June 8, 2021
Pearl Julia M. Sibug
Anniversaries are meant to be celebrated, it’s in our culture to be joyous about it, but this pandemic that we’re on is not the example of an anniversary we should toast for.
One year is long enough to forget or get over something, a lot of changes can happen in a span of one year. Yet, Filipinos could still remember President Rodrigo Duterte’s promise last year to put an end to the fast-spreading Coronavirus.
His exact words were “I promise you, by the grace of God, I hope by December, we would be back to normal.” This statement was given in July last year after he vowed that the Philippines would be ‘back to normal’ as the country expects vaccines from China. Yet, we are stuck in an endless pit.
Set your priorities straight
Duterte was known for his “leadership without details” after leaving a statement that he will provide leadership at his closing statement in the presidential debate a month before becoming the president of this country. Yet, when Coronavirus hit the Philippines, the president who was known to be a ‘doer’ cannot walk his talk.
After the suspension of classes in March last year, Duterte had his speech where he announced the world’s strictest lockdown to be implemented all over the Philippines that has caused an economic downturn that hurt thousands of employees, businessmen, and families.
He also allotted most of his speech to resuscitating the death penalty, justifying the bloody war on drugs, and attacking those who oppose him and his way of leadership.
The president also got the time to shut down ABS-CBN and pass the Anti-Terrorism Law which puts silence on anyone who poses threat to the government. Indeed, Duterte has his way to retaliate when triggered and exposed by those that are not blinded by his inept leadership.
He even prioritized the reopening of cinemas and arcades at malls which are not essential for Filipinos considering the fact that they are facing enormous challenges due to the COVID-19 crisis. Still, the government prioritized non-essential things instead of hearing people’s cry on their demands about basic needs such as food supply and fair distribution of budget allocation for pandemic aid and relief.
The government also promised that limited face-to-face classes will happen before the end of 2020, but students are still stuck at their homes facing piles of academic requirements and internet connectivity issues every day.
His promise of not prolonging the agony of Filipinos under this pandemic still remains. We are still here.
Lockdown anniversary
It’s been more than a year now, and Filipinos are still required to obey the rules of social distancing, wearing of face masks and face shields, travel policies, and curfew hours while numerous government leaders of the country exercise their privileges every day.
Unemployment rate is at 8.8%, having 4.2 million Filipinos recorded jobless this February because of the COVID-19 pandemic according to Philippine Statistics Authority. This unemployment rate has affected many households and is continuing to contribute to every family’s financial instability.
It has also been more than a year now since students and teachers switched to a new modality—online learning. It’s been more than a year of endless calls for academic freeze and academic ease for students struggling because of online classes and distance learning, yet none of it was heard by the government.
Evident struggles of both students and teachers are seen every day as the academic calendar pushes through despite the threats of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases reported daily.
Number of students filing for leave of absence and dropouts increases along with students considering taking leave of absence under this online set-up. This pandemic existed long enough to the point it drains students' and teachers’ energy and motivation.
Even the lifting of lockdown in selected areas in the Philippines was postponed due to the increase in the number of COVID-19 cases with 4,700 new cases adding to the total of 1,159,071 cases today.
In lieu of lifting the lockdown, an extended and more intensified lockdown was implemented all over the country putting back everyone at square one. The current situation we are in contradicts what the government has said about the Philippines ‘not back to square one’.
Why are we still here?
Despite the promising words of the president, Filipinos continue to suffer from threats of Coronavirus which took a toll on people’s lives with the rising death toll of 20,019.
The number of affected Filipinos in this continuing dilemma is not a matter the government should take lightly. Rather, they should be alarmed of the Philippines and its countrymen’s state.
Filipinos hoped for a better response than this. Filipinos asked for competency and transparency, not negligence and corruption of funds in PhilHealth, smuggled vaccines for VIPs, endless road repair and construction, or dolomite sand covering Manila Bay.
The new normal should not be a continuous spiral of lies, broken promises, and filthy governance. Rather it should resonate Philippines’ hope for an end to this loop of unfortunate events brought by this pandemic.
Election season is fast approaching and by now, we should know what kind of leaders this country deserves. We should not let this kind of crisis stick around and make us suffer all over again.
The Philippines shall continue to seek urgency from a competent government that sees and prioritizes Filipinos’ needs, especially during these trying times.
Prolonging the agony is not what we need. We did not sign up for this. SYNC IN
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