Question strange you ask

The above title is my “Yoda version” of an actual question asked of me recently. This was the complete message I got: “Kuyang, what’s your address again? _____will send you food. What do you like? And where do you want to wake up in the Philippines?”

I don’t know why, but ever since word got out that I was “Home Alone” with no help whatsoever, my kindhearted friends have been volunteering to send cooked food, fresh vegetables, as well as nutritionals. But when someone asked: “And where do you want to wake up in the Philippines?” that really made me think. It’s the sort of question that triggers multiple responses, multiple thoughts and a whole bunch of memories. It also rubs salt on the fact that “We” are not going anywhere exotic or exclusively pleasurable until our government officials both local and national eventually realize that Covid-19 is here to stay and the only solution is to let Filipinos take responsibility for their personal safety.

So back to the question of where? My sinful past wanted to tease and suggest somebody’s bedroom maybe? But one word or one step further and I know that I will get a ton of correction from people I hold myself accountable to. So scrap that. I wanted to say in Den Haag in the Netherlands where my wife and daughter are currently located but the question set the boundaries within the Philippines. So the question is; would I want to wake up somewhere exotic like a jungle setting or a modern day beach paradise where urban comforts abound? I quickly determined that I’m done with exotic locations. I’ve lived the good part of seven years on and off living on two islands in Northern Palawan building one resort and one bed & breakfast. Between the ages of 30 and 40 waking up inside a pup tent on white sand beach for six months may seem “far out”, but when you’re a senior citizen you want to be near a toilet, hot meals, nice showers and a hospital! Would I opt for Boracay, which is where we were supposed to be in December, or Mt. Pulag where I’ve never been before?

Just then I realized that one of my bucket list destination was Batanes the beautiful. Yes, Batanes in December or January would be a thrill. Reality check! Batanes is not a cheap trip by any means, and the flights are so limited and expensive. So doing a full reverse, what about Malapascua Island? Been there, loved it but not developed enough for senior citizen travelers, but what a beautiful island with an equally stunning beach. At this point I am apparently delusional. I feel like the man floating on a life raft parched to the bone, no land in sight and “water all around but not a drop to drink”. Even closer to the truth is how we resemble life-term prisoners who can only replay memories, pray to dream of exotic places and one day to wake up free. Free from Community Quarantine, free to travel, free to finally wake up anywhere in the Philippines!

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Contrary to what many presume, the idea of requiring employees and workers to stay in or live in job sites for 30 days or more is actually popular or welcomed by both workers and their families. I spoke with a good friend Alex Jaleco who owns Aquadys, a specialist contractor for interior and exterior painting and waterproofing of buildings and residences, and he shared how he has adopted the “stay-in” model where all his 250 to 300 workers are all tested for Covid-19, once cleared they stay in assigned barracks for at least 30 days, their paychecks sent to wives or family via electronic transfer and when they are due for home leave or return from home leave they can only do so coming in on their bicycles or vice versa. They are not allowed to commute via public bus or mass transit to avoid risks of community transmission. The stay-in model creates savings for workers who don’t have to go home or commute to work on a daily basis. They have longer resting hours and they reduce the possibility of being infected and bringing the infection back to their families.

The amusing part in all this is that the wives are only so glad that their husbands are “locked down” in the barracks because whenever they go home after a long week of hard work in construction sites the husbands turn to alcohol and then in the words of many wives; “mangungulit lang at kalabit ng kalabit” meaning they pester their wives for sexual favors all weekend long. Under the “stay-in” model, the wives have one less “Kid” to worry or take care of, the chances of her getting pregnant is reduced! And that is why many wives support “stay-in” employment.

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I used to think of some of my friends as being pasaway for going outside Metro Manila every three or four weeks even during community quarantine. I thought of it as risky, irresponsible and annoying if not discouraging for others. But after months on house arrest, with suicides on the rise, with 18 reported rapes a day taking place, with community transmission still continuing, I’ve come to realize that many Filipinos are not being pasaway, they are simply coping just like fish coming up for air, plants bending and twisting their stems and branches in a determined effort to be in the sunlight. Things have really gone bad and Filipinos need relief. How much longer do the members of the IATF think they can keep the lid down on the simmering hurt, anger, fear and pain of Filipinos? Malapit na!

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