We need a new road to recovery

Who would have known that year 2020 would change the course of our lives? Little did we know that the coronavirus, COVID-19, was a real killer. As we lost many of our loved ones and close friends, our lives and dreams began to shatter to pieces and now we are hoping that one day all of this will be over so we can get back to our normal lives.

Will the new normal be forever this way? COVID-19 has taught us many lessons to refine our spirit, our psyche, to become an improved lot. But many are still in denial. They want to live according to their “old ways,” ignoring reality even as it bites.

Government is starting to loosen up because our economy is suffering. People are able to continue their business operations, the malls are opening up and tourism is pushing for a better wave. But as our lives are headed for the new normal, it seems that only those who take the protocols seriously are getting ahead of the game. Those who are taking shortcuts, fail. Here’s hoping that every citizen realizes the importance of resetting goals that will not only ground them to the present reality but will also make a big difference in their enterprise or endeavors. Remember, it’s not about the quantity anymore. It’s more about the quality of services and exchanges.

People must realize that a money-driven economy will not resolve our crisis. In order to win the battle and survive, we must recalculate our goals and recalibrate our lives. The new normal seems to want us to put more quality and meaning to everything we do. It wants us to appreciate what we have in order to painstakingly maintain and sustain it.

Our government officials must not be too ambitious to pronounce many promises they cannot achieve. They must not build, build and build if bridges, roads and other projects will just fail. We need a better life. Our daily havoc shows how government has not achieved transforming our communities and environment into safer places to live in. The daily grind of the people – starting from the traffic, the commute system and the security in the national as well as in our little neighborhoods – continues to be a mess. The barometer of our health and wellness is very low. Each government entity must recreate the roadmap against our present reality. We surely need a new road to recovery!

What is the latest news? Red-tagging. PhilHealth. RFID. COVID-19 vaccines. PNP’s yantok or rattan sticks to enforce social distancing. The death of an alleged ‘narco-politician.’ IATF softens up for Christmas. But the bottom line – Philippine debt is at P10.03 trillion. Sanamagan! Duterte should get his act together. His energies seem so scattered. He has one more year to prove himself and the worthiness of his Cabinet.

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As we enter the 10th month of the coronavirus pandemic, reports show that as of last weekend, there are 66,183,029 cases and 1,523,241 deaths worldwide. Top five countries are the United States (14,752,188), India (9,607,632), Brazil (6,534,951), Russia (2,402,949) and France (2,268,552).

In Southeast Asia, leading the pack is Indonesia with 563,680 cases, followed by the Philippines with 436,345 cases recorded; Myanmar with 95,018 cases; Malaysia with 70,236 cases and Singapore with 58,242 cases.

According to a recent article in TIME magazine, “COVID-19 cases are spiking across Asia once again. In South Korea, it’s the third peak in infections – the highest since the beginning of March. Hong Kong is experiencing its fourth COVID-19 wave. Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia all hit daily records at the end of November.”

It further noted entering an environment of COVID-19 fatigue: “But this surge could be different, experts warn. Cooler, drier weather is making it easier for the coronavirus to spread; government officials are reluctant to further damage businesses that have taken a beating in the pandemic; and creeping COVID-19 fatigue is setting in among a public that has, until now, been remarkably responsive to yo-yoing restrictions. These factors are combining to make transmission of the virus harder to bring under control. People are sick of lockdown and COVID things. Also, some are sort of underestimating the risk this time,” says Dr. Kenji Shibuya, the director of the Institute of Population Health at King’s College London.

In European countries, the past weeks have seen a second round of lockdowns. Germany’s shutdown, which was supposed to last four weeks from Nov. 2, will now remain until Dec. 20 with the hope that this will lower the number of new cases in the region. Greece will also extend the current lockdown for another week. Lithuania has extended the lockdown to Dec.17 while France has eased restrictions using a three-stage process out of lockdown.

The countries on lockdown will enforce additional restrictions to private gatherings, expand mask mandates, reduce the number of customers in stores and discourage the traditional Christmas and New Year’s Eve festivities. European Commission President Ursula von de Leyen said, “Relaxing too fast and too much is a risk for a third wave after Christmas.”

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The Christmas holidays will be the acid test of our worldwide COVID-19 protocols. Will we be able to get away without a lockdown after the New Year? Remember, nothing has changed. The virus is still around. But more people are going out – shopping, partying, vacationing, etc. Daily reports show that the number of COVID-19 related cases haven’t really gone down.

The President just issued an executive order granting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the power to clear COVID-19 drugs and vaccine for emergency use.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III says we need P73.2 billion to pay for the COVID-19 vaccines for 60 million Filipinos. This would cost P1,200 per vaccine. Where will we get the money after noting our P10-trillion debt?

But seemingly unfazed by our country’s financial burdens, President Duterte, in our efforts to secure vaccines, cried foul to worldwide trends of rich nations already reserving and purchasing the vaccines. According to the vaccine czar, Carlito Galvez Jr., 80 percent of the world’s vaccine supply has already been secured by the rich nations.

During the United Nations General Assembly’s 31st Special Session, President Duterte called for universal access to the vaccines. He said: “If any country is excluded by reason of poverty or strategic unimportance, this gross injustice will haunt the world for a long time.”

Let’s cross our fingers and continue doing our part to help this country get going. Abangan!