In November of 2019, some people had started getting sick of this flu that reportedly came from animals sold in a seafood market in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China. The same country the Philippine government welcomes with loving arms into our country.
In December, their government reported that the virus couldn’t transfer from animals to human. We people living thousands of miles away from Wuhan felt safe and secure, confident that the virus will not come near us. Now we know we were wrong and that they were not telling what was right. More people got sick. Clearly the corochina was having a heyday jumping from one Chinese person to another.
The affluent Chinese celebrated and painted the world red before, during, after the Christmas and New Year holidays. Millions more traveled to key cities around the world, much to the delight of Italian and French leather goods manufacturers. Philippines was also one their favorite places to vacation during the Lunar Year. Happy Chinese New Year. Kung Hei Fat Choi.
Not only during holidays, Filipinos benefited financially from the millions living, working, gallivanting in our Metropolis and beaches.
In mid January 2020 the world welcomed the new year with daily news of the corochina successfully advancing its cause— to infect more people.
In February 2020 patches of this invisible killer have started coming out of their gift boxes, infecting thousands around the world. The world is now the recipient of this most vicious, highly contagious, killer-world-changer.
It’s only the third month of 2020 and yet how we wish it’s already 2021 hoping that this nightmare of a virus would be gone by then and we, humanity, would be back on our feet trying to salvage what we can and starting a new life better than our 2020.
It’s too late to discover that too much of Chinese food is bad for humanity. It’s hard to accept that the profits from decades of having cheap made in China products have been wiped-out in a single week.
I hope there will be lots of realizations here: Globalization breeds cooperation but not brotherhood. Your smart ass should be smart enough not to fully entrust control of health supplies such as medicine supplies and equipments to who could potentially be your worst enemy.
Bring back the manufacturing to your countries to provide more jobs to your citizens. You may buy still from China but not every product there is.
In this season of self distancing, it’s about time that countries start looking inward for their own protection and sustainability.
To allow one country to wield so much economic and military power over the others would be too dangerous. Most especially if that country has a different ideology.
The conspiracy theory being peddled recently that the deadly virus came from the United States is smack of absurdity and lie. It’s ridiculous to even think of that. Let’s all be clear here. The virus that is wrecking havoc to humanity came from our neighbor China. This is not accusatory. This is not being racist. This is the unfortunate truth.
The world has changed and will change. I hope for the better and not for the worst. The way we live our lives must change and it will change whether we like it or not.
I’ve been having sleepless nights worrying about getting sick, about dying. I don’t want to get sick and be a burden to my family or to the world. I want to live to see my son get married too. I want to experience being a grandma because I know I am going to be one good one. I want to grow old just like my friend who is now 80. I want to be 88 and still be useful to the world.
I worry about my family’s safety and good health. I want my children to be able to roam around this world happy, safe and free. I am worried about the health of my relatives, friends, maids, employees, co-workers, colleagues, doctors, nurses, strangers. I fervently pray that each and every person on the planet be safe from this virus.
I am worried about the peace and order most especially in Metro Manila. Millions of people live on a day to day. Their small earnings all go to food for their family. Their daily wages go to rice and ulam. Everyday is another day. They don’t have money to last a week without work. They don’t have a big pantry full of canned goods and sacks of rice. Isang kahig isang tuka ang tawag sa kanila. No work no pay no eating. Sana pagnalampasan natin itong problema na ito, matutunan nilang mahalin ang trabaho, maging tapat, at respetuhin ang kanilang mga amo.
I am worried about our livelihood. Yes we are the business owners but that doesn’t mean we don’t have problems. Our problems are bigger than the ordinary worker’s problems. They only worry about themselves, we, we worry about ourselves, our families, plus our employees’ and their families. No business no money to pay rents, payrolls, taxes, security guards, etc. Hundreds of people depend on us and we have no one to depend on in times of crisis like this. We are on our own. President Duterte said he would pay for our rent. I hope so but I don’t think so.
I am dead worried about our fate. I am dead worried about the deaths happening in our midst. I am dead worried about getting sick with no doctors to care for us because they too are sick.
I am storming the heavens for safety, protection, help and I am sure you all are. God bless all of us. You, me, humanity.
In God we trust.
