The
Philippines is a small Southeast Asian archipelago. It is a developing country
with a population of over 109,884,228 people. Natural disasters occur on an
annual basis, ranging from typhoons to earthquakes, flash floods, and volcanic
eruptions, with or without warning. The area's development and progress have
always been difficult. Surviving for months on end through hunger, sickness,
and poor crisis management is being lauded as a sign of resilience in our
country. It's no secret that the Filipinos have always taken pride in their
ability to withstand earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and typhoon after
typhoon. And, to be honest, why shouldn't they? Being able to recover quickly
from adversity while also offering assistance and warmth to others is a feat
that everyone should strive for. But the story changes when the trait you
worked so hard to develop for ourselves,
and especially for our country, is used to cover up its demise.
The Philippines has not experienced an epidemic like COVID-19 in recent history. With a lack of infrastructure and the luxuries many other countries take for granted, the Philippines is not well equipped to manage an illness of such proportions. But the Filipinos as a people have always been known to be extremely resilient. We are so used to natural calamity that it is something we have come to expect. It is something we dust ourselves off of, move on from, and laugh about. There is a concept in the Filipino culture called Bayanihan which means having communal unity and cooperation. Bayanihan is a Filipino behaviour most evident during difficult times, and the COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought upon the world with challenges. Almost all countries had to shut down their economies to halt the spread of the virus and the Philippines is one of those countries who have taken strict measures by implementing the Enhanced Community Quarantine on 15 March 2020. The lockdown did help in controlling the spread of the virus and apparently, the Philippines is already flattening the curve. The number of cases reported in the country is no longer growing at an exponential rate, however, flattening the curve does not necessarily mean that the Philippines is winning its battle against the pandemic. There are other measures to consider to ultimately say that a country is winning the battle. It aims to show other areas that must be considered to know if the country is winning the battle against COVID-19, such as controlling the number of deaths, having real-time and frequent information dissemination, improving hygiene and sanitation, and conducting massive and optimized testings. In the beginning of our community quarantine—known in other places around the world as a lockdown or stay-at-home order—you would see things like people in cars giving food to the medical and military frontline workers. Fundraisers and drives were organized in order to provide financial support to COVID-19 patients and their families. Masks and face shields were being handmade and distributed to those in need during the global shortage of PPE. These are all small but impactful examples of Bayanihan. Businesses—big and small—have not been spared, and the construction industry is no different. Global sales have naturally been affected, with projects being postponed or cancelled. Closing deals has become increasingly challenging, especially in industries heavily reliant on relationships and face-to-face interaction. Everyone had to pivot, and fast! New changes included the need to transition from personal interactions to virtual platforms like Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet. Webinars became a tool to get in front of the client—until people expressed webinar burnout and webinar invites were often treated like spam emails. These became fresh challenges that arose from what is being dubbed the new normal.
A pattern emerges from these events, as well as countless others throughout history: Every time, the Filipino nation must endure, brave the chaos, and rise the next day. It is because of this that we have earned the moniker "resilient nation." Because we had no choice but to unite. Too often, we see pictures on social media of people smiling at the camera while wading through a flood, or stories about people cracking jokes in the middle of a wreckage surface. Many of us feel that familiar sense of pride because, well, it's truly amazing that our people can still find hope and optimism in the midst of adversity. Take away the media's lens and sharp cut lines, the fleeting delight of being recognized, all the smoke and mirrors, and what we're left with is a people in struggle who have been forced to deal with it time and again. This is the part that always seems to go unnoticed. We've grown so accustomed to our resilience, which is often romanticized by the media, the government, and even ourselves, that we've forgotten we're supposed to be striving for something more. A place and time when we will not need to be resilient because there will be no tragedy or mismanagement to contend with. However, this is gradually changing, particularly in the case of COVID-19. We've felt helpless as we've watched the numbers rise. However, we are gaining a new social consciousness. Social media, in particular, has served as a platform for disseminating this information and reminding people that we can lift our country out of its state of perpetual resilience. The first step we must take as a nation is to demand accountability and transparency from those in power. Let us hold our leaders to the same standard to which we expect our country to be held.
