Unsafe politeness

By Netnet Camomot.

“AND it’s too late, baby now, it’s too late.” But is it? To stop the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) from spreading pa more, that is.

Covid-19 first appeared in China in December 2019—or was that in November 2019? There’s chika that Covid-19’s Day 1 did not exactly happen in December but earlier. It was then too early to call it as an outbreak, thus, the conservative approach, with the wishful thinking to not rock the boat, especially the one that’s made in China.

Some countries are now removing their manufacturing firms from China, and Pinas’s probable wishful thinking is for these firms to transfer here. But since factories destroy the environment if they don’t follow rules and regulations, Pinas will then be caught between economic and environmental concerns. Which probably happened to the World Health Organization (WHO) when it began to warn the world about Covid-19 although their concern was perhaps more on the economy versus health.

Bad health may lead to no lives. No lives mean no economy. Planet Earth, however, will always manage to survive without human beings, with only your pet dog Fifi and other animals left to care for God’s creation.

WHO should have thought of this: Health is wealth. Once health is gone, money may not even be enough to regain that health, as proven by Covid-19. There won’t even be an economy to talk about once human beings have “left” this oh so cruel world.

Religious organizations should also have thought twice about continuing any religious activity and asking the permission of government officials for such an activity because these officials would naturally feel pressured to allow them to, as long as social distancing is observed. But setting up such an activity would already require making salamuha with priests, pastors, etc. Oh, well.

Like the non-essential business owner who wants to open his establishment ASAP despite the Covid-19 threat and the community quarantine, religions also have a reason why they want to remain relevant.

Tradition since birth is indeed a hard habit to break.

I’ve often said that faith is faith in your own self. Kung balay pa ni, faith is the balay, religion is the home decor. Because people may need a concrete and physical proof of their faith. Pero feeling ra man unta na oi.

Politeness has always been the norm. So, there’s WHO playing it safe and too polite in warning countries about Covid-19. There’s the politician playing it safe and too polite in dealing with religious organizations whose followers could make or break his 2022 candidacy. Meanwhile, the madlang pehpohl are not safe and not polite as they forget to stay home, they forget to practice social distancing, they forget to wash their hands, and they forget to wear masks.

For some politicians and political wannabes, Covid-19 is their opportunity to make themselves look good to constituents and potential voters. You can see that through the ways they’re responding to the Covid-19 threat.

People can sense when a politician or political wannabe is merely using his Covid-19 response as one step while climbing the ladder of political success. If, say, his name and photo are plastered on relief goods and personal protective equipment, then, alam na. Tsk tsk. This is not the time for any kind of public relations strategy.

So, how was your Holy Week? Was it holier than usual? Or did staying home lessen your Lenten meditation for not being able to visit seven churches?

How about Easter Sunday? Was it as fun as that of last year when you were hunting for Easter eggs in Boracay?

Well, welcome to the new normal. But it seems like the Pinoy doesn’t know what the new normal means as he continues to drive around his hometown, gather at supermarkets and public markets, bike or jog on streets, and not practice social distancing as he celebrates special occasions with family and friends. Yup, it’s simply another day in paradise for him.

The Pinoy’s resilience has always helped him survive through the worst of times. He has to remember, though, that resilience in this time of the Covid-19 threat means moving forward with the new normal.

Checking out Facebook is much a part of the daily routine now while staying home, and people have to remember that Covid-19 is the enemy, so they can focus on fighting that instead of fighting their perceived enemies on social media.