Picnics not panic

Upon reaching the Netherlands, the first thing my wife and daughter did was to undergo a swab test for Covid-19. The tests were optional and for free and the results were phoned in after 24 hours. A few days later the girls were already posting photos of them having a family picnic with my in-laws at a public park. Everyone was socially distancing, facemasks were optional and everyone was enjoying the weather.  Those who did not live under the same roof kept their distance from each other, while families merely laid out blankets and used those as a reminder to be socially distanced by staying in their chosen spot. They did not have to be in fear of some security forces prowling about or hiding behind the bushes waiting for them to pull down their mask, in fact I was told that in the Netherlands you were not allowed to buy N-95 spec masks in order to ensure that supplies were available for those who really needed them: Medical front-liners.

After seeing their photos, I had to comment and say: “This is the reason why I was ok with my wife and daughter leaving for the Netherlands. After being detained under the longest and ineffective quarantine in the world, they deserved to get a break. I added in the comments: In “Holland” they do picnics. Here (Philippines) the authorities are in a panic”. I am only so thankful to the Lord God that we had saved up through the years for Hannah to study in the Netherlands because it gave her an open door. I pity the millions of young people who lost 5 months of their lives that they will never get back again. I grieve for the youth of the country, a generation slowly being lost to depression and mental illness. Is it any wonder why suicide cases are on the rise? Instead of turning cops and barangay tanods into Covid-19 Nazis, we should use them in managing outdoor facilities and outdoor activities where minimum health protocols can be promoted not “Enforced by force and threat”.

As much as I have tried to support the government, the futility of it all just becomes so obvious. I recently heard a DOH Undersecretary say that we will all get through this as long as Filipinos adhere to the minimum of health standards. Sorry but the fact of the matter is what we have been subjected to in the last 5 months going to half a year is not the minimum, we have been subjected to the maximum and the absurd. One government talking head said that travel, using motorcycles under GCQ will be ok as long as riders use a facemask and face shield and the “Bobo Barrier” between riders. Of course you can’t ride without wearing the standard motorcycle helmet but I’d like to see that talking head wear a facemask, a face shield and a helmet all together. He will either black out from lack of oxygen or suffer a heat stroke! I am all for safety and the pushing down of Covid-19 cases but the irony is that in spite of these oppressive and expensive preventive protocols, the cases of infection are on the rise and now the government has finally admitted that suicide cases are on the rise as well.

I recently spoke with Tacloban Mayor Alfred Romualdez and he mentioned that many of the infections in Leyte province seem to have come from family reunions or social gatherings. The good Mayor was obviously upset and frustrated that people seem to be more interested in drinking and partying than staying alive or staying safe. Maybe they are. The poor daily wage earner will tell you: “We may not die from Covid-19 but we will surely die from hunger if we don’t go out”. A friend of mine who is a very fit and agile 78-year-old dropped by to visit and when I asked him if he wasn’t afraid of getting the virus, his only response is “Life must go on Bro.” I know more and more people using any and every excuse available to go to the mall or to visit a friend. Ever since the girls left, people have offered to visit me, a handful, even lace the offer with food, fruits or fresh vegetables or live fish for my aquariums. The fact of the matter is that you cannot detain people in their homes, limit their movements, threaten them with arrests and fines and still expect them to act normal.

My only prayer for now is that the IATF, the national government as well as the local governments will soon have the wisdom to make an assessment on where we are doing well and where we are failing in terms of the whole nation approach against the pandemic. We cannot promote the “Kanya-Kanya” system of governance or “To each his own” among LGUs. Businesses can’t deal with LGUs on an individual basis; civilians get confused, oppressed or angry. Malacañang should also put a stop to their mid day pressers and revert to real genuine public information campaigns that is run on tri-media as well as social media. Unify and simplify and regularly update the information so people know what is and what is not allowed. Those mid-day pressers are ineffective because they take too long, they are the only ones who understand what they are talking about and all this is proven by the fact that many Filipinos don’t know what’s going on because they don’t have the patience and the time to waste a whole hour just to pick out essential information. Enough of the political PR. Simply inform.

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