Test

Nanay's blood pressure and blood sugar went up last night and it was really so stressful as we rushed her in the nearby clinics but both were closed this quarantine period. They were 24 hours before. So we went to the nearby small private hospital. She was given medicines and injections but her blood pressure was still up and my mother asked if she could be confined but the hospital begged off because apparently they think they're too small to handle it and could be risky. So went to a hospital in Dasmarinas, when she was checked upon by the nurse her blood pressure went down although still above the safe zone. The nurse told that she could go home and just take a rest and take maintenance medicines. Nanay wanted to be confined just to be safe but the nurse told her that due to the pandemic their protocol is to have anyone take the COVID-19 test before they get confinement. Of course my mother begged off. We signed a waiver that it was her decision not to take the test.

We got home around 2AM and my mother didn't have a good sleep because she was worried. We barely slept as well. Later this morning we checked her blood pressure and it was high again so we rushed to the clinic and she was given advice to just take the maintenance medicines and take a rest. She went home and she finally had a good nap. When she woke up, she's feeling better now. Right now as I type this she's taking a rest. I'm so worried but I need to calm down. God will protect Nanay.

***

Tomorrow office resumes but I won't be able to go due to lack of transportation. And honestly I just don't feel safe to be out there and get exposed. I want to go to back to the office badly but I don't have the means. It's making me feel so torn but what can I do really.

***

June is coming and usually around this time I often feel like time flies so fast. But not this year. It's so slow. 

Worried

Nanay can't sleep so we had her blood pressure checked and she has high blood pressure. She feels some chills so Tatay and Ate is currently bringing her to the nearby clinic. Hopefully, it's nothing major really. But I'm terrified. It's not the best time to get sick. Please God let not this be a big health issue.

1K

DOH delayed their daily reporting of new cases from the usual 4PM to past 9PM tonight.  They said they wanted to validate the backlog of cases and add more context in the reporting separating the "fresh" cases which are recently validated from the "late" cases.

Fresh or late, over 1000 confirmed new cases are STILL ALARMING!

Chaos

So June 1 Metro Manila will now be in GCQ. Work will resume but public transportation will be restricted and honestly I don't know if there's  a way I can go to work with vehicles limited in capacity. In the "old normal" commuting is already hard and that's with several PUVs available in full capacity. I will not to go to work on June 1 yet, too risky. But I know I eventually will have to go back to the office because the past days working from home's limitations have  stressed me out. I'm willing to go to work but HOW CAN I GO THE OFFICE? That's the question.

Proud

Today is Nanay's birthday and she ordered food for her handa from the  mother of  my brother's childhood friend. She never does this because she loves to cook or at least buy takeout at the fast food she loves. She'll never admit it but I know she did it to help someone out in this trying time. Tatay meanwhile had been consistently buying merienda from someone in the subdivision who had been selling it house to house. Sometimes we already ate but when this person comes in, he will still buy. I'm very proud of my parents, their heart is in the right place.

Dread

The anticipation of something negative happening is giving me so much anxiety. I wish I could think positively but I just feel like the forces against are just too strong. It sucks so bad. And I'm not really exactly directly affected but this dilemma just have a bigger stakes in the general scheme of things so I'm worried what happens today. I'm praying for a good result but I just don't want to raise my hopes up. It's hard to be at the bottom fighting your way up. This period just made me further realize how weak I am that in certain high moment of pressure.

Hopefully

I hope to hear good news tomorrow although all signs are pointing the opposite direction. Or maybe I'm just too pessimistic these days but it's hard not to when those who are up feel like they value being on the good side of a certain authority than be objective and think of the bigger picture. I'm dreading the worst possible outcome but I'm still trying to muster a glimmer of hope that hey maybe it could be different, maybe they will do the right and humane thing. Maybe I can still believe that there's hope that common decency can still prevail in this atmosphere where I feel the majority is complicit because it's the easy thing to do or they can't let go of an ideology that they defended to death is the right one even the signs telling it ain't so are so glaring. I don't know. I feel so restless.

Documented

This is the headline of the Sunday issues of the New York Times. No photos, no graphic but a powerful headline humanizing this crisis we are in. They are not just statistics, they are human beings we have lost due to this pandemic.  The article listed the names of people who died as earlier published in various obituaries in regional US newspapers. I've read some and it's heartbreaking. 

I applaud The New York Times for doing this, this newspaper headline is a time capsule, people in the future will see this and they will instantly find out how TRAGIC this crisis is.

