Hello, September!

Hello, September. I hope you will bring with you hope and opportunity that many, if not all people were deprived of due to the health crisis that we are now experiencing globally.

 

No one sees this COVID-19 coming even the most powerful nations, and the dangers it can cause to our health and human life. I cannot help but sometimes think that it is unreasonable because this COVID pandemic has taken away so many people, friends, and relatives in a matter of days. Worse, we could not even say our last goodbye.

 

I miss the old normal. Seeing people smile while others waved back with happiness and excitement. I also miss the warm embrace and hellos from some friends that I could not meet and gather anytime soon because of the pandemic.

 

Roughly half of the year has gone now since the COVID-19 has uninvited and unwelcomingly enter our lives and ripped us all of the things we were all so used to. I myself am not happy with what is happening, but this situation is also, a good opportunity to really reflect on life, love, and our purpose, as well as the people we thought, are our friends.

 

The year may look dim and gloomy, but we can opt to look at it the other way, a chance for all of us to learn and appreciate more the gift that God has given us. I am not the Amen type, but every day that I am waking up amidst this health crisis is indeed a blessing already. One day at a time, let us start counting our blessings rather than looking at our losses for us to better appreciate what we have and who we are with.  

 

BIRTHDAY

 

Much as I want to be happy because I was given by our dear God another year of life to be wiser and kinder, I cannot help but sometimes cry and be sad.
 
My cousin who is a doctor by profession and has been among our frontline workers in the medical field in District 5 of Manila and her husband who is an ER nurse at the Philippine General Hospital, were among our health care workers infected by COVID-19 disease. Daddy Jun was the first to contract the infection from the hospital followed by her two children, our uncle, and later on Ate. 

Gladly, my two other pamangkin were spared from the disease, Ashley who is now on her first year in the College of Nursing at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) and Adrian, ate's eldest son with special needs were immediately transferred from the vacant unit in the compound that Ate inherited from her late parents. It is also where Iram and I are also living. The unit was empty since late January this year after the previous tenant decided to transfer shortly after the new year.

It has been almost a week now when the result of Daddy Jun's swab test came out positive. While the rest of the family members came out on my birthday. 

It pains so much knowing a cousin who has always been there to take care of me since we were young and especially during my stroke, as well as the other people, is now in need of health attention, yet she remains to be a doctor that she has promised to be and to the rest of the family who are with her during this lockdown period.

Ate feared for this day. That even during the early onset of this health crisis her worry is for her children. And what she feared the most is now already inside her she peaceful home. Ate and her family are now battling this COVID disease.

But before ate and her family, it was my brother, Manuel who tested positive to COVID sometime last month. Sammy, as we usually call my brother, got the infection from his work in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. If it is any consolation, our much younger brother, Joseph is also working in another company in Riyadh, has been constantly checking on him, providing information that can help improve his condition. And thankfully, Manuel Jr. is now safe and COVID-19 negative.

Indeed, when we are helpless and uncertain, we can only hold on to Him and ask for miracles and prayers, And at this time that even Iram and I could get the infection, we can only surrender to God’s mercy and guidance. With the threat and chaos brought bt this global health crisis, it is our faith and relationship with God that can truly save us.

THE JOURNALESE

Mailayo lang sandali sa Coronavirus...

Dahil tanghali na ako nagising at habang nag-aalmusal, I received a private message from a journalist friend, Johnna, asking me if I am now with BM, an acronym for Business Mirror, so I replied, no.

She said, Martin (referring to Usec Martin Andanar, who was also a former colleague in media) read a question during a Media Briefing yesterday in Malacanang attributing to my name with BM as an agency.

Some years back, I did applied to Business Mirror before joining the DILG, but that time they preferred a business writer over a political reporter which is not my cup of tea.

Seated on my left is Johnna Villaviray then with the Manila Times and Mavic Angeles on the right, was then with dzEC Radio Agila. While I was then with Radio Veritas 846. The photo was taken at the Senate's PIMRO circa 2000

 

Puzzled? Yes. Admittedly, there are times that I am asking myself or sometimes wanting to be in the mainstream media. While my present work allows me to still do what I know and love, although on a different fence, but this is not the season for me to go back to my first job. Besides, I no longer have the adrenalin of a 25-years old who would love to chase the stories and the news sources regardless of the risk. I am now 45, still in the recovering phase following a mild stroke three years back.

 

In times when I feel like expressing myself, what I do is pen those thoughts and put it in my personal blog like this one.

AT LEAST FOR A MONTH

MANILA---Roughly two weeks into the implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) the national government has suspended majority of its operation except those in the frontline services---hospitals, uniformed services such as the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine Coast Guard, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, DOH, DILG, DND, DSWD, DOTr, MMDA, financial institutions, local government units and Barangays among others are still operational. While the schools on all levels, as well as the government workforce are temporarily suspended although there are government offices that are operating under the skeletal force and work from home schemes.

