THIS YEAR has crippled most of us.
People working in the service sector feel the brunt of the blow. Employees have either been laid-off or temporarily suspended.
For people who work with a daily-rate minimum wage salary, this is a true nightmare. During the very strict quarantine, I was on social media a lot. I saw how my friends were busy doing projects, learning new skills or slowly accomplishing their checklist of movies and series to watch. It’s only lately that I realized how privileged we were to have the luxury of being able to enjoy those things.
When we were told to stay home, I liked it. I liked how peaceful it was and how we didn’t have to go out to report for work. It was an introvert’s dream come true.
During that time I failed to see that so many people weren’t as fortunate as I was to be able to “relax” at home. There were those who would bite their nails and wrack their brains on how they would be able to provide for the daily needs of their families. Adding facemasks, face shields and hand sanitizer to the daily necessities just added salt to the wound.
Up to now people are trying their best to make “diskarte” on how to have an income. So many small businesses have started as a result to this situation.
What is sad is that the financial wound of the country is just getting bigger and bigger. Before, people would receive relief goods every week. Now, a loan from the Social Security System takes weeks to release.
A friend of mine was able to have work for five days, but his salary will only just be about enough to pay for his transportation to the city. People are running out of money.
I heard about a prediction on how 2020 is the year of the plague and 2021 will be the year of the famine. The events of this year could launch us into a similar situation as the Great Depression. That, plus regular calamities really bring a dark cloud over the Philippine economy and the situation of the labor force.
It makes you wonder how the country will recover; or if it ever will. We may need to borrow money from other countries again, increasing our global debt by millions of pesos. It is a harrowing thought indeed and it may just become a reality./PN
