By Anthony A. Araos
There are psychological challenges faced after a decision has been reached on where to stay during this so-called “community quarantine” period.
Be it in Quezon City or Pasay City in Metro Manila (where the “community quarantine” was initially enforced) or in Gerona, Tarlac, Mangaldan, Pangasinan, Baguio City or Tinoc, Ifugao and many other towns and cities in Luzon (where the “community quarantine” was subsequently placed by President Duterte), you’re staying there for good for now and quite some time. STAY HOME!
Staying home means a lot in addressing the COVID-19 disease. Likewise, staying home means stockpiling a lot of food supplies. I’m not just talking of basic food supplies. This easily refers to all imaginable items in an operational kitchen at home. I’m sure that thousands of stories will be told on how Luzon folks “survived” the “community quarantine” on meager food supplies for four harrowing weeks.
Staying home means stretching the peso during these trying times. The cooking oil priced at Php 18 is now selling at Php 20. In other words, in most instances, the government’s “price freeze” policy is just about a big joke. The other problem (actually the bigger problem) is a good number of goods are no longer available. So even if you have the money to buy one, the desired item is nowhere around.
Staying home means working on some papers. This refers to the “work at home” instructions of the national government. Some are already working in the wee hours of the morning. Others are enjoying it. Because they only work for thirty minutes and eat and sleep for the remaining period of the day. Now, there is a new definition of “productivity.”
Staying home means worrying a lot because their jobs are in peril. With no jobs, how do you feed your family?
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I visited recently the bird-watching site 1- situated at Sitio Minanga at Barangay Sto. Domingo in Alfonso Lista town of Ifugao, and was truly impressed of the place’s natural wonders. I have no doubts whatsoever that the place is a “gem” in the tourism industry of the province.
I was about to make a commentary of it for local and foreign tourists to visit in the coming Holy Week vacation and beyond. The spectacular sight of in-bound birds at 5 p.m., the grand contours of the Magat River, the imposing structures of Magat Dam and Maris Dam and the unspoiled natural setting easily overwhelmed my emotions. You’ll never forget the rhythmic flight of the birds.
However, I was overtaken by the fast evolving developments of the coronavirus pandemic outbreak. So I opted to put on hold this matter and tackle pressing issues related to the fast-spreading disease. For one, with mass transportation grounded to deter the spread of COVID-19, it makes sense to entice or tell tourists to reconsider visiting this popular site for now.
Well, let me stress the obvious effect of the ongoing health crisis. The tourism industry of Ifugao just suffered a knockout. All stakeholders are badly affected by the enhanced “community quarantine” in Luzon. They include owners and employees of the Banaue Hotel and Youth Hostel, lodging inns and hostels in Mayoyao and Kiangan; tour guides, travel and tour operators, Ohayami Trans owner, drivers, conductors and inspectors, van owners and drivers, owners and workers of restaurants and eateries; owners, drivers and dispatchers of jeepneys, owners and drivers of tricycles and many others. The losses are surely unimaginable. I’m expecting retrenchment measures to be adopted by business owners. Expect this to take place in business firms related to the tourism industry. A prolonged period of the COVID-19 health crisis shall eventually result in their closure. The small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) directly or indirectly intertwined with the tourism industry are to bear the full brunt or impact of the zero tourist arrival number in the province’s 11 towns.
The tourism industry simply revolves around the idea of travelling to destinations in one’s country or outside of it. Right now, mobility (through land, sea and air) has been halted. Conversely, a nail has been pinned in the coffin of the tourism industry. It is virtually a death sentence. I’ll not be surprised if the provincial and municipal governments decide to suspend the operations of their tourism offices. What’s the point of paying the salaries of the men and women of a tourism office when there are no tourists to account for? Better to consider padlocking them for now? Don’t get me wrong, I have friends in these offices. But, that’s the reality on the ground!
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Finally, a thought for our dear reader: “The number of confirmed COVID-19 patients in the Philippines is rising and President Duterte already declared a state of public health emergency because of this. We want to help the concerned agencies in the fight against and containment of this deadly disease. Hence, we immediately provided the Php 2 billion funding which we directly remitted to the Socio-Civic Projects Fund (SCPF) under the Office of the President.” This was said by Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo
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Brainy tidbit: Who would benefit from “Social Distancing?”
Answer: You, your family members, relatives, friends, neighbors and co-employees. This is precisely the reason why “social distancing” is being implemented throughout the island of Luzon. I’m sure that this is even true in the Visayas and Mindanao.
However, Filipinos in the C, D and E classes (or the lower-income brackets) continue to defy instructions for them to keep a distance of at least a meter apart. The masses are doing otherwise. They are like sardines in a can!
In the post-COVID-19 period, researchers and all others are likely to trace the problem on the lack of understanding of the masses of “social distancing.” Stupidity, lack of discipline and hard-headedness of the masses have a hefty price tag.
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For our food delights corner: Be it merienda or lunch time, it may well be a good time to have spaghetti. Find time to prepare one for your family, loved ones or friends at the table even at these “abnormal times.” Make sure there’s a lot of ground beef (or ground pork), tomato sauce, tomato paste, onions, garlic, pepper, hotdog bits and cheese. Just be creative and generous with the sauce and cheese. Best paired with toasted bread and chilled apple juice.
When this “health crisis” is finally over, I’ll certainly cook and eat, eat and eat lots of spaghetti. I’m awfully missing my old-styled, restaurant-prepared favorite in Makati City. Meantime, I’m praying for more God’s graces and blessings for all of us. I’m so grateful for the limited food stocks I have at the moment. Do your share by praying before meal time!
You already have a half cavan of rice, eggs, vegetables and fruits for the next ten days, is there still a need for you to pray? Yes, there is. A lot of developments are likely to take place in the coming days. Think about it: there is still no cure or vaccine for the COVID-19 ailment and you don’t have a crystal ball to make a prediction!
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Blooper in Ifugao: A sign at Alfonso Lista town proper’s public market says: Sta. Maria Public Market. While the town’s public market is situated at Barangay Sta. Maria, it should be rightly named “Alfonso Lista Public Market.”
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All that’s needed to throw out the “social distancing” regulation and create chaos and mob rule in the grassroots level is to make an announcement at the barangay hall that the Punong Barangay and his or her kagawads are distributing relief goods. In less than five minutes, villagers would be around to get their share. In other words, it is a recipe for “mass gathering.” Yet again.
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There are reports that barangay councils are faced with the problem of giving relief goods to the people because of limited funds. Even officials of the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) are being asked to use their resources for this purpose. But what about the excessive funds of the board members- does anyone have the courage to speak out and tell them to shell out cash?
Does the board member’s “reach-out” project in a remote and marginalized Ifugao village serve the common good, or has the Sangguniang Panlalawigan members’ favorite activity in December become a plain project conducted in “aid of re-election?” To learn more of the situation, this is the best time for the board members to visit and check the barangay halls, most especially in far-flung areas.**
