Boy in the plastic bubble

It’s the title of a classic 1970s movie. I’d say that if I need to go out there wearing a disposable virus suit, or looking like an astronaut even, just to be able to move about and go to the office, I will. And my virus suit can come in different styles and themes. But until it is designed, mass-manufactured and approved by the government, allow me to share lessons that I certainly learned during a week of COVID-19 home quarantine.

Mall rentals have been waived. Office rentals should be abated, too.

Not saying office rentals should be waived during COVID-19 quarantine, that’s too much; but they should be at least discounted. In a fortuitous event scenario where each party should bear the loss, paying full rent on top of business losses on the part of the lessee would be too lopsided, especially if the lessor will enforce the lease contract provisions as if it’s business as usual.

Earth hour is too little a gesture, but “Earth days” will save the planet for real.

The Earth Hour, the ceremonial annual global lights-off, proved unimpactful as an advocacy approach. Now we know that we can ICU the Earth back to health if every country, if all of us, after we kick out the virus, cooperate on days of staying home not merely work from home but staying home to avoid carbon emission, be paperless and avoid excesses. If we listen to the COVID-19 message (which I believe we all have), then the order should be planet, then people, then profits.

For the restaurant business, digital ordering and delivery systems are not enough trust must be marketed and earned.

Restaurants are literally begging people to order for delivery, as they promote their online business, but the orders are just not there, keeping restaurant operations at bay. People were advised, correctly so, to trust their own home cooking: cleanliness and safe food handling guaranteed. The Department of Health must issue fresh protocols. P.D. 856, the Code on Sanitation of the Philippines must be made current to address “getting sick” concerns. Restaurants would then need to market that they strictly adapt these kitchen and food handling protocols and build trust before people completely trust their platforms.

Sustainable restaurant business models should also now include having pocket commissaries in strategic locations that will serve as hubs for food cooking and deliveries.

Between spending half your life in EDSA and spending some days at home, we take the latter.

The joke about the unbearable traffic situation is you spend half your life in traffic. COVID-19 showed us the fix. Metro Manila (government and private sectors) can come up with a coordinated scheme that compels taking turns on working from home on certain days, to ease traffic for people who work in the office that day. The good thing about this initiative is, no one has the credibility to say that it cannot be done.

Prisoners are idle human resources that can help the Philippine economy.

We may have about 200,000 prisoners and detainees. To put this in perspective, think of how many you are in the company, then you can feel the potential of 200,000. Instead of mostly idle time for most, they can be made to work, support a business (make face masks and virus suits, for example) and earn money placed in a trust.

Exploitation of nurses should be a thing of the past.

First, our utmost respect and thankfulness to all doctors and the medical staff who put their lives on the line. They saved many lives, some of them were not even able to save their own.

For all their sacrifices and worth, focusing on nurses for a while, exploitation should not happen to them anymore. Of course, we are not generalizing. But we are also not closing our ears to the horror stories of nurse interns even paying to be employed for experience. If they earn allowances, they are quite meager and some even pay penalties if they do not finish the contract. For everything they have done for us and our families, the least we can do is advocate that they are treated fairly.

Almost every essential thing can be done without leaving home, even payment of taxes.

Registration with the BIR to file and pay online, and availing of online banking services or fintech services can all be done while staying home. Admittedly, the campaign needs to include education, and for those who know already, simply the willingness not to stick to the traditional way.

If you will allow me to briefly go back to the boy in the plastic bubble, this is where I believe my biggest COVID-19 lesson comes from. Our Creator can burst our bubble. In an instant, we can realize we are nothing, and we own nothing. And what we only really have are the people quarantined with us at home God’s true gifts.

Stay safe everyone, we could not be together now but I am one with you in spirit and prayer.

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Alexander B. Cabrera is the chairman and senior partner of Isla Lipana & Co./PwC Philippines. He is the chairman of the Integrity Initiative, Inc. (II, Inc.), a non-profit organization that promotes common ethical and acceptable integrity standards. Email your comments and questions to [email protected]. This content is for general information purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional advisors.