Also, the Luzon-wide lockdown that has been implemented by the President on March 16, 2020 are being carried out by provinces such as Davao City to possibly avert the spread of coronavirus. At present, there are already two confirmed cases in Davao.

 

Photo credits to Philstar.com

However, as a move to ensure that the economy will not further dip into the plunge some entities are allowed to continue its operation among which includes the Business Process Outsourcing (BPOs), banks, remittance centers, financial institutions, grocery stores, water utilities, food business and deliveries, drug stores, market vendors, grab deliveries, pharmaceutical firms and media outfits are allowed to perform their functions.

 

While the names of international stars like Tom Hans and wife Rita came out and announced that they have tested positive to coronavirus, also NBA player Kevin Durant. Here in the Philippines incumbent Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri was the first high-profile local personality that went out publicly and admitted that he was positive with Coronavirus, followed by actor Christopher De Leon. We have in fact lose many innocent people, medical frontliners who in the performance of their sworn duty have risked their own safety and lives.

 

Meanwhile, as China slowly inching to managed COVID19 and has not so far registered a new case, our local statistics however, continue to spike. As of this writing, the country has listed 380 confirmed COVID19 cases, 25 deaths, 15 recovered cases and huge number of PUIs and PUMs.

 

At first I am just being cooperative to the government, and to my agency as the DILG is member of the IATF for COVID-19, but after learning that a friend suspected with coronavirus has died, I realized that we in the public has to take this disease more seriously. Because containing COVID19 is not only about ourselves but also about the welfare of our loves ones. How we, Filipinos handles this tragedy lies the future of Philippine as a nation.

 

Hence, we may not know what is in store for all of us but perhaps we can try at least for a month to really cooperate. Let us stay at home and refrain from going out especially if you have the needed supply for your family's basic needs. Because if you don't care enough for your house members, there are a lot out there like me--hoping that this crisis will end soon for me to be able to see my mother and brothers again. 

 

But unless there are uncooperative people who continue loiter the streets our chances of winning this crisis will remain dim.

 

THE SERIOUSNESS OF COVID19 vs PUBLIC RESPONSE

As early as February 2020 I have been frequently hearing the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCov) or now known as the new Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) yet, I never bother to really check this concern to personally understand the extent and seriousness of this treacherous pandemic disease.

But since the danger has finally come down to the Philippine territory this March including the National Capital Region (NCR) which is the center of political, commercial, marketing, and social activities, hence, it prompted me to finally do some readings to fully understand this COVID19 that has put the nation in a state of a public health emergency.ully understand this COVID19 that has put the nation in a state of a public health emergency. 

It says that COVID19 comes from a large family of viruses that puts animals and human beings vulnerable to respiratory infections starting from the common cold to severe diseases like the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) up to this new COVID19. While there are continuous reports of suspected COVID19 cases, as well as suspected PUIs in some areas of the country including the rising number of countries afflicted with this disease, there are people who tend to ignore the appeal of the government and the medical community worldwide to protect.

Photo lited from Google through https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/15/20/philippines-covid-19-death-toll-now-at-12

On March 12, 2020, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in a public address aired over national television the national government’s decision to implement a community quarantine as a move to contain the deadly virus.

Community quarantine is different from the most feared “lockdown” which is being implemented in countries such as Wuhan in China and Italy where huge the number of its populace are afflicted by the coronavirus.

Here in the Philippines, the government has implemented the imposition of community quarantine to supposedly regulate the movement of the public to further avert the outbreak and/or infection of COVID19 to the people in the community especially those who have weak lungs or problems with the respiratory system.

While the government, media, and international medical organizations are making so much noise appealing to everyone to help contain the virus by refraining from going out, sadly, this big chunk of the NCR population continues to disregard the appeal. Much, these undistracted people are mostly belonging in the socioeconomic classes D and E.

Coronavirus is a serious threat to everyone, in fact, it can take away the life of anyone of us including our beloved family members without really identifying the cause or origin of our infection. Thus, I deemed it proper for the government to cascade its information campaign in depressed communities using their local and community parlance to better understand and appreciate the message.

The world is facing a very serious problem, yet the most vulnerable sector which comprises the majority of the Philippine populations remains to be uncooperative. It is on this note that the police, barangay and possibly the military should step in to compel these people to follow if they cannot show their cooperation. We must understand that as humans, we only have one life to live. Therefore, we need to be responsible for our life existence. And as human creatures, we are bounded by the norms in order for us to peacefully exist. This includes recognizing other people’s right to live, health, and peacefully coexist.

As of this writing, we now have 140 confirmed COVID19 cases with eight mortality. Thus, it is my prayer that the numbers will stop these current statistics, and those that were infected will eventually recover and heal. #