  is determined to maintain order as he leads the nation through these difficult   times. He has called for the distribution of food aid to the most needy ones among us, but  evidently  the aid program has not yet reached everyone. The Kadamay, which has used   mass demonstrations  in  the past to  get  the government  to act on its  petitions,  should  know that  these are different times, with a lockdown and quarantine in place. They were thus  warned  by  the  President. General  Gamboa  has quickly assured the nation that the police will not be out shooting people because of the President’s angry reaction  to the Kadamay rally. “Of course not,”  he said,  when asked if the PNP will shoot dead those who rally in violation of the quarantine. “Probably  the President just overemphasized  on  implementing the law in this time of crisis.” But the President has made his point.  The times call for a unified response to the cororonavirus which is now raging all over the world. The Philippines  has  managed to keep down the number of its cases to  2,633 and deaths  to  107 as of Friday. It seems our quick action in locking down Metro  Manila and the rest of Luzon, and the declaration of a state the country have succeeded in limiting the infections ,  when  most other countries did nothing for one entire month,  and  so the global number of cases has now passed  one million and more than 50s ,000 have now  died.