By Joshua Corcuera
As I started writing this piece, it’s quarter to 6 PM — the start of curfew hours here in Metro Manila plus its adjacent areas, or what authorities referred to as NCR+ Bubble. I write, as well as study and read and other tasks, in this room facing a residential road. I opened partially the windows of the facade to gaze on the outside world. The scent of the wind fills the room, the sky is turning orange, there are tens of people — well-distanced from one another — walking with face masks and face shields. It’s ECQ here once more but, with barely any other choice, many people are coerced to leave their comfort zones and deal with the threats the outside world has to present.
It is lamentable to think that some believe that COVID-19 cases are rising, especially here in Metro Manila, due to the ordinary people who do not observe health protocols. However, this belief is misleading simply because Filipinos are one of the most compliant with health protocols, such as wearing face masks, according to a study last year. As a matter of fact, as I look at the people walking by outside my residence, literally everyone is wearing a face mask. A majority, on the other hand, wear face shields though not everyone. Still, this is impressive putting into context that there are anti-mask movements abroad from America to Europe.
I can now hear the sirens, the bells of the nearby church can also be heard, curfew has now started while the church prays the Angelus. The street lights are lit, and there are fewer and fewer people. There are also fewer cars and I have counted three cyclists since I heard the sirens. To be fair, I still see a few people outside, a quarter of an hour after the start of the curfew. Who could blame them anyway when going outside, just like staying inside, is a necessity? Those who keep on blaming the masses who work to make ends meet and to feed hungry mouths are either blind privileged individuals or incompassionate individuals whose traits deviate from who we are supposed to be as a human being, as a Filipino. We were once kind, considerate, and helpful to those in need, but times change — so does our character.
There are also those who seek to create division rather than unity in these trying times. In social media, I recently saw some people sharing a post showing Metro Manila under lockdown while Visayas and Mindanao enjoy. I do not know what is happening in the country’s south and I hope they are doing well in fighting the pandemic. However, this unnecessary division shall stop because when I looked at the comment section, Filipinos debate ferociously against one another. We must remind ourselves that the pandemic is not only a problem of Metro Manila, but of the entire country because the Philippines is like the human body; when one part of the body suffers from an injury — however small or insignificant — the entire body struggles.
After all, no one wanted to have this pandemic. No one wanted to get sick or to die or to infect their family and friends with a virus that can potentially put an end to their colorful lives. I now smell the food being prepared downstairs and I’ll finish this piece here as I continue to enjoy the privilege of having something to eat — something that is supposed to be a universal and unconditional right.
