This week is the 4th week of the Luzon-wide quarantine. President Rodrigo Duterte announced last Monday that the ECQ would be extended up to April 30th. Per Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, government policy makers would have a daily assessment of our situation as basis if the government would lift the lockdown on April 30th or continue it. To date, we have 3,764 cases where majority of it are coming from the National Capital Region.
Coincidentally, it was also last Monday (April 6, 2020) when the excom announced that all but 20% of our work from home workforce would have to consume our leave credits while the company is running on skeletal force. This means that as of this writing, I am free as a bird blogging, researching about covid and relaxing while trying to find ways on what to do should the lockdown extends until I don’t know when.
I would have to be honest that the Wall Street Journal article “The Month Coronavirus Felled American Businesses” affected me when I read it before going to sleep last Monday. With barely four hours of sleep, I was not my usual self the next day. Good thing, I was able to nap after lunch and when I woke up, it seemed that I had a clearer picture of the things that I needed to prepare for the coming days.
Then I thought that in this time of crisis, the people need to feel that there is still hope. That we can rise above all of these and return to normalcy. Birthday celebrations, graduations and weddings were postponed. Even attending a relative’s wake became impossible due to the lockdown. Baguio City’s curve has been flattening for almost two weeks now. If they can do it, we can also do it here at the lowlands.
A week into the enhanced community quarantine, boredom is still the farthest thing on my mind as I am busy working from home. I am working for a manufacturing company and we are still operational but we’re only using our skeletal workforce so the rest of us were either allowed to work from home or were using our leave credits to get paid. Those who are working from home like me submit our deliverables on a weekly basis. Tasks for the following week must be approved by the department head to check if they still merit a work from home.
I have no problem working from home; I do this even during the pre-covid19 days whenever I need to finish some analysis or report. I feel like I’m still in the office in my own tiny space as I’m not easily distracted by TV sounds or my children’s noise. This enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) is not a vacation— I am working, people are staying in-doors, some people are infected, some people could not survive.
There are actually two types of people in these whole ECQ thing: those who can afford to be put in quarantine for one month because they have the means and those who CANNOT survive a day without going out to earn money.
Type 1 people: Those who can afford to be put in quarantine:
– working from home
– has enough leave credits
– do not have enough leave credits but are loaded with cash and credit card
– do not have enough leave credits, not loaded with cash, no credit card BUT with family or friend to support them
Type 1 people do not worry about the quarantine period in the same way that Type 2 people do. Some of them just get bored and attempt to see how the world looks like now. Some of them become insensitive about posting stuff that Type 2 people would find offensive: ranting about being not able to attend parties and thinking about what food to cook for the next meal. Good thing if their Facebook or Instagram is set on private so that the whole boredom thing becomes an inside joke among their circle of friends.
Type 2 people: Those who cannot afford to be put in quarantine:
– daily-waged earner with no available leave credits
– monthly-waged earner with no available leave credits
– daily and monthly-waged earners who have no family or friends to support them
– street vendors, jeepney drivers, taxi drivers or basically those who live a life of “isang kahig, isang tuka”
Because we are too concerned about the spread of the virus, we need to watch out for Type 2 people who try to break the law by violating the ECQ guideline because they need to put food on the table. Food rations must be consistent and every barangay must know who these type 2 people are— the poorest of the poor, nasa laylayan ng lipunan.
When Albay representative Joey Salceda suggested a lockdown in March 10, 2020, I thought that was a good idea. I was not being anti-poor but the enemy was out to hunt us, we better do something before all of us get infected. I underestimated the lockdown period and thought that 7 to 14 days would be fine to do contact tracing.
4% of our company population reside in NCR. When the lockdown happens, these 4% would be forced to work from home, depending on their job. At this point, our company was still targeting to produce our normal production requirement per day. Ironically, it was also on the same day when news about a PUI from the next barangay spread like wild fire. Stricter measures were implemented within the industrial part’s entry point while the governor of Bulacan declared no classes from March 10-14.
The following day, people started panic buying of the basic commodities like rice, canned goods, milk, soap and rubbing alcohol. Funny how weeks earlier, the rubbing section alcohol of the grocery section was the area with the least traffic! To add insult to injury, some people most likely hoarded rubbing alcohol supplies and tried selling it a steep price. I kept myself busy each night reading about the latest covid 19 news in China, Italy and of course, the Philippines. It’s good to have reliable sources who provided me with first hand information about how things were going on in their area. Then one night, my mother who passed away 11 years ago crossed my mind. For the first time again in many years, I found myself yearning for a parent’s comfort. Not that my father could not provide that kind of support for me but anyone who knew my mother would say that she had the most comforting words to offer.
Data source: Philstar data as of March 17, 2020. To date, we already have 202 cases of covid19.
