Covid -19 Diary #3: Passing by the River and Old Houses

April 13 - Easter’s over and the home quarantine continues. It’s good to leave the confines of our home every now and then to take that much needed walk. I agree nature has never bloomed this much. Just look at the river and how it reflects the azure sky. This morning stroll took me to some quiet corner of the city, where, beside the river, I saw this secret space that reminds me of Iloilo’s riverside esplanade. The mayor’s  beautification projects is paying off. This was once a neglected part of the city center and look how tranquil it has become! I hope the vandals would appreciate what a lovely spot this is now.

I love old houses and I love listening to the stories that happened here. I got the chance to take pictures of them. Many still standing, albeit distressed by time and disregard. Some abandoned and half torn, totally forgotten. A friend once said, “if only these houses could speak, I wonder what stories would they tell?” Just like an old grandma, they’d definitely spill accounts of romance, intrigues, heartbreaks, war stories, gossips, and so on. Tales as old as time!

Here in McKinley Street, there’s this house that is still occupied. A familiar fruit stand occupies below.

Nearby is this half-torn bahay na bato. It was once occupied a bank and it laid empty for years. I know a rich family once lived here.

The walk continues to Magallanes Street. A distant relative used to live in this one and only art deco house in City. Sadly, her heir thought it better be an isawan and I think two or three hideous isawan now occupies what was once a sprawling ground.

Rows of old building. Aged but still standing. Barely.

I love this house. The ground floor is subleased into different businesses but it still remains in the family of the guy who built it. He was Octavio. I knew it because  his name was installed on the façade of this house.

Meanwhile, a few days ago, the President has extended the enhance community quarantine in Luzon until April 30. Originally, it should only last until April 14, but with mass testing now being done, the positive cases has spiraled and the Philippine has now the most number of COVID-19 patients in Southeast Asia. Our governor also extended the ECQ for the Province of Capiz until further noticed.

Covid-19 Diary #2: Household Galore

A bunch of roses from my small garden.

March 23, 2020- Our University President announced that we have to strictly implement the work at home praise. Everyone at the faculty and staff chatgroup virtually rejoiced. Prior to that, the school had already observed a flexible work scheme, where employees working outside of Roxas City were required to render only a few days a week. However, that did not dispel the worry. Many of us travel to work via public utility vehicles and one doesn’t really know if he is sitting next to an infected person. As many cases are asymptomatic, you could only pray that you’re spared every day that you go to work.

Earlier today, I went to the public market to buy fresh produce. Fish, meat, vegetables, fruits. Enough to last me and my father for a week. Living with an alcoholic in times like this is a challenge. I worry that he might go out for a quick drink at the nearby store. He goes out at least once a day to buy his cigarettes. In the afternoon, he sits outside where the breeze is cool, a respite from the excruciating heat. Our house faces westward, so it could get hot in the afternoon.  That is why staying as home is a must for me or else he’d head on to his usual drinking spree. Good thing since our schedule was adjusted, I was able to spend the better part of the day at home. Now that work is suspended, I have to worries of leaving him on his own and has actually been sober for a few days now.

I have also done grocery shopping. The mall close to the university has closed its stores, except for its grocery and pharmacies. There was a queue at the grocery’s entrance, but the shoppers had to qualm. Social distancing was observed and I think a batch of 10 shoppers is allowed at a time. I still have ample stocks at home, but considering things spiraled quickly out of control the past few days, it’s better to be prepared when we are required to stay at home longer than we should.

Now that we have to stay at home, what should I do? So much! I’m thinking of making a bed to raise easy-growing vegetables so I could have a fresh supply of leafy greens in case my trip to the market is limited. Clearing the house from clutter is also on my mind. So far, I have succeed at boxing most of the books I don’t read anymore. I have already given a balikbayan box to a public high school, but I still have more. I am now dusting the furniture almost every-day and it is a challenge when you have so many stuff. Through the years I have acquired ceramics, blue and white china, vintage stuff, books, and many more. Now I ask myself, do I really need all of them? So, off they went to the box and I brought them to a spare room. All must go. Minimize and declutter is now a mantra. The living room has been cleared off and it looks more spacious. I’m working on my room now and I hope I could organize the storage because it looks really dishevelled…. And then my mind would wander off far and away, to hospitals and borders, where the fight against COVID-19 are now raging. What about our nurses and doctors? What about those who have little or none at all? The Philippines is in for rough seas and we could only wish for calmer days to come, but until this isn’t over, we all have to hold on.  

Covid-19 Diary #1: The Calm Before the Storm

Red sun in Boracay a few days before the COVID-19 scare got scarier.

March 23, 2020 - The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) scare in the Philippines started out as early as January when news surfaced that an unusual case of respiratory illness was quickly spreading in Wuhan, China. By February, panic has started to hit the ASEAN countries as the deadly virus spread outside China, the first known case was in Thailand. It became clear that the world is bracing for a pandemic, although it would take a few more weeks before the World Health Organization classified COVID-19 as such.

