Coping with Corona: How the Country Deals with the Virus
The pandemic that literally crowned the whole world— coronavirus is still continuously infecting a lot of people living in different parts of the earth. Regarding the article entitled “Is the Philippines Winning Its COVID-19 Fight?” written by Anna Malindog-Uy, it tackles the statistics and measures the country has done in order to mitigate the aggravating cases of the coronavirus. It explained a few protocols and practices that the Filipinos inhibited to try flatten the curve, in the article, the writer said that the Philippines is doing baby steps that are lightening the heavy weight of the covid patients. But that article was published on May 31, 2020, at the time this paper is being written, it is already November. Here are my insights and views about how the Philippines is coping with the COVID-19 crisis in line with the 1987 Philippine Constitution:
In Article 10, Section 4 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, it states, “The President of the Philippines shall exercise general supervision over local governments. Provinces with respect to component cities and municipalities, and cities and municipalities with respect to component barangays shall ensure that the acts of their component units are within the scope of their prescribed powers and functions.” With regards to the pandemic, the executive branch shall supervise and aid the local government units in practicing the protocols of their respective citizens in each area. The ayuda and relief goods shall be fairly distributed so every citizen could receive a pack. It could also be related with Section 7 stating, “Local governments shall be entitled to an equitable share in the proceeds of the utilization and development of the national wealth within their respective areas, in the manner provided by law, including sharing the same with the inhabitants by way of direct benefits.”
It all started when in January 2020, it was rumoured that the COVID-19 came from Wuhan, China, and that it came from bats. When it was announced in the news that there was the first COVID-19 patient that came to the Philippines. As a citizen, I was alarmed and afraid, I sanitized my hands more often and invested in masks in order to not inhale the possible viruses around me. I felt very anxious whenever I would be in touch with someone or interacting knowing that there is a very deadly virus spreading, I don’t want to get infected.
When the cases were slowly multiplying, the government started suspending the classes and work of the people. We actually thought that this pandemic will only last for a few weeks, but look at us now, it has been 8 months but we are still stuck at our homes, afraid to go out and need to follow safety protocols. It is really sad because there were a lot of major life events that should’ve occurred but coronavirus cancelled them. Significant life events like graduation, birthdays, celebrations, and a lot of gatherings were not allowed due to the possible spreading of the virus. We were left with no choice but to be quarantined in our respective homes. I just feel like I’ve wasted a lot of months just because COVID-19 ruined and stopped our lives.
The government started implementing lockdown measures that the people shall follow. The Philippines had gone through Enhanced, Modified Enhanced, General, Modified General and a lot more community quarantines that netizens find confusing. Anyhow, the establishments, businesses, and literally the outside world were closed down because people are not allowed to go out. But even if the people are under quarantine, if the government isn’t doing anything in order to reduce the cases, or find a way to cure the patients, then the quarantine will become non-sense because there is no cure to the culprit of why we can’t go out. It is just frustrating and devastating not being able to interact and socialize with people in person.
Even if the people are wearing face masks and face shields, observing social distancing, and a lot more of the protocols, the government isn’t doing mass testing so that this misery will end and be reduced. Because if we do mass testing, then we will know who to quarantine and who to cure so that it won’t spread further to the other people who are innocent. There are asymptomatic cases and that is dangerous because even if there are no symptoms, there are studies saying that the next person to be infected by a patient will experience it worse than the one who first had the virus. The contact tracing is also very poor that is why the virus keeps spreading more and more because the person may be clueless that they have coronavirus, and they will possibly infect other people without their knowledge. I am very paranoid by this fact because I have no idea whether a person is infected or not and then I will interact with them, then it will just leave me anxious to talk with people and go outside if ever I urgently need to.
The rapid and swab tests done are pretty limited to only those very important people. What about the regular people who aren’t politicians, medical workers, frontliners, and artists who doesn’t know if they are sick or not? These tests shall be open to everyone and it is needed to be done to everyone in any age because it will be a big help to efficiently eradicating the cases. But as the government says, the tests are pretty expensive and they could not afford to test every Filipino. I just feel biased because I am just a student which means I need to not get tested unless I feel any symptoms, it is just like favoritism and they are not prioritizing the health of their citizens who might suffer and die because they did not know they are positive.
There were more quarantine facilities that the government enabled the COVID-19 patients to stay at because the hospital cannot accommodate the outstanding numbers of cases adding everyday. I feel like this is a great idea but the people are just stuck there and their life is at stake at 50/50 because they either recover or die. Now the 14-day quarantine period could be so hard and depressing knowing the fact that anytime now you think that it is your last day already. There were schools and arenas open for the patients but what about it if they are not given proper attention and supplies to be able to survive and live comfortably?
Even the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) of the medical frontliners who are curing and taking care of the covid patients are at huge risk because their supply of PPE is not enough. I can’t imagine how hot it is to wear those kinds of equipment and even risking my health just to help the people. I feel very sorrowful for them because it is not their fault that they have to endure the struggle the world has brought to everyone, most especially that the doctors and nurses are who the patients need most.
Amidst the crisis and dilemma the whole world is going through, there are people who were brave enough to serve and help the people even if their healths and lives are at risks— frontliners who serve as our heroes at these very trying times. We shall salute them and pray for their safety and courage!
All in all, I think that the Philippines isn’t coping very well with the coronavirus. We are already left behind from other countries who are back to normal because they are covid free already, on the other hand, the Philippines are practicing the new normal and are taught to live with covid instead of getting rid of it which is very sad and emotional because we don’t get to live our life to the fullest. It is also annoying that the government is focusing more on the non-sense and not really urgent matters like the dolomite in Manila bay, as if that will help cure the COVID-19 patients? As if that will help flatten the curve? It is just ridiculous because we have to go through these challenging efforts just because of the incompetence of those who are sitting in position. Anyways, I am still hoping that coronavirus will go away someday and that we get to live normally again without any doubts. We will get through this. We’ll help each other get through this.