We’re all in this together

These are anxious times. It’s impossible to ignore the international emergency brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, not when Metro Manila is under community quarantine.

At this point, I hope that most of us know what we can do to blunt the spread of the disease, to “flatten the curve” as the experts say. There are some simple pieces of advice that all of us should be able to follow, such as avoiding touching our faces, or sharing only verified information (You can read up on the basics of the illness and get updates from entities with experise such as the World Health Organization website at who.int).

But it’s also important to remember that for other recommendations, not everyone will be able to comply, even if they wish they could: how do you wash your hands with no running water? How do you observe social distancing if you must queue for basic necessities? How do you stay home if you are homeless? 

Those living in poverty will be the hardest hit during this pandemic – and they will also have the most difficulty in complying with the advice of health experts to fight this disease. This is a complex situation, but if fault must be found it cannot be placed on the shoulders of the poor and marginalized. To expect those who live on a day-to-day basis to have savings that will last them through a month without work,  or to expect them to maintain social distance when they live in a tiny space with five other persons, is both unreasonable and unkind. 

Yet the best ways to deal with this pandemic will remain consistent with the calls of our health professionals, in spite of the realities that many of our most vulnerable citizens have to face – and  it is up to the government to find a way to bridge the gap between these two immovables.

It is the government’s job to take care of those who are unable to help themselves during this critical one-month period. Local government units (LGUs) are mandated to provide for the basic needs of those who are unable to provide for themselves during the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ). The Metro Manila Mayors have already started to distribute food packs, vitamins, medicine and essential items for sanitation to the barangays with underprivileged constituents. They have also assisted the Department of Transportation in providing transportation to those who need to report to work, most especially the healthcare workers. Some Metro Manila LGUs have also provided temporary accommodations for the healthcare workers and other frontline workers who are required to work in the city. Others have put together mobile kitchens, disinfection tents, or produced vouchers or financial aid for their constituents. On a national level, billions have been allocated and more is to come, but care must be taken to ensure that it promptly reaches those in need without dilution or delay.

There have been many positives to the way the government has dealt with this emergency; however, there are some missteps as well. Even the most capable of people with the best of intentions are dealing with a situation that is beyond anyone’s experience, a once in a century pandemic, a disease we still do not know everything about. 

Fortunately, private citizens and organizations have also been quick to step up whenever they see a need. Our health workers and frontline responders most of all, and the ecology of support that has quickly grown around them in order to help them better go about their business of saving lives. There are employers and corporations which have granted grace periods and extended financial assistance to their workers, celebrities using their platforms to raise funds, even taho vendors feeding the hungry for free. 

It is important to keep in mind that neither the government nor the private citizenry are monoliths. There are many, many good people in both, trying their best in an extremely difficult situation. There are also those who break under this pressure, who speak out of turn, out of fear or frustration, who hurt others based on their own ignorance or a misguided sense of self-preservation. And it is unfortunate but probable that there may even be those who seek to profit out of tragedy. 

It is the right and duty of all of us to call these out. Our situation in the country is in constant flux, and even the most competent of us are learning as we go along. Criticism is an effective means to call attention to what needs to be fixed, or at the very least to create an environment of discussion where solutions can be vetted and refined. The need for criticism and external perspectives applies to ourselves as well, and to our own actions – we must recognize that few of us are at our best right now, mentally and emotionally, and we must act with humility and empathy in order not to add to the burdens of others. People are scared and anxious, and that will often find expression in how they write or speak for the foreseeable future, and we will find ourselves working against each other instead of the virus.

Government and private citizens, we must each try our best to do our part. Sometimes we will succeed. Sometimes we will fail. But while we are all different, we are in this together. What we can do to help will differ from person to person, but if we each do that which we can, we can ease the burden of others. 

Each of us is important. Each of us has someone that depends on us – they may be family, or co-workers, or even strangers that will not know us even when our acts of charity reach them. And this dependence is a two way street: we depend on others as well – on our loved ones, on our friends, on strangers who, by simply doing their jobs in the midst of this emergency, make it possible for us to live our lives.

These are anxious times, but they need not be times bereft of empathy. We may fumble – but if we can learn with humility, if we can extend our hands to the most vulnerable and in need, if we can maintain the right perspective and focus on the most important things... then we have already won half the battle.

We are all in this together. And together, we will make it through.