Circuit breaker

We don’t  know whether to laugh or cry over the progress of our battle against COVID-19. Even the ghosts from the Ghost Month that just ended must be as confused as we are.

The Ber months are here and yet the number of COVID-19 cases in the country continues to climb – 234,570 and still counting. We now have the worst outbreak in Southeast Asia despite imposing the longest and strictest lockdown. The quarantine measures, although more relaxed, are still in place, making it even more difficult for millions of Filipinos.

Notice the jeepney drivers begging on the roadside for alms? What has the government done to help them? It’s clearly not enough.

But it’s not just the hapless drivers who are struggling. Everyone is feeling the pinch, one way or another – you, me and everyone we know. Businessmen are trying to keep their heads above the turbulent waters. Journalists from big and small media outfits are being shown the door.

The country’s oligarchs have seen their listed firms lose billions in market value. Imagine how a hundred times worse the situation is for the ordinary Filipino.

Against this backdrop, we are greeted with news that Manila Bay is getting a white makeover, just like Paris in the summer, at a tab of P349 million. Ex-National Press Club president turned Environment Undersecretary Benny Antiporda, defending the beach nourishment project, says the sight of the pristine sand-like crushed rocks would encourage people to take care of the coastline.

The logic of course is silly, not to mention the timing of this beautification project.

And then there’s news that MTRCB wants to regulate Netflix, possibly killing one of the few things that Filipinos still enjoy during this pandemic.

Perhaps, the MTRCB has been feeling extra useless these days. It should realize, however, that censoring Netflix wouldn’t really make up for all the times it allowed broadcast giants to air all their nonsense teleseryes with impunity.

In any case, it is simply ridiculous to even be discussing this at this time when our countrymen are facing so many problems related to the pandemic – job losses, a weakened health system, exasperated health workers, corruption in PhilHealth and so much more.

As I said, we don’t know whether to laugh or cry over what’s happening in our country today.

But here’s what I know for sure. We do need a circuit breaker to prevent a total collapse of our health system and our economy, if not our sanity.

As I keep on pressing, we need that stimulus package now. With Bayanihan 2 ratified, we now need it to be implemented so it can help save companies in dire situations and people who have lost their jobs.

We also need to continue with mass testing, contact tracing and localized lockdowns to help contain the virus.

More importantly, we should all continue to be careful. We cannot afford to let our guard down.

This is all our shared fate. This tiny, tiny virus is still very much around. Our response must evolve and continue.

Throwing in the towel

Some businessmen are getting frustrated and tired of the situation. They feel they are on their own and cannot really rely on the government.

One entrepreneur who declined to be named, believes the numbers that the Department of Health are capturing are grossly understated.

He has reason to be doubtful. In his company of at least 200 employees, there are at least 30 people who tested positive for COVID-19 and these cases are all below the radar of the DOH.

Imagine, this is just one company. I am sure there are similar stories in other companies and their COVID-19 cases may not be included in the official count of the DOH.

This simply tells us the situation is even worse than we know or we are told; the number of cases could be more.

Says the entrepreneur: “Every day, I wake up hoping this is all but a bad dream, but sadly, each day seems to bring more despair and misery to our country and people.”

For him, it’s really important to embrace a new social behavior if we are to fight this virus.

“The mask is our new ‘facial underwear’ that we have to put on much like our regular underwear. An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure... I think this mask strategy could be a small stop gap measure until we all get used to the new normal,” he says.

Those who reward themselves with a salu-salo of barbecue and cans of beer  -- simple as it may seem – are also inviting risks, he says, lamenting that some of his employees did just that.

“I guess it’s the ripple effect of the Mañanitas of our VIPs,” he says.

At the end of the day, we’re still in this situation. It may be amusing to laugh at ourselves and the daily black comedy we see around us almost every day.

But there comes a point we must stop laughing. It’s time for us to get serious in our response against COVID-19 and tear away all those cobwebs of inefficiencies.

Iris Gonzales’ email address is [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @eyesgonzales. Column archives at eyesgonzales.com