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.

(to be continued)

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!

(to be continued)

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.