2019 was a life changing year for me when I found myself going to the emergency room (ER) accompanied by a neighbor due to dizzy spells. That was days before Valentine’s day, my father’s birthday. The dizzy spells and fluctuating blood pressure continued up to the early 3rd quarter until I changed something in my lifestyle and diet. My goal in the coming year was clear: I wanted to be more connected to my family.
Since I missed my father’s birthday, my brother’s graduation and even visiting my mother’s grave, I decided that 2020 would be a different year for me. Hence, I went to visit my father on his birthday, had a lunch with him, my brothers and nephew then went back home on the same day. Please take note that we do not live on the same province.
I promised my sister that we would be there for my nephew’s first birthday. I have arranged our transportation because going there meant travelling for 8 hours back and forth.
I subscribed to an air bnb site to check for accommodation in Cebu and Bohol because we did not want to bother my husband’s relatives.
All of these things happened before March 2020. There were 3 cases of covid 19 in January but they were all foreigners so we probably underestimated the spread of the virus. It was March 3, 2020 when my boss formed a Business Continuity Plan team in our company where I was one of the members. There seemed to be nothing to worry about except that the group decided that anybody from the previously identified places of infection would need to undergo a 14 days quarantine. When that happens, I would be affected because our itenerary was Cebu and Bohol and I would be out of the office from March 25 to April 13, quarantine period included. I questioned the logic of the quarantine decision given that during those days, it was the NCR with the highest incidents of PUI (person under investigation).
“Therefore, we need to quarantine those coming from the NCR, too!”
In March 7, the employee from a company in BGC tested positive. I was beginning to question if visiting Visayas would be a good decision. But then, the situation seemed manageable and some people even said that life must go on as long as you’re wearing surgical mask. Speaking of mask, ironically, we didn’t have it during the time when we needed it the most. I used to buy a box of it because December was my allergy month and I was prone to flu and colds, too.
The following week, more cases appeared and our company issued a travel ban to all international flights. This was bad news to some of my co-workers who would have spent their vacation in the Middle East, US, Europe and some parts of Asia. At this point, I was already reading how to refund airplane tickets but did not have the nerve to tell my children that we would have to defer our trip. The BCP meeting in the company became more frequent and tensed; things were getting out of control when the news about a PUI in a nearby barangay broke.
Strict measures were implemented in the company. The people were not used to this kind of ambience so everybody was not being themselves. In our family, we opted for drive thru instead of dine in. Masks were out of stock and when available, were sold at a steep price.
March 13, 2020, President Duterte announced a community quarantine covering all of Metro Manila. Just two days later, he announced an enhanced community lockdown extending to all of Luzon!
I came across an FB post about a missing 16-year old girl from Banga, South Cotabato and just like what I always do in the past, I shared it on my wall to create awareness about her disappeance. It was on a stormy Tuesday night when I shared it. I thought it was just another case of a young woman running away from her strict parents. Her mother’s posts somehow gave me the impression that she knew that he daughter ran away but couldn’t trace her location. I hoped that somebody would spot her and report her just like how Ica Policarpio was found in 2017.
Whenever I post about missing persons, I feel that I am one of their loved ones so I check the updates every now and then. I was surprised that instead of a happy ending, the young life of Barbie ended just like that. She was found floating on an irrigation inside a rice sack; her hands and feet were hogtied. Emotions were high as to who probably took her life.
Her case became a circus when the alleged lover of her mother resisted the police and threatened to harm them with a hand grenade. As a result, the police killed him but his relatives cried foul about his arrest and death as his sister swore that Richard did not leave the house since December 1st. (Barbie was missing from December 2-3 and was found lifeless on December 4). His involvement in Barbie’s disappearance most likely came from some eyewitnesses that he was the last person seen with the girl; it contradicted with Richard’s sister’s statement that he did not leave the house during the times that Barbie was missing. Malicious talks keep on circulating and the netizens’ assuring support for Barbie’s mother turned to shaming and bullying.
I would like to wait for the autopsy result and the detailed investigation of her case. I understand the emotions of some of the netizens but some of the allegations against her mother were just too much for the family to handle. At the same time, there should be a thorough investigation about Richard’s arrest to settle the issue.
Now this is what I am worried about—what if Barbie’s real killers are still up and free and are just waiting for the next victim? Then we just wasted Richard’s life, exposed Barbie’s mother’s infidelity and malign Barbie’s character! That is why an autopsy is really needed to straighten things out.
Condolences to the family and loved ones of Barbie. May justice be served soon.
Here is my review for Binibining Mia’s “I Love You Since 1892.” If you are looking for a Noli Me Tangere or El Filibusterismo in this book, then this book is not for you. If you are looking for realistic geographical accuracy, then this book is not for you. If you intend to learn about our history, then this book is not for you.
