It’s time to be proactive

The Philippines is a country that is known for being reactive instead of proactive. We’ve seen examples of this time and again when a disaster or catastrophe hits and we realize only after the fact that there were steps we should have taken before that would have, at the very least, softened the blow.

One would be that being reactive would only last for so long. After all, getting caught unaware once is one thing but after you get blindsided you should pick yourself up and be better prepared for the future. But, because the Philippines is also known for being “resilient” (both a blessing and a curse), we normally can make our way through catastrophes. Admittedly, it’s not without severe losses and casualties, but we make it through.

Because of the ability to make things work in the end (coupled with a short term memory), a lot of Filipinos choose to move on immediately after a tragedy. Many don’t want to remember it and choose purposefully not to talk about it. Some somehow manage to erase it from their memories. I think this is because most people don’t like to dwell on bad memories or hard times. They are so grateful for better days that they just want to focus on moving on.

That is all well and good, however, these traits combined hold us back and prevent us from truly being proactive. A terrible typhoon decimates part of the country and we all come together to help – bayanihan as we call it. We pull each other up, somehow and against all odds, and by God’s grace over time we make it out through the other side.

Knowing the devastation that has been wrought, one would think we would change. We would be more aware of how we live – care of the environment, create programs to protect areas threatened by superstorms, find new places for displaced evacuees to live outside of harm’s way, invest in science and technology for better storm prediction, and improve and fortify disaster response. It’s common sense to protect yourself in the hopes of preventing something bad from happening again.

We did try. I do recall some of those things being done. Our disaster response has improved over the years, but as soon as life begins moving again – all of it is soon put behind us. Everyone just wants to pick up the pieces and they do not want to look back. Fast-forward to today and we’re still immensely vulnerable to super typhoons. We’ve just been fortunate enough that we haven’t truly encountered another … yet.

The same story has happened in so many other circumstances. Which brings us to our present situation. When the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) became a problem back in 2013, the late Senator Miriam Santiago recognized the potential damage a pandemic could cause to the country and people, and filed a bill to help mitigate the danger and create a proactive response for the next time it happened. Unfortunately, MERS passed, we survived, and we moved on. Many have said that bill would have been a huge help to our government during these trying times if we have given it importance back then.

Today, after another enhanced community quarantine extension we find ourselves in one of the most dangerous situations we’ve faced. This time not against natural calamities, but an enemy we can’t see and can barely understand. It’s too late to prepare in advance to face the coronavirus disease 2019 or  COVID-19, but we can learn as we go along and hopefully make lasting important changes that will benefit the people.

It’s time to stop muddling our way through problems and hope for the best. Broad strokes will no longer be effective and we need to put plans in place. Right now, we have extended the quarantine as I believe we needed to, but don’t make this extension be for nothing. Now is the time our government needs to plan for what is going to happen after May 15. Even if another extension is potentially in the cards, we can’t just sit idly by and hope for a magical solution to present itself.

Other areas deemed low risk are now placed under the downgraded version of the enhanced quarantine. Under the general community quarantine, many of the same restrictions are in place, but to a lesser degree. People may leave their homes, but only for essential runs with a quarantine pass, and certain travel of goods and services may be done unhampered. Non-leisure stores in malls may re-open and certain industries will be allowed to operate again with social distancing and health protocols in place.

While I understand and am grateful to the government for recognizing the need for people to work and earn a living, it’s also important for them to be very proactive and clear in the upcoming transitions. To prevent cases from spiking and people from taking advantage of slightly relaxed sanctions, they need to prepare communities way in advance of what can and can’t be done and reiterate that all health precautions must be implemented – wash our hands with soap and water, use alcohol, stay socially distant, always use a mask, and so on. Unless they clear communicate everything ahead of time and ensure the buy-in of the people, a relaxed quarantine may just end up in more people getting sick and a return to stricter lockdown once again.

We have the chance to get this right. We need to take it. We need to be proactive in how we tackle the next few weeks to give ourselves the best chance at doing it right. This may be our new normal now until a vaccine or treatment is successfully found so we can’t just adopt a “bahala na” attitude. Not this time. We have to plan ahead and truly work together if we want to succeed. In the end, we all come out of this together or we don’t come out at all.