I hope a local newspaper will do the same here as well.

***

One of the reasons I'm blogging again constantly is that I want to capture what I'm feeling in this life changing situation we are in right now. I want this to serve as my time capsule for me to look back someday. I really hope that future will be better and when I read all these posts I made during this pandemic it will serve as memory on how I dealt with this and what I've learned from it. I've often shared in this blog how time flies by and I can't see to catch up with it. Now everything is so slow and I'm so scare of the future.

What's the truth?

The past two days have been so alarming because of the health department lead conflicting statements. First is that we are supposedly in the second wave but other people in the government contradicted him later on so he then took his words back. Then this chief had a dangerous statement that asymptomatic COVID19 people have not been proven infectious. What on earth is that statement? I remember way back in January when the outbreak started how he was downplaying the situation and then how our country is ready for this. I'm so infuriated because IF ONLY if we had a more proactive head maybe by this point easing the lockdown would be more organic and safer than this when there's so much left to worry about when there's an average of 200 confirmed cases each day! Last week of May next week, can we really go their marketed New Normal by June? I'm afraid not. So nervous.

What else...

I minimized my exposure to news today both online and on TV. It just so upsetting. There's so much uncertainty. There's so much mess. There's so much despair. There's so much stress. Two months in and I feel there's no improvement. I feel like a lot of people are just hanging by a thread. The waiting game on what to do, on how to handle the world in disarray. There's so much nastiness as well. There are times where I feel hopeless. This pandemic exposed a lot. You can separate who can inspire and not just intimidate. But those who just intimidate are the ones in the spotlight. It just gives me more anxiety.

***

Went out to buy medicine for parents earlier today. I usually go early because of the lines but when I arrived I was first in line. The nearby grocery also didn't have its usual long lines, just two or three waiting to enter once someone goes out. Nice to see a sense of calmness.

What now?

• ABS-CBN franchise bill discussion on the congress today and once again the old accusations were raised as if it was never addressed in the senate hearing in February. There was this section on the bill that also requires them to give 10% of their airtime for free to the government. What for?I feel nervous for this network if they can get their frequencies back again or what compromise they need to do to get it back. It's been two weeks since their broadcast production was shut down, each day lost is a big damage. I know there are other avenues and channels to choose but there are areas in the country that only their local affiliates can reach to. It was evident in Ambo typhoon where there were areas that they covered and people said that they are the only ones that were  able to reach them. Sometimes this urban/city mentality is  so predominant that rural areas are often forgotten like they don't exist or worse matter to the powers that be. 
• So the spokeperson said that the government has no plans for mass testing right now and that private companies should do the testing for their employees which was also "recommended" by the labor department. I'm not surprised this happened but still so disappointing. Companies are struggling right now especially the middle to small range companies. How can they afford that?  So frustrating and I'm afraid it would cost more companies to shut down for good.
• Cavite governor shut down mall operations today due to social distancing and other quarantine violations observed over the weekend. At first I totally get the decision but then when I read the rationale one thing that I noticed is that it tried to connect that the 40 new cases is because of the GCQ over the weekend. That's likely not true because test results takes time and incubation period is 14 days. I get that the  governor is just being proactive to avoid further spread but he should be careful to use and not misrepresent information just to support a narrative. We are living in age where misinformation is so rampant.
• Our office management went to work today to discuss how operations will work out. No official announcement  relayed to us employees yet, maybe tomorrow or anytime this week. I'm torn because I wanna go back to work but I'm so afraid to commute. I want to help our company rise from this setback. I definitely see them in a new light because despite this crisis they still tried to make it work and provide for the employees. 
• One thing I don't look forward when I get back 'out there' is to actually hear thoughts I highly disagree with from random people or worst people I otherwise like. After this ordeal I dunno if I can handle problematic opinions anymore.

What If?

Private companies are encouraged to do COVID19 tests to their employees before they go back to work. It's a sound idea but how many tests are available? I'm afraid some will seize this as an income opportunity. I guess can't blame them given how the economy has collapsed but still mass testing should be free but the progress is just so slow. Not a lot of private companies can afford this but do they have a choice if they want to go back to operations? How frequent would the test be needed? Of course it can't be just one and done because you'll never know if you can catch it eventually after testing negative then you go out in the world. There's just so many things to think about in this crisis. 