The story starts interestingly with the main character (Carmela Isabella) finding herself back in 1892 and meeting her future love, Juanito Alfonso. The problem is, the two are from different era: 2016 and 1892. There seems to be a touch of Christopher Reeve’s “Somewhere in Time” here except that the love story’s backdrop is the impending rebellion against the Castillian conquistadores. The middle part of the book is dragging and forced as the author probably wants more Carmela and Juanito romantic moments. The latter part is okay starting from the revelation about Olivia’s real nature. The disappointing part is Carmelita’s return and the twist about what Juanito dislikes in her.
The loophole in the story is the Carmelita to Carmela to Carmelita transition itself. Carmelita from 2016’s mission is to save Juanito’s life that is abruptly ended in 1892 by an unknown assailant. There is no logical explanation why Juanito has to live and why Carmelita has to die and her death is even suggested by a supposed divine creature. If the original flow is a reunion between Carmelita and Juanito, you’ll be disappointed because the story is made for Carmela and Juanito. And if we will follow this logic about two lovers from two different times, then the real color of the story portrays disobedience, manipulation, jealousy, love quadrangle (Helena-Carmelita-Carmela-Alfonso and Carmelita-Carmela-Leandro-Alfonso).
I tend to assume that Binibining Mia wants to have a hopeful ending, with the descendants of the Monteclaro and Alfonso clan finally ending up with each other. I assume that she is an amateur author and for a newcomer, she is above average and has big potential to make it big someday.
Would I recommend her book? If you just want to have a good time and you are young at heart, then this book is right for you. 🙂
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List of issues that we have accepted through time:
Building a hedge on our relationship- noong araw, kapag bantay-sarado ka sa boyfriend or asawa mo, ang tawag sa iyo “walang-tiwala.” Pero ngayon, pino-promote na to ngayon para daw maiwasan ang tukso.
Okay lang magalit/mainis/sumpungin- noong bata ako, kapag nagalit ako, andyan na yung amba ng palo o pagsasabihan ka na “masama ang magalit” o ipaparamdam sa iyo na napakasama mong tao dahil throwing tantrums ka. Na sa palagay ko kaya ang ibang tao ay passive-aggresive ay dahil sa pagpapalaki din ng magulang. Ngayon, sa mommy group na kasama ako at kapag may nagra-rant, “valid ang feelings mo, okay lang magalit” ang mababasa ko na ibig sabihin ay somebody is acknowledging your bad day.
Growing up in the 80’s, bawal akong mag-rant. Bawal mag-complain. Sumunod muna bago magsalita. Bawal magsabi ng unhappiness dahil nakakawala daw ng grasya. Ngayon, nawiwindang ako dahil yung ibang tao, kada kibot, post ng rant. Kada di magustuhan, social media.
Related to sa number 3- noong araw, you treat your issues privately. Naghiwalay kayong mag-asawa? Kokonti ang nakakaalam. Nagkagalit kayong magkapatid? It’s between the two of you lang. Pero ngayon, pati inis mo sa kapitbahay mo ay pwede mo ng i-social media at supportive pa ang nasa friends’ list mo. Hehe.
Okay lang noon na nasa bahay ang babae habang ang lalaki ay nagtatrabaho para sa pamilya. Pansin ko, baka kaya defensive ang ibang stay-at-home-mom and they are trying to justify their choice ay dahil sa mga mapanghusgang tao na nagtatanong bakit sila hindi nagtratrabaho. Ano namang paki natin sa kanila, di ba? Unless pinapakain natin sila.
Baligtarin natin, noong araw, nakakahiya kapag ang babae ang kumikita habang ang lalaki ay nasa bahay at nag-aalaga ng mga bata. Nasa agreement yan ng mag-asawa basta hindi natatapakan ang ego ng lalaki. Madaming successful marriages ngayon na ang lalaki ang nasa bahay habang si misis ang naghahanap-buhay.
Nakakahiyang maging mahirap noong araw. Kaya nga ang mga artista ang ginagamit na pakulo ay “convent-bred, schooled in an all-girls exclusive school, anak ni ganito at ganoon.” Pero bandang late 90’s hanggang ngayon na nauso ang mga contest kung saan naghahanap ng sympathy vote ang mga contestant, nagbago ang tingin natin sa mahihirap. Na ang mahihirap ay okay lang maging mahirap basta nagsisikap.
Sexy lang ang may karapatang mag-swimsuit noon. Kaya nga iilan lang ang big sizes na swimsuit noon. Ngayon, swimsuits come in all shapes and sizes.
Pag kumain ka ng tanim mo o ng itlog mula sa alaga mong manok, napaka-jologs mo ng tao. Pero ngayon, organic naman ang pino-promote dahil mas healthy.
Kokonti ang private vehicles noong araw. Kapag may kotse ka, big time ka na. Ngayon, salamat sa influx of second hand vehicles. Salamat sa affordable car loans. Salamat sa affordable cars like compact cars na mas mura kesa sa ibang modelo. Kaya ngayon, kahit middle-class ay meron ng sasakyan (wala nga lang mapagparkingan).
The World of Second Chances 