A sense of community

(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 am a resident of Parañaque City.

Previous employment, though, had me reporting to an office in Makati City. My husband also worked there for a long time before his office moved its headquarters elsewhere. My child also goes to a school in Makati, which is why I follow Mayor Abby Binay’s twitter account which tells me when there are class suspensions.

I get my groceries from a supermarket in Makati City because when I was working there, it was on my way home. I continue to patronize it because it is near my child’s school and the goods there are priced lower than in the supermarkets near my residence.

So when government started implementing measures to restrict the movement of people and goods only to the essential, I realized that I follow social media accounts and have access to a government and its agencies in a city where I don't live.

That’s when it hits home. The only time I feel I am a resident of Parañaque City is when I get a community tax certificate, pay the annual real estate tax and conduct other needed transactions at the City Hall.

I go online to get information on the hospital or health center that caters to residents like me should any of us show symptoms of the novel corona virus.

Curious, I check what Mayor Edwin Olivarez is doing. I "like" and follow him on FB and twitter, as well as Councilor Viktor Eriko “Wahoo” Sotto. I also bookmark the Parañaque City Government official website.

Photo taken from the FB Account
of Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez

In all of these accounts, the City’s COVID-19 hotlines are listed. I also learn that the good mayor has been going around, seeing to the disinfection of barangays. Today, the distribution of relief packs starts in barangays located in the city's first district.

I have not experienced any of these efforts yet, but I am sure I will soon. For about a week now, I have been following the news even to the wee hours of the morning, awaiting new guidelines and clarification of issues from the Inter-agency Task Force on the management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) on the implementation of the operational guidelines on the enhanced community quarantine.

I realize that I should also follow news closer to home. The website tells me that as of this writing, there are five (5) confirmed cases in the city (and I know one of them is a resident of the nearby subdivision), and three persons under investigation (PUI) and three persons under monitoring (PUM) in our barangay. 

Now, more than ever, I feel the need to stay home.

Our dog’s frantic barking and an increasingly loud buzzing distracts me. Disinfecting is going on but it is quick. Is it supposed to be that quick?

I run to the gate and stare at the back of the men in blue uniform who are doing the disinfecting and who are already two houses away. I do not think they are from Parañaque, whose men don the City’s signature green uniform. I think they are from the housing association.

Nevertheless, I tell the rest of the household the COVID-19 hotline numbers, which I display near the landline, along with the numbers of the housing association administration, security office and the community care clinic nearby.

I hope we never use them.

DoH update: As of this writing, the Philippines has reported 262 confirmed corona virus cases, including 13 recoveries and 19 deaths.

Question without prejudice

(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 did not stay up to watch President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement which aired at 1 a.m. today. I have decided that I would rather read what he has to say via news reports that focus on what needs to be disseminated. He tends to ad lib and it just stresses me out.

But I will stay tuned to updates from his office because this much I will give him, he understands the importance of flattening the corona virus curve in a country unprepared in terms of equipment, facilities and expertise.

Duterte has also paved the way for leaders on the ground, who know their constituents best, to make decisions that will ensure their survival through this period.

It took me a while to understand why we have to be placed under enhanced community quarantine. I could not understand what “flattening the curve” means.

The idea of flattening the curve is to stagger the number of new cases over a longer period, so that people have better access to care.¹

In restricting the travel of people, the movement of goods and the provision of services to the essentials, Duterte is trying to cut transmission and to contain the virus as soon and as much as possible because there is no known vaccine against COVID-19. 

We simply do not have enough testing kits, hospitals and health personnel, should there be a sudden and dramatic increase in the number of the affected who will seek and need treatment.

But in prioritizing health over economy (many would argue that both are interrelated), Duterte should have prepared his leaders down the line so that the tricycle driver, the construction worker, the stay-out domestic and labandera, promo girls and merchandisers, ambulant food vendors and all other daily wage earners are protected and fed.

Right now, mayors are scrambling to address the problems in their localities while complying with the operational guidelines of the lockdown, which took a while to materialize. But once those guidelines were drafted, the Inter-Agency Task Force on the management of Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF-EID)  has been monitoring what is happening on the ground and making the necessary modifications and additions to the guidelines on a daily basis.

