Why are we allowing COVID-19 to rule our lives?

At this point, we should already have gotten a hold of ourselves to fight the virus. Why do we continue to be intimidated by it? I think we should change the way we confront the enemy.

It has been more than a year since we began the war against COVID-19.  What lessons have we learned? When the third enhanced community quarantine or ECQ was announced for most parts of the country, the government seemed to be so unprepared as if entering a new era of the pandemic. Why?

The lessons we have learned from the different sectors of society while fighting this crisis should have already given us the wisdom we need to strengthen our actions. What are the realities out there? After answering this, we must begin the battle toward the road to recovery.

There are many “truths” that must be addressed: 1) Our medical frontliners need help. They cannot sustain the workload without another group coming in to help them. Government must open their eyes and create a task force to bring in a relief system. The lack of hospitals is slowly being addressed, but clearly we still need medical equipment and supplies.

2) COVID-19 medication is very expensive. While many of the rich survive, the poor continue to suffer. Getting tested for COVID-19 is very expensive even while local government units already offer free testing.

3) Many businesses have closed. Yes, this is natural during a pandemic but there are some that should have been able to survive if only the IATF guidelines and other government regulations, mandates and actions were carefully studied and implemented. So, as companies continue to close down, unemployment obviously increases, leaving many people displaced and headed toward poverty.

4) The fate of the unemployed and the poor families during a prolonged lockdown is devastating. The ayuda will not be enough to sustain their needs. Our ‘cavan’ will soon be empty.  Many will starve. The prolonged and continued lockdowns will be devastating.

5) Online schooling, although working for some, may be ineffective due to internet connection problems and the use of the right technology. Again, the poor children suffer, not learning anything. They continue to drop out of school, creating a ‘lost’ generation that will surely affect the efficiency of our future workforce.

5) As we battle COVID-19, our political leaders continue to fight and attack each other, even circulating ‘fake news’ that confuses the public. Politicking nowadays should be avoided. We need to unite to save our people and our country. Our present leaders who are in the seat of power should stop taking advantage of the times. We must continue to work to improve the conditions that face us.

Every lockdown should be an improvement on the last one. After the ECQ was announced two weeks ago, we should have been given guidelines a week before the lockdown, not on the day of the lockdown. Looking forward to an ECQ lockdown is not a happy note to businesses and to workers. Many establishments could have been kept open as long as they adhere to stricter COVID-19 protocols, like only the vaccinated can work, can enter the premises, among others. But such rules should be given ahead of time.

For checkpoints, we already anticipate traffic in the areas. Why not add more personnel to check? Can’t you foresee how many workers will be late again for work? We need effectiveness in the rules and efficiency from the ones implementing them.

The word “crisis” in Chinese is composed of two characters. One representing danger and the other representing opportunity. Like the union of yin and yang, everything has two sides. There is an opportunity behind every crisis but it takes wisdom and courage to see it.

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Social media is flooded with myriad issues against Manila Mayor “Isko” Moreno. Was it a coincidence that after the President in his SONA hinted at the mayor, many started to follow his lead?

During the SONA, President Duterte boldly called the attention of the LGUs to be more conscious of long lines in their vaccination centers despite the harsh weather conditions. Of course, we knew who he was referring to.

Less than a year before the May 22 elections, Mayor Isko Moreno is beginning to endure a feeling of being harassed left and right. The most recent of which was the show-cause order issued by Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary for External and Legislative Affairs Ricojudge Janvier Echiverri for supposedly falling short of the standards of the Anti-Drug Abuse Council as a mayor in 2018. What a sad day it was, not for the mayor but for Ricojudge Echiverri. Did he actually know what he was getting himself into? What a shame! My advice, please do your assignment before passing it, sir. Imagine, these are the people we pay our taxes for? Sanamagan!

How can you get away with not knowing when Mayor Isko Moreno became the mayor of Manila (on June 30, 2019)? Aren’t you working for the DILG? The DILG that closely works with local governments? Tsk! Tsk! By the way, this said show-cause order (first issued in 2019) was re-issued two years later again to Mayor Moreno on July 9, 2021. What a sham! Even if the DILG withdrew the order, claiming it was wrongly or inadvertently re-issued, the damage has been done. Not to Isko but to this administration.

Last Friday, DILG Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya apologized to Mayor Isko. He said the show-cause order issued last July 9 was an “honest mistake.” He added there was no politics behind the issuance of the order against Moreno, who is a possible presidential candidate for the 2022 elections. Well, tell that to the Marines, sir! In the first place, you have no choice but to apologize. There is no way out of the mess your department did. You can try again! But next time, plan it very well.

If our public servants continue to work this way, we will not thrive at all. Inefficiency will persist either intentionally or unintentionally, possibly resulting to a 4th, 5th, 6th ... lockdown!