COVID-19

This zine is a collection of essays I have submitted to Transit Dialog, a Facebook platform where people who write in English can have their pieces published. I would like to thank them for inspiring me to write freely (although there’s a length limit). I also thank the unnamed graphic artists who added life to my words by creating visuals.

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Umaapaw na raw ang kulungan. [The jails are overflowing.] Nearly 30,000 people were reportedly arrested under the quarantine in the Philippines, with more than 4,000 of these arrested detained, based on a report dated April 18, 2020.[1] Doubtless, more have since been arrested and detained since then. The police even went on record saying there will no longer be any more warnings to the alleged “quarantine violators” and will arrest people as they see fit,[2] likely straining the capacities of the already overstretched jails and prisons.

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There is an issue that is being neglected, a homeless issue. It is an issue that has long been present before this pandemic. While the current situation is to stay at home, many of the homeless people living in the city do not have the privilege to “stay at home.” Whether it be the cold gray pavement or a metallic bus bench to sleep or rest, it cannot be denied that they are the unfortunate victims of this COVID-19 pandemic.

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We at Bandilang Itim stand in support with the student organizations from the De La Salle University,[1] and the University of the Philippines.[2] In these trying times, university institutions must adapt to the so-called “new normal” in a way that accommodates their students. This means accounting for the students’ varying conditions. Some students may be under financial or emotional stress due to the Extended Community Quarantine (ECQ). Others lack access to reliable internet connectivity to continue with online classes and securing one may become yet another financial burden.

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In March 2020, the people of the archipelago known as the Philippines were alarmed at the rate of local transmission of the disease known as COVID-19. On March 12, police and military forces were mobilized to enforce a community quarantine for the whole of Metro Manila scheduled to start on the midnight of March 15. This quarantine was later generalized for the whole island of Luzon, a population of some 53 million souls. That the mobilization of the state’s apparatus of violence was more noticeable than the mobilization of medical and social resources is telling of the administration’s priorities.

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It has been 2–3 months since the COVID-19 virus had spread across the world infecting hundreds of thousands and killing tens of thousands, leading the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare it a pandemic. Within that span of time, places of work and schools here and abroad have shut down, effectively leaving people at risk of losing their jobs and becoming evicted from their homes.

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Tiyak na nabago ang buhay mo sa pagdating ng virus. Bumuti o lalong naging masama ang lagay mo? KUNG SUMAMA ANG BUHAY MO, isa ka sa napakaraming mahihirap na dumaranas ngayon ng stress dulot ng pagkabahala sa impeksyon ng virus. Napa-praning dahil baka walang kainin ang pamilya at hindi makakilos upang makamit ang pangangailangan sa inyong bahay.

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“This is not martial law. Our enemy is the virus.”

— some poor politician in Malacañang (living a simple life & shops at Jaeger-LeCoult [1])

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Una, nang lumala ang krisis, walang mass testing. Hindi raw kaya ng gobyerno. Hindi nila tuloy nalaman kung gaano kalala ang sitwasyon. Naubusan ng mga equipment ang mga ospital, kaya ang mga health worker na nag-aalaga, nagkasakit at pinauwi. Kada araw, nadadagdagan ang mga nagkakasakit, nauubusan na sila ng espasyo para sa bagong pasyente. Habang may mga politiko na kahit retirado na agad pinagpa-test, may mga namamatay nang hindi nalalaman kung COVID nga ang ikinamatay. Kapag may umaalma, may nagreklamo, pinaparatangan at inaaresto agad bilang terorista.

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