The Philippine government apparently seemed relax at the start, downplaying the need to close airports to and from China, especially from the Hubei province. By early January, the first case of COVID19 was registered in the Philippines.However the country does not have mass testing, which explains why there seemed to be very few cases. 

With the burgeoning cases of coronavirus in the Asean region skyrocketing quickly, the government finally enforced travel restrictions by the second week of February. But with the situation we’re now in, had the Philippine government imposed travel restrictions early on, do you think we could have prevented the virus from reaching our shores? Was the government too complacent and thought it was just another ordinary flu virus? The consequences of these past decisions weigh in now and in the days and weeks to come.

But in those cool February days, with in-bound  travel ban in effect, it still felt safe and with limited number of tourists from China, I felt at ease but we were never really safe. Complacent was far from being an option. I made my annual trip to Boracay Island on February 29. Mindful of the need to avoid crowded places, I chose a charming hotel tucked on a hill and pretty isolated from the crowded coastal stations in the island.  Considering summer was fast approaching  I thought Boracay would be jampacked with tourists from around the world, but lo and behold, the crowd was less than the usual. Coronavirus scare started to sink in on people’s mind. There were very few Chinese and Korean tourists and mostly were Europeans and locals. It was good to see the white beach in this pristine setting, the sea was cerulean and clear, the shoreline half empty even in the midday. But deep within the community, businesses were already feeling the pinch while the workers begin to fear losing their income.

March stormed us with one turbulent news after another. A week later, we were already starting to feel the worry that coronavirus would be here anytime soon. Our university president called for a meeting, where were reminded to observe certain precautions. Paranoid began to set in, as one who coughed or sneezed would cause discomfort. He may have covid! One may say at the back of his mind. I was suffering from cold and allergic rhinitis so I tried to hold myself not to cough or sneeze in public – which was really difficult.

When the number of positive cases in Metro Manila began to rise, we knew tough times were coming. By the second week of March, everyone was hooked on the news as cases spiralled while persons under investigation quickly escalated. The national capital region was gripped with fear and despite efforts by the government to ensure the public that everything was in control, one cannot deny that a city so densely populated would have a hard time containing the virus. Not unless extremely drastic measures are taken.

I would like to think that life should carry on even with coronavirus lingering around. That my travels should push through because life goes on, I assured myself. I was about to have a trip to Palawan   but with virus, fear, and worry spreading like wildfire, I decided to cancel on the last minute. It was a wise decision. I should have arrived in Palawan on March 12, but on March 13, the flight back to Iloilo was cancelled, an email from Cebu Pacific notified me. That same day, the government announced that Metro Manila would be placed under community quarantine – a measure  a little less than the lockdown implemented in Wuhan and Italy, where the virus left the government stunned and helpless.

Surreal was the word that defined the empty, haunted streets and piazzas that once thrived with tourists from around the world. In other word, it is unbelievable. Of course, one could never fathom that this would ever happen to a first world country. Italy was brought to its feet and knees, how much more a third world country like the Philippines? The decision to miss my trip to Palawan was not a blessing in disguise. It was a blessing outright. Panic hit overcrowded airports.  I saw angry passengers shouting at airport staff. What could have happened to me had I not heeded to my gut feeling? A friend who was trapped at the chaos told me the experience was like one of those dystopian movies. What if I got trapped there? What if I failed to go home on time? What would happen to my alcoholic father? I could only only imagine...

Everyone feared for our health and safety.  Since the only COVID-19 testing center available is in Manila, we were never sure who’s carrying the virus. We started observing social distancing. We started buying alcohol when it was still cheap. I stocked on face masks in mid-February when tension hasn’t yet escalated.  You begin to see people avoiding one another. The mall had started to look more like a ghost town.

In Manila, things remain worrisome and the president decided to place the entire Luzon island under extended community quarantine. No sooner, our mayor placed the city of Roxas under community quarantine; a pronouncement by the governor of Capiz also came in place. Local government leaders in nearby provinces of Antique, Iloilo, Guimaras and Aklan also did the same. Every minute mattered. The local government units were quick to mobilize to ensure that their communities remain safe. The health department’s call to stay at home to arrest the spread of COVID-19 grew louder and louder and we eagerly wanted to comply. Schools begin to close and classes were moved online. But as civil servants, we were still required to go to work. Guidelines on skeletal work forces came out. Our work schemes were adjusted but there was still that fear that you might bumped into to someone who has the virus or got exposed to a covid-positive. Paranoia has become the norm.

It did not take too long until our university president finally issued an announcement that allowed us to follow the “work at home scheme”. Everyone sighed with relief. While we can rest on the safety of our homes, the world outside still brings in uncertainty, and as COVID-19 cases rose from hundreds to thousands, we knew we were in for the fight to stay alive.