16
Weekend
BALITA
Visit www.Balita.com
Feature
Saturday-Friday | May 15 - 21, 2021
Pandemic gives working mothers more family time DAVAO CITY – Mother’s Day on Sunday was mostly celebrated at home due to the prevailing coronavirus pandemic restrictions. Sandee Rato, a public school teacher in Compostela, Davao de Oro, is not complaining though as time spent with her three children is her best coping mechanism while she cannot physically connect with friends and other relatives. “The mere thought that the pandemic gave way for me to have quality time with my kids is consolation enough,” she told Philippine News Agency (PNA) in an interview. Gardening is another of Rato’s option when she gets frustrated with the pandemic situation. “I will rather spend my energy on things that will benefit me and my family. And above all, faith in the almighty Father that everything is not in my control, but He is in control,” she added. Jezreel Abarca, who teaches at the University of the Philippines-Mindanao, said the pandemic allowed her to discover and embrace the significant personality contrasts of her children. “Under the current social situation, our family also became closer to God since
we read the Bible and pray the Rosary everyday. I also have enough time to serve my family like by cooking, helping my children with their school requirements, and nurturing them with good values because of constant communication,” she said. Isabelle Oosthuizen, an employee of a private logistics company, lost her husband, Martin, to malaria in South Africa amid the pandemic. “I have to stand up again and mend the broken pieces because I have a son who depends on me. It is like living one day at a time, taking baby steps to rediscover myself and my strength because I have no husband anymore to support me,” she said. She must also continue working despite the threat of the pandemic “because people count on me, our family that needs me. How do I cope up? Prayers and faith that God is there.” Ultimate sacrifice Queenie Roxas, also a public school teacher and a mother of two, told the PNA that there is no greater sacrifice than nurturing a human being for nine months. “You give up your body for nine months for your baby. The labor and the pain, espe-
MOTHER’S LOVE. Despite her busy schedule as a public school teacher, Sandee Rato makes sure to have quality time with her three children. She said working from home allowed her to be closer to them. (Photo courtesy of Sandee Aquino-Rato) cially that I had a cesarean delivery. The sleepless nights that until now have not returned to normal were difficult but all worth it,” she said. As a working mother, she said one of her best rewards is seeing her daughters grow up God-fearing. Rato, who used to officiate sports events in provincial meets and the Palarong Pambansa but opted to concentrate with teaching after she gave birth to a girl.
LIGHTHOUSE... from Page 5
HOW... from Page 2
organization as she was the Home Economic Supervisor for the entire province of Zambales. We were booked at the then prestigious Ago Hotel, overlooking the majestic Mayon Volcano and the sight itself was unforgettable, admiring its perfect cone beauty, particularly in the morning wnen we open our windows and admire nature's beautiful sight. Thus, for three wonderful days we visited Legaspi's nearby areas such as the Cagsawa Ruins in the town of Daraga, Albay, where we saw the remnants of a 16th century Franciscan church, which was built in 1586 but was burned down and destroyed by Dutch pirates in 1636. It was apparently rebuit in 1724 by Fr. Francsico Blanco but sadly was destroyed again along with the town of Cagsawa during the Mayon Volcano eruption on February 1, 1814. The following day, we briefly visited the rainforest sight of the Calayucai Beach in the province of Sorsogon to see their Black sand beaches, and it was truly a refreshing experience to see and swim in it. Overall, Tia Toning taught a lot of us, the wonders of nature and appreciation for native dishes, cooked in the most minimal and simple ways. So undoubtedly, this month of May when the springtime blossoms of flowers and refreshing air surrounds us, it always reminds me to particularly THANK my two dearly beloved aunts, Remedios Yap Rimando " Tia Meding" and Antonina Ebuen-Yap, 'Tia Toning," in celebrating their birthdays in heaven and to be grateful, for their unconditional love in nurturing us. We will forever cherish all the unforgettable memories we had with them. May Our Lord bless them forever as they bring joy wherever they are. God bless.
