I NEVER imagined in my lifetime that I would experience and hopefully live through a pandemic, you know, the coronavirus a.k.a. SARS-Cov-2 or more popularly known as COVID-19 pandemic.
And to think I’m already a senior citizen, yes and it means I am in the high risk group.
I’ve always thought that I’d breeze through life without much hassle i.e. a major life-threatening pandemic.
Revolutions, wars, natural catastrophes i.e. floods, earthquakes or volcanic eruptions are some things that can be handled and sorted out as you basically know what you’re up against and would know how to do.
But if you’re up against a virus, an invisible foe, one that seems to contaminate people at will, you’re really helpless as you don’t know if the person next to you is a carrier who will infect you or not.
And it adds to the seemingly helplessness feeling when this coronavirus is a relatively new strain that science and medicine does not have much information yet. Hopefully if we get through this with our lives intact then the coming generations would already be well-equipped to fight this virus should it decide to do an encore.
At this point everyday is a learning experience for everyone, the experts included. What is certain though is that personal hygiene and cleanliness is our best defense.
Nowadays washing your hands and sanitizing with alcohol is not only de rigueur but you do it as if your life depends on it because literally it does.
Now would be a good time for humanity to come together, Filipinos included, but unfortunately there are still individuals who are “covidiots”.
Covidiot: Someone who ignores the warnings regarding public health or safety amid coronavirus.
And here’s an example of another set of idiots amidst the COVID-19 pandemic”
The other day social media was abuzz with a pitch battle between supporters…err…no that’s not the right description…it would be “starstruck fans” of Pasig City’s Mayor Vico Sotto and his critics, you know the “beauticians from the other parlor”.
And all that “melodrama” stemmed from some obvious rookie mistakes the “good” mayor made in trying to combat the COVID-19 pandemic his “own way” with disregard to the guidelines put up by the Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19.
Of course, it did not sit well with the President and it raked a lot of criticisms and oftentimes ridicule from the “beauticians from the other parlor.” Obviously it also did not sit well with Mayor Vico Sotto’s hordes of screaming starstruck fans.
In the end, Mayor Vico Sotto had no choice but to give up his foolhardy not-so-well-thought-of move and abide with the guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19.
As I was saying, these are trying times. We are fighting for our survival and yet these fools have the time to waste on such trivial nonsense.
Meanwhile in “I Am Iloilo City” we have epal politicians taking advantage of the situation for brownie points to advance their ulterior political ambitions.
One earned the ire and “hijo de puta”…err…“hija de puta” of “I Am Iloilo City” Mayor Geronimo for pre-empting the official announcement of the first COVID-19 positive patient of Iloilo Province via a post on social media, Facebook to be exact.
The other earned the ire and contempt of the scientific community, alumni and supporters, particularly from “I Am UPHI”, for upstaging their efforts and claiming glory in setting up a Department of Health-accredited COVID-19 testing center in the West Visayas Medical Center.
Mayor Geronimo, you can punch them in the face anytime soon.
As of this writing the House Committee of the Whole approved House Bill 6616 granting President Rodrigo Duterte emergency powers to address the COVID-19 situation in the country. Hopefully, if the usual suspects in the Senate do not derail this bill then the President will be better equipped to slow down if not stop the pandemic.
And it’s been a week till I last stepped out of the gates; good thing I have a few bottles of wine and assorted cans of lager to strong dark ale, Netflix, Pink Floyd CDs and Aries C. Rufo’s Altar of Secrets.
Now seems to be a good time to finally finish writing that book which has been on hold for some time.
Every year is getting shorter never seem to find the time.
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone, the song is over,
Thought I’d something more to say./PN
