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EDITO R I AL PR O PE R
Living in a bubble
F
ilipinos bid goodbye to March and greeted April with a second round of Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) placed over the so-called NCR Plus, comprising the National Capital Region (NCR), Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite, and Laguna.
President Rodrigo Duterte approved of this recommendation by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases after a sharp rise in the daily tally of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) cases, wherein record-high levels of new infections were consecutively reported. Resolution No. 106-A by the IATF cited the new variants of the illness, over one hundred thousand active cases as reasons for ECQ declaration. It also mentioned that the restriction intends to give time for the country’s health system to handle the situation. After more than a year of different levels of lockdown and an almost nonexistent vaccination program, the IATF just presented yet another questionable measure in a desperate effort to curb the consequences of the pandemic. Dubbed as the strictest quarantine classification enforced in the country, NCR Plus is supposed to further ensure that the people will take health protocols more seriously. However, results showed that their new countermeasures only added to the burden and confusion of the citizens involved—another reason to consider why
IATF is obviously providing an unreliable service to the people. With the absurd guidelines of the supposed-to-be response, it is clear that IATF cannot solve this without acknowledging the nation’s healthcare system first and foremost, instead of fortifying this enforcement, but punishing the people, who are not to blame for the country’s poor pandemic response, in return. The first ECQ last year was put to waste because of its late implementation, lack of mass testing, and delayed procurement of vaccines. Aside from the opportunity and time, much of the emergency powers and budget allotted for managing this health crisis are mishandled. If they were not, then a second wave would be unnecessary. In addition, loans accumulated in 2020 are also unavailable for tracking. The rationale for those funds is to provide for the vaccines once they are available. One year later, the Philippines is now on the receiving end of donations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and manufacturers. On top of all these, not all provinces are experiencing a smooth distribution of the doses, and many medical workers are still anxiously waiting for their shot. Despite all the time and money that they were able to have, the government’s response still only composed of lockdowns that do nothing but plunge the Filipino people’s mental health and general well-being that even dug a deeper grave for the country’s economy. According to the WHO, the piled up psychological toll of pandemic anxiety, impending economic stability, and absence of some outdoor recreational activities – which people used as emotional outlets, will be a long-term problem after this worldwide health crisis. People are getting stressed each day while the President points the blame on them rather than building a wall to end the surge of the respiratory-related disease.
Before putting the Philippines under quarantine, on a Global Schoolbased Student Health survey, 28.4 percent of Filipino teenagers manifested suicidal ideology, and over a year of foul play against the disease, the percentage of people who suffer from mental disorders have increased due to different factors affecting the individual such as sexual abuse, anxiety, verbal abuse, and bullying about having Covid-19. Furthermore, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has reported that the national economy suffered a PhP180 billion loss due to the two-week ECQ. This is because some of the country’s main sources of finance were the ones affected. Saying that it is not yet too late for the Philippines to recover from this disaster is nothing but sugarcoated words, since several countries have already begun vaccinating their citizens and easing restrictions as early as January. Now, the people are calling for a vaccination drive, but last year’s oath remains unfulfilled. Long before the formation of the NCR Plus, government officials have already been living in a bubble, underestimating the possible effects of a pandemic, not being able to empathize with the masses and consequently failing to assess and fulfill their new necessities after being put under a lockdown, prioritizing other agenda, and missing accountability for the national funds and loans, are just some signs that those politicians are indifferent to the public they are supposed to serve. However, all bubbles pop inevitably, either because the water inside runs dry, there is too much air turbulence, or perhaps, it was pricked.