had an equal shot at getting the shot, as long as they had a computer (to make the appointment), a high speed Internet, a kind of job where they could take three hours off in the middle of the day to chase down a vaccine and access to a car, rather than mass transit," said Pastor. In areas such as education, communities of color also experience a tremendous loss in learning and despite the progressive opening of schools, they are the most reluctant to come back. Black and brown families who suffered from the virus in their homes are not only afraid of sending their children to places where they can be infected, but the digital divide has accentuated their difficulties in keeping up with their homework during the school year. In Los Angeles County, 13% of white children who are in K through 12 lacked a computer with high-speed Internet. But that figure for black and Latino children was around 40%, Pastor said. All these inequalities only reveal that the pandemic has not caused a recession like the one that hit the economy evenly in 2008. According to the sociologist, what we face is a "micro recession" in which the stock markets and property are up, and people with incomes of more than $100,000 a year have not seen their wallets affected. But instead, those at the bottom of the labor market have received the full blow of the "economic damage", reflected in the loss of income, employment and wages. “We need to reposition resources and relief programs, especially for mixed-sta-
said being a mother is a blessing despite the sacrifices. “I became fat and have stretch marks. From being free and single to being entangled with domestic responsibilities of rearing and taking care of children,” she said. Rato’s greatest fear is not to be able to support her children. “From thinking only of my personal needs, I now put my children's welfare above my own,” she said. Oosthuizen advises fellow
tus families,” Pastor continued. “The level of mental health trauma is high and we need to have culturally sensitive mental health resources available… We need to destigmatize the issue and make it seen as something that is social and community level, and not just your individual failing, so that people feel confident accessing those resources.”
mothers to provide their children with good education and spend time with them as much as they can. “Celebrate the reason that we are called mothers. Spend time with your children because if it weren't for them, we won't be the women that we are now. Also, appreciate the reason of our existence, our own mothers who are the reasons why we are here and of who we are now,” she said. (PNA)
Healing circles An example of this approach is the Community Coalition, founded in South Los Angeles by Congresswoman Karen Bass, which seeks the multiracial and multigenerational integration of communities to generate the solutions they need. During the pandemic they instituted a teletherapy program to offer services by licensed therapists of color and healing circles in local parks, to address "the devastating impact (of COVID) all around on physical, financial and mental health," said Leslie Johnson, Vice President of Organizational Development at Community Coalition. They also designed a website in English and Spanish that allows residents to check on their emotional health. "Those community healing efforts are really important and with funding and with having people in elected office that understand those kinds of interventions, we can really bring those to scale because our resources are limited," said Johnson for whom "racism is the true pandemic that we are fighting against.” “COVID-19 has exacerbated a lot of pre-existing conditions in our commu-
nity that are fostered by institutional racism and white supremacy. We must call for solutions that are bold, not just at the individual level but at the systems level, and that address the root causes” of inequalities, she observed. During the pandemic, her organization raised funds to buy personal protective equipment and make direct cash payments to families to help cover rent and utilities. They also provided laptops and hardware to students and installed hotspots for community members. They managed to offer doses of Pfizer at a vaccination clinic in a local park, establishing a system of appointments that allowed people to attend even at night to not miss work. But even promoting vaccination through trusted messengers, often family or neighbors, they still face vaccine hesitancy among the community. "The way the vaccines were rolled out didn't make a lot of sense to us in terms of having overcrowded homes and multi-generational households," Johnson said. "If we want to have the economy open, if we want to be able to go to restaurants and so forth, then we should go to these businesses and vaccinate the people who work there," she added. As part of the relief package, Los Angeles will receive about $1.3 billion from the federal government. The Community Coalition introduced a plan called Make Los Angeles Whole to use these resources in loans to women business owners, help people with rent and mortgage payments and utilities, and increase youth employment opportunities.
tating effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on Filipino health workers. We have read the stories about the death rate among AAPI nurses and recognize that some nurses also face fear amid increases in anti-Asian hate incidents during the pandemic. This May is the best time for us to come together in honoring nurses through our
actions: wear our snug-fitting masks, wash our hands, get vaccinated. This is how we show our nurses we appreciate them, we care, and we want this pandemic to end. Visit https://myturn.ca.gov to find a vaccine site nearby and to register for a convenient appointment time. Or call the state’s COVID-19 hotline 1-833-422-4255, where translators are available in 250+ languages.
APPRECIATE... from Page 1 survey by UCSF, more than one-fourth of California Registered Nurses are AAPI, with Filipinos at 17.6% and Asians who are not Filipino at 8.8%. The survey also showed that non-Filipino Asians and Pacific Islanders account for more than 11 percent of nurses under 45 years old. Additionally, news reports from Propublica and LAist have chronicled the devas-
