MANILA, Philippines — Fred D’ Germ, a self-proclaimed rapper influenzah (influencer) is currently hitting the airwaves by storm with a viral music video suggesting improper handwashing. He is fooling everybody into the “bahala na” habit. Watch the song “Hugas na rin ‘yan” on YouTube https://youtu.be/Ou18PJDsi44 to find out what top Pinoy rapper, singer and songwriter Gloc-9 thinks about Fred D’ Germ and his antics.
Spreading misinformation
Fred D’ Germ’s music video shows and promotes wrong handwashing habits prevalent among Filipinos. As an ambassador of unhygienic ways, his song aims to convince Filipinos that the poor handwashing habits they are now practicing are already enough to keep themselves clean and safe.
He was also seen liking or waving a ‘thumbs up’ on posts about the recent 2020 Philippines Handwashing Habits Survey that revealed only 50 percent of Filipinos practice proper steps for proper and safe handwashing, or #SafeWash. Fred D’ Germ even hacked the official social media accounts of Safeguard, posting this nasty message: “Yo, Fred here invading your space! Safeguard, you've been hacked. Di marunong maghugas, Fred D’ Germ approved!”
4 kinds of improper handwashers
Fred D’ Germ’s viral music video describes four kids of improper handwashers among Filipinos:
- Wisk-wisik Man – is a person who relies on intermittent droplets of water and nothing more. A careless washer, he or she is content on light drizzles or sprinkles of water for washing, believing that this is enough to cleanse the hands.
- Punas-punas Gang – is a person who has a tendency to just wipe his/her hands on clothes or surfaces, content that this behavior is just as good as washing. Among the most common areas he wipes on are the buttocks, the sides, the chest part of clothes, or the lines of collars. He always wipes but never washes.
- Mister Issue Boy – is a person who is fond of using tissue to wipe his/her hands with. He can even consume a whole roll just by himself, and never washes but generates a vast amount of waste.
- Miss Hugas-Bilis – is a person who boasts of incredible speed in handwashing, quickly washing and rinsing both hands in a matter of seconds. The downside though is that this sacrifices efficiency for speed, always missing a few spots.
The #SafeWash Movement
To fight Fred D’ Germ’s misinformation and viral music video, Safeguard encourages Pinoys to adopt good hygiene habits at home, in school and at work as part of Global Handwashing Day 2020. Through this, Safeguard stands to promote correct handwashing practices with the #SafeWash Movement, an advocacy that seeks to spread the correct and proper way of handwashing as an effective means of keeping hands clean.
It involves the use of soap and running water coupled with hand scrubbing for at least 20 seconds. First, wet hands with clean, running water and apply soap. Lather the hands and rub them together with soap by cleaning thoroughly from the back of the hands, the palm, between the fingers, under the nails. Scrub the hands for at least 20 seconds then rinse the hands under clean and running water; and finally, dry the hands using a clean towel.
Safeguard promotes proper handwashing as the #1 trusted brand that kills 99.9% of germs and viruses effectively. Memorizing the important facts and details about proper handwashing — including the when, why, and how — can be our first line of defense against many diseases.
Imminent showdown
Things won’t go Fred’s way that easy. Gloc-9 and the Safeguard Rappers faced Fred D’ Germ in an all-out rap battle last October 15, to prove, once and for all, which handwashing technique is superior.
Watch out for their upcoming rap battle, follow Safeguard Philippines’ official YouTube, Facebook and Twitter accounts.