We have come a long way since the government imposed the first lockdown at the end of March in 2020 to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
It has almost been two years. The pandemic lingers, but here in Cebu it’s safe to say that the majority has moved on.
I mean, it’s not like the people have a choice. We have to put food on our tables. We have to provide for our families. In other words, we have to survive. And to do that we coped. We learned to live with the protocols that are in place to contain the disease.
Things have not been easy, though, especially for Cebu’s economy. But in the province, business had been picking up slowly, thanks to the pragmatic policies of the Provincial Government.
Towards the end of 2021, there was an air of optimism. People were looking forward to the new year. Then on Dec. 16, Typhoon Odette struck the island. Even though the public had taken precaution, the storm’s ferocity caught many by surprise.
Until now, more than three weeks after that fateful night, approximately 90,000 families, most of them living in the south, still don’t have homes. It’s no wonder then that Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia has made it the Provincial Government’s no. 1 priority to help them rebuild.
I have seen the devastation first hand. There’s no denying that rehabilitation of some places will take time.
In fact, the power sector has been working tirelessly day and night to restore electricity, but many affected areas will remain in the dark until the end of the month.
Telecommunications companies, too, have been hard at work restoring internet connection and phone signals, but there are many out there who still don’t have access to the web or who can’t be contacted on their phones.
Despite the “disconnect,” the peace and order situation in Cebu remains relatively good. There were no riots. Even when lines outside gasoline stations stretched for kilometers. It’s probably because the people know that the government, and by that I mean Cebu Province, and the private sector have been doing their best to address the public’s plight. That and no one has gone hungry, especially in the province.
As of Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, the Provincial Government has delivered 39,380 sacks of NFA rice; 27,816 food boxes; and 418,549 bottled water, among others, to 36 local government units affected by the calamity.
I know I am ignoring the elephant in the room. But really. What’s there to say about the Omicron variant of Covid-19? We’ve been in this situation before. We know the drill. Let’s just focus on one problem at a time.