Now, it is up to the mayors to implement the guidelines as best as they can within their localities while taking care of those displaced economically, particularly the daily wage earners. 

Some of these leaders shine like Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno. Others? Well, I like to think that no news (particularly complaints) is good news. Just because they do not make the news does not mean they are not working.

Let me get to my point. Let’s be critical but kind. Better still, develop the ability to question without prejudice.

Stay tuned to credible news sources so that you know what’s happening and how it affects you. I try to catch the daily press cons held by the IATF-EID over PTV and the news reports aired, published and posted by credible traditional and online media.

There is no avoiding FB and Twitter so be discerning of what you read and hear. Be a responsible citizen also on social media. If you can check their accuracy, do so before sharing and forwarding posts on your feed.

If you must re-post, share what is true, useful and relevant. Try to be a positive contributor to the flow of information. There are people who get exasperated by prayers and prayer chains on FB, but let it be – these posts don’t really hurt anyone and may even help some people who seek comfort during this trying time.

Avoid grandstanding - making impassioned statements or general accusations that are not really directed at anyone, but read by everyone. If you really want to air a grievance or have something done, take the time to reach the person or agency who can do something about it. These days, everyone and every office usually has an FB or Twitter account or even a website where they can be reached.

DoH update: As of this writing, the Philippines has reported 230 confirmed corona virus cases, including 8 recoveries and 18 deaths.

¹ Sam Meredith, “Flattening the coronavirus curve: What this means and why it matters”,  March 19, 2020, https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/19/coronavirus-what-does-flattening-the-curve-mean-and-why-it-matters.html

A grocery run

(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.)

For the first time in days, I am leaving the house to get some meat, fruits, vegetables and dog food. I call the village meat shop to check if they are open and if they are accepting reservations, like they did before the lockdown. 

The person on the other end apologizes. Things are now on a first-come, first-served basis, which makes sense to me. I tell her that I am just glad that the shop is open.

I am pleasantly surprised to see that there is a line outside the meat shop, with those in line standing at least a meter from each other. Once a customer leaves with purchased goods, the person manning the door calls one of us in. At least two senior citizens try to enter ahead of us, but they are asked to wait in line.

One of them decides to line up behind me. I offer her my place but she declines. She understands that these are abnormal times and she is prepared to do her bit.

When I get called, I am given a number so that shop personnel can wait on us in the order that we came in. I am fast about getting what I need and line up to pay, chatting up the cashier who I know since I am a long-time client.

From her, I learn that all of them are still reporting for work, except one who lives in Taguig City. She is unable to get through the checkpoint since Taguig has declared its own lockdown. The owner has assured that she will still be paid, nonetheless.

I transfer to the minimart nearby where I also line up with two small bottles of dishwashing liquid, which are just about what’s left on the shelf. The person in front of me grumbles that all she is getting is an ice cream sandwhich, which is slowly melting by the minute. I tell her she might want to start eating it and just pay for it when she reaches the counter. She laughs, confessing that it’s for her kid.

When it’s my turn to pay, the cashier notices that I have a lot of coins and asks me if she could exchange them with paper bills since she needs coins for change. I realize that the banks are closed so I tell her that I will bring more coins when I shop at the minimart again.

Some of the shops that line
the road outside the village.

I still need to buy fruits and vegetables, so I head for the access road outside the village, which I know is lined with small stalls and stores of those selling anything from rice, bread, dog food, fish, meat, fruit, vegetable, etc. I am not wrong. They are all open and there are cars and people. It is a comforting sight.

I am so happy at the return to normalcy, that I prolong the experience. I walk the entire length and turn around just before it intersects the service road, checking out what is open and available even though it is nearing noon and the sun is beating down on me. I get everything I need and enter the village gate where the streets are empty and everything is silent once more.

When I enter the house, my phone automatically connects to the Web via WiFi. I am pleased to see that I have been added to a Facebook group of food vendors based in or near the village who offer to deliver their goods. I check out what’s available and realize that this is probably how the higher-income class get their goods during this difficult time. The goods range from steak to lechon to prepared food, although there are also fruits and vegetables.

I thank my friend who thoughtfully added me to the group, but tell her I will treat this food resource as a last resort. I think the small vendors outside the gate are in greater need of every peso they can earn. It’s not a charity thing. My peso also goes a long way with them.