ADJUSTING to our new way of life makes life challenging today. The president has now declared a state of calamity for the entire country as cases of virus-infected individuals continue to rise. We have not found the cure yet so we cannot counter the virus attack. We can only move back and raise our defenses. Obedience as a virtue is at its utmost importance in these trying times.
There is nothing more perplexing in modern times than the challenge of the Covid-19. The world is taken aback to the magnitude of this pandemic. The first wave of the virus did not really make a huge impact in the country but the second wave is nothing like a foreboding catastrophe. The government has implemented measures that are strange to ordinary Filipinos. Public transport is suspended, community quarantine is held in most parts of the country, and social distancing is strictly implemented. Now we have the sight of clear roads, towns are turning into ghost hunting areas, and people are walking in the streets in the absence of transportation. The measures implemented are harsh because they are strange and sudden. Many are complaining but the majority seem not to mind.
One of the most valued gifts given to human being is freedom. There is the freedom to see and explore, to roam and go around. But this freedom is being curtailed now by the government as a response to the deadly virus. If the freedom of people is withheld to serve as a response it is when we know we are facing a gigantic threat. The president is asking everyone to stay at home. Freedom and survival are two main reasons why obedience is a huge challenge to the citizenry.
People want to go out and socialize. This is our nature. Go somewhere to unwind. Travel to see the world. Now we have to change this mindset. Survival precedes freedom. Most people especially the poor cannot get income without working outside. There is nothing to eat unless they go out in the streets and head to their workplaces. They have to work for food. The majority of our workers in the country are informal workers. They are the “on-call” workforce—the construction workers, the self-employed, the market merchants, the “taho” and other street vendors. They are workers who do not have regular jobs. Yet even regular employees who are under the “no work no pay” working policy are affected. How difficult it is to refrain from going out if staying home means hunger.
The government is aware of this dilemma but these measures have to be implemented because of the widespread threat of the virus. We cannot sacrifice the health and lives of the people for one sector of the society but this does not mean the government ignores their needs. That is why our local officials have now directives coming from the office of the president to help their constituents in terms of food and security. The financial agents of the government are coming up with programs to help our “kababayans.”
Every day the number of confirmed cases infected of the virus rises. Unfortunate for all of us. The best thing that we can do is to give our full cooperation and obedience to the dictates of the government. This is not a dictatorship. This is saving the country from the Covid-19 disaster. We might now want the officials of our land but deep in our hearts, we know that they are doing what they think is best for the country. I agree. Save our complaints about other issues.
Cooperate and obey.