It's so Quiet

(Part of an ongoing account started on March 13, 2020 of how the spread of COVID-19 in our country and our government’s response has affected our lives.)

I wake up to a stillness and realize it’s not just the absence of plane engines that is jarring (I live near the airport), but also those of cars and tricycles that usually traverse the road in front of our house.

Fedela, our help, says a group of construction workers walked by early in the morning, complaining that they had no work and were going home. Apparently, they had managed to get to the site expecting to do a day’s work only to find it empty. Only a few cars are out, presumably to get provisions from food stores outside the subdivision. Once again, I thank God that we live in an area where there are a lot of food vendors.

Photo by Mark Demayo for ABS-CBN News

I keep the radio on in case there are any new announcements. I hear the TV tuned into a news broadcast in the bedroom, where my husband has set up his office for the day. Judging from the news reports, a lot of people are walking to work today.

Hubby shares that they are exploring how to help members of their workforce hardest hit by the slowdown in sales and operations as a result of the Enhanced Community Quarantine.  They are currently gathering data on the number and needs of those affected (forecourt staff, mechanics, lorry drivers, helpers, etc.) so that they can come up with a feasible financial assistance plan.

All this time, the radio is on and I hear a lot of people asking how to access services, particularly to avail of loans from government offices like the Social Security System, Pag-IBIG and Philhealth.  This lockdown highlights the fact that these offices do not have these services available online.

There’s also a lot of problems at the checkpoints. It’s the first day of the lockdown and not everyone lining up can be allowed to go through. Parents wanting to get to their children explode in tears or raise their voices in frustration. Drivers of taxi cabs and tricycles are turned away and told to stay home. Drivers of vans carrying food and other provisions complain about the long lines. It is hard to watch.

My niece from Cebu calls. She has end-of-schoolyear online assignments which include accessing a post on my blog. She’s also asking if I could recommend four other blogs. I give her mine and those I follow and wonder if they will appeal to a teenager and if they are any use for her academic requirements. She thanks me nonetheless.

We receive a memo from our housing association that the office will be closed for the duration of the quarantine, but will open on the morning of Saturdays to receive payments of monthly dues. The village director assures that basic services like cleaning and garbage collection will continue and that he is making himself available through the security office, which is open 24/7, should there be any concerns needing his attention.

Pedestrian entry will be limited to those with valid IDs given by the association so I ask Fedela to keep her subdivision ID handy in case she has to leave the village to buy food and other provisions.

Source: Tweet from ABS-CBN News

Just in: Duterte places the whole country under a state of calamity for six months to allow the government to tap more funds to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This is a good thing since it will allow LGUs to help their constituents, particularly those who rely on their daily wages for sustenance and who cannot work under the guidelines of the quarantine.

Meanwhile, I serve a meal where only two get a piece of porkchop each, while my husband and I finish  the fruits which are about to get overripe. It is adequate, but far from the usual when I would cook more in case hubby decides he wants to eat a full meal at night.  He does not complain. He knows we are better off than a lot of our neighbors just outside the subdivision.

We wait for the presscon by the IATF, scheduled to start at 8 p.m., but which doesn’t materialize for some reason. I am just glad I am able to get answers to several health questions from DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire who graciously stays on air over DZBB with anchors Alvin Elchico and Doris Bigornia for over two hours. What a trooper.

The presscon finally starts close to midnight with Cabinet Secretary and IATF-EID  Spokesperson Karlo Nograles reading the latest operational guidelines concerning the implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine over Luzon and answering questions from the media with DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez, Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III and PNP Chief Gen. Archie Gamboa on board.

At 1:05 a.m., as my head touches the pillow, I hear a familiar sound. For the first time in hours, I hear the drone of an airplane from the airport nearby.