People take action because they are aware. On a smaller scale, it is our responsibility as individuals to continue doing our best to be socially aware, educated, and informed about the various issues affecting the country. We can help even more by teaching these to people who may be unaware of the issues, especially in this day and age when fake news and less and less reliable sources of information abound. We can also join various organizations or participate in and donate to drives that address the problems that exist in the country so that we are better prepared to deal with them. This is a good idea if you want to maximize our impact but aren't sure where to begin, because you'll have other people with you in the cause as well as a facilitated, structured approach for effectively alleviating the effects of problems we've had in the past and attending to problems we have now.
Finally, while we are attempting to combat the need for resilience, it is still a necessary trait. Resilience in and of itself is not a bad thing; as previously stated, the need for it is what we must address. And we won't be able to do so unless we uphold another value that our country holds dear: unity. We can only prosper as a country if we decide to work together to achieve our goals, man and woman, citizen and citizen, people and government. When we all work together to build a good system, solve the country's problems, and ensure that every Filipino has the opportunity to live a secure life, we will be on the right track. Our lives, our families, and our needs are our responsibility. This means we must be prepared. We call it resilience. We are going to do good things for our family. For everyone in the community. This is the time that people and the government should be collaborating and helping each other. If people follow the instructions and executive orders, I think we can conquer COVID 19.
REFERENCES:
flag map of the Philippines https://static.vecteezy.com/system/resources/previews/000/671/402/original/vector-flag-map-of-the-philippines.jpg
Guidelines: Cities, provinces in VisMin under
‘new’ community quarantine https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=qfbQPT9R&id=03F8BABDADD9FC0500EF37356A8C8E9086A3D96C&thid=OIP.qfbQPT9RMxOzfOW5r7QIKQHaEK&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fvismin.ph%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2020%2f05%2fphilippine-map.jpg%3fx30585&exph=1080&expw=1920&q=Philippines+Map+with+Community+Quarantine&simid=608031811518863884&FORM=IRPRST&ck=6F9BC25EE38F8647186B58658043B0C2&selectedIndex=11
Philippines
extends lockdown of millions in Luzon to April 30 https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=q7C2pbfI&id=2D30AAB8AA6D9DE5AF0F96580B3E713B858A2C97&thid=OIP.q7C2pbfIRKv8nDW3ZakwVQHaE7&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fsa.kapamilya.com%2fabsnews%2fabscbnnews%2fmedia%2f2020%2freuters%2f04%2f01%2f20200323-lockdown.jpg&exph=633&expw=950&q=LOCKDOWN+IN+PHILIPPINES+PICTURES&simid=608005242849462572&FORM=IRPRST&ck=C118D571B3925D37267D216A3A2C1B15&selectedIndex=9
Philippine
typhoons kill 59, floods trap hundreds https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=eRSoejlD&id=B14C3C7A9A0DA8251B29E7FA06C008F0F74E6652&thid=OIP.eRSoejlDhFQ-WOmpezZRXAHaE8&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fnolisoli.ph%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2017%2f09%2fnolisoliph-manila-flood.jpg&exph=683&expw=1024&q=FLOOD+WHILE+PEOPLE+SMILING&simid=608036892459150321&FORM=IRPRST&ck=56E58E0A045F19D5B929F91A69E55B5E&selectedIndex=0
.jpg)
I find your blog interesting as you have stated many strategies/solutions on how the Philippines can become a more resilient country. I like how you displayed the "bayanihan" of the Filipinos.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is really something. You are very honest and you always say what's on your mind. I hope we can clear this pandemic! Keep up the good work, have fun and stay safe!
ReplyDeleteHi there! The Covid-19 Pandemic is such a great devastation, greater than any calamities that the whole world are facing into a great effect in each country’s down economy and businesses, some are closing, bankruptcy and low remittances, and low economic output. Government protocols are implemented, just to lower the high rising effect of the virus in each locality, but some are not aware of this such health and government protocols. Thus, the number of cases are still high to everyone, especially in our country. Let us be more resilient and be vigilant and follow the health and government protocols for our country’s recovery, and let us bring back again our country into a “normal and free”, Philippines.
ReplyDelete