This is also got me thinking what if our company will do this, will I be comfortable taking a test? What if it I test positive and I need really do a hard quarantine? Can my messy emotional state handle this? Imagine if the barangay and subdivisions finds out, I would cause a lockdown here and our family will be ostracized for sure. It terrifies me just thinking about the possibility. I'm scared of the virus and the fallout it will cost if I test positive. 

I often read "I'll miss _______ when this nightmare is over" and I fee iffy. It feels like counting chickens before the eggs hatched. Don't look forward to missing something we are currently experiencing right now because of this pandemic. It feels wrong really but I guess that's how other people cope in this situation. Nearly 3 months of this nightmare, WHEN WILL THIS END? 

I'm so tired really. 

Eased?

Today the restrictions during this quarantine have been eased under the Modified Enhance Community Quarantine for places like NCR and General Community Quarantine for us here in Cavite and other provinces too. What I've observed on social media posts and the news is that people flocked to the stores and there has been traffic as well. That's scary actually because this country is under tested while it continues to have more than 200 confirmed cases a day. On the other hand, I understand why we need to get economy back and running again because we simply couldn't sustained a quarantined life. Social distancing and work from home is a privilege a lot of Pinoys can't afford to so. The Social Amelioration Program has been quite a mess, so many people complaining about the system and those who were able to quality had to endure just to get the pay-out. Our government simply can't afford to give us consistent aids so people need to get back to work. We are such in a lose-lose situation.

Thinking about the "new normal" guidelines the office sent yesterday  and I continue to ponder if we can pull that off.  I know that the guideline that restricts the pantry to one person per table won't be a problem for me because I already do that but that would also require for people to eat fast to accommodate everyone. Can they really avoid eating alone and not chatting another person?  Another guideline, is that there will be one cubicle separating the employees which already works for me because the past year the two people seated next to me resigned so my desk is socially distant already. I actually used that empty cubicle next to me as an extension of mine and placed my belongings there! But how would that work out as a whole? Will the other employees moved or will there be scheduling who can on work on that and who could not to limit the number of people in the office?

 I'm just thankful I have an office to go back to. But I don't know when I can be there though. I miss it but I'm afraid to commute because the risk is still high. I'm so torn what to feel right now. I desperately want things to go back to what it used to be or at least close to it but I know we are still probably in the middle of this life changing historical moment. It's not over. Far from it.

Daze

Typhoon Ambo  hit hard today! Well, in our place just manageable rains but the other provinces the typhoon was so strong. Can you just imagine being one of the families that have to evacuate and in a middle of a pandemic. Although, most of the province hit hard by the typhoon had minimal COVID19 cases so hopefully the virus was really contained there, so not another problem. Like what choice do you have? The typhoon is also hitting Metro Manila now, the potential flooding it would cause. Right now as I type this the rains have subsided and I hope in other places too. The challenges just keep on coming. 

****

Today I also faced a surprising urgent task while working at home. It was quite stressful because of the limitations of the quarantine. I can't fully control the things I need to settle but I think it turned out fine oh well at least it didn't turn out that messy.  Well, I truly hope so but I really miss being at the office. My manager also sent guidelines for 'new normal" office operations. It's so intensive and tricky but needed. Like one person per table during lunch time, no more socializing, just eat. I mean I do that on a regular basis but for all people to do that, oh wow it would be so weird. It's gonna be so interesting how this will all work out. 

Another Level

So today our country was hit by a storm. Our province is Signal #1 but it didn't actually rain, just rain showers and it was gloomy all day. It didn't alleviate the heat though. It was still so humid. I watched the news earlier and just realized how hard the storm was in the other provinces. Those provinces gravely affected have minimal cases of COVID19 so thank goodness because can you just imagine how horrifying the situation would be for a place hit hard by the pandemic then a typhoon comes in? How would evacuation work with social distancing measures? It's so gonna be hard. The country's epicenter NCR is in Signal #1 as well but no hard rains thankfully. Just imagine the horror if they were savaged by the typhoon, the floods, the people living dense places will have no choice but to risk it all. The challenges this pandemic brought in is just endless.

Tomorrow is the last day our province will be in Enhanced Community Quarantine and we go to the next stage of General Community Quarantine. So curious how this will work out. Hopefully for the better. Authorities continues to warn to be careful for a second wave. We haven't really successful exited first wave yet to be honest, still another 200+ cases reported today. I'm envious of Southeast Asian neighbors Vietnam and Thailand who have successfully contained the virus and is now having a taste of normalcy.  The Philippines has a long way to go.

Glimmer

The first and only confirmed COVID19 case here in our barangay has now recovered. Thank God! We didn't have additional cases as the other suspects have tested negative so hopefully we stay COVID19 free. Thankfully that one case seems isolated and it didn't spread out. 

I'm warming up to the General Community Quarantine, looks like we will have a clearer guidelines tomorrow once our municipality is done setting those. I hope it won't be unreasonably strict. I'm absolutely in favor of social distancing and other safety measures but hopefully it won't go to authoritarian.

Also today my manager messaged me to inform that our company was granted SSS financial assistance and it was already transferred to our payroll ATM accounts. I haven't gone out yet so I haven't check it (no online access to it because I'm generally paranoid but maybe that should change really) but glad our company was granted that and hopefully it  helped kept our company stay afloat financially as the lockdown continues. I really miss the office, longest period of time I haven't seen it. If this crisis taught me something is to appreciate the company I work. I have lots of frustrations over the years but in this crisis, they didn't abandon us and made sure we are financially supported despite the lack of business operations. I really hope and pray our company will survive the post-pandemic aftermath. I will do my best to help out.

Lastly, the congress made a bill to grant ABS-CBN a provisional franchise that will last until 5 months. Why shorter than the 25-year application because they say they need time to discuss and for ABS-CBN to answer the alleged franchise violations in congress.. The speech made by the speaker was irritating but hey at least  finally there's some progress. Their battle isn't over yet because it's just basically a 5-month extension and they are still essentially hostage but one day at a time I guess!

Nothing

So our province Cavite will be "downgraded" to General Community Quarantine on May 16 but still basically the same really they just added some industries could now open (which still be in discussion) so some could work. But basically it's just the same. Over 200 confirmed cases again today. Two months of lockdown and it feels nothing has truly changed really. Oh wait, the major CHANGE in this two-month lockdown is the shutdown of ABS-CBN. One week has passed since they have been shutdown but the congress still not discussing their franchise, all you hear is we support ABS, we support press freedom, but no legit action has been made. The TRO appeal has made no progress at the Supreme Court. I'm afraid they are done. I hope I'm wrong. 

I've been reading news how New Zealand, Vietnam and Australia are on their way to normalcy and I'm so envious. As an archipelago I believe the Philippines had a good chance to not be affected this hard by the coronavirus, if only we were proactive back in January. If only.  

I know life will never be the same again but I still can't accept that this is our reality now. Praying for a miracle.

Changes

My nephew will enter high school and one potential school my sister is looking in to enroll him has a detailed plan for "New Normal" setup. Saw it and I like that they have a plan for students with no Internet access. But this setup still makes me wary if it will be effective. It's a small local private school which won't have that much students but what about public schools? How will a new normal school setup look like? And private school enrollment will definitely decline due to the crisis so it will clog public schools even more. Thinking about the changes schools will have to face because of the pandemic fallout is making me sad. I know it's a different situation but school done remotely is just different from having face-to-face interaction with the teachers and classmates. But what options do we have right now? School year won't start until August 24 and I really hope this virus can be contained or have a medicine already. My prayer is for it to be nearly eradicated! I want schools to have a sense of normalcy. Well, everything basically but schools are different setting. The changes this world will face after this nightmare keeps me up at night sometimes. 

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! Nanay wanted Big Mac but the McDo near us has no stock anymore so we bought Quarter Pounder instead. She liked it but I think it made her crave for Big Mac more. Hopefully we could do more for her birthday later this month. But I do feel that the limitation of our movement is really frustrating her a lot. She can't visit the market and do groceries, those are big deals to Nanay and I hope she can do it again very soon. 

I'm gonna say it, I hope our province will be on GCQ after May 15. I expected Metro Manila to stay under ECQ but I really hope Cavite won't. I just want the checkpoints out really. Of course social distancing will still be there but checkpoints for me have been the source of a lot unnecessary stress. I'm still so frustrated that in a medical crisis a militaristic approach to lead people is what they think is the right way to go. I do get the idea for discipline but intimidating and scaring people off is causing more problems on top of the problems we already have.

For a person like me who worries a lot back in the "old normal", this extraordinary circumstance is nothing but a series of tests: of character, of patience, of faith, of where you stand under immense pressure. It's been really tough and sometimes I feel defeated but I know I need to keep the fire burning. I must.

Burnout

I just feel so exhausted with everything right now. The pandemic, quarantine restrictions, the societal problems, worries about the future, my disgust for certain actions and behavior, the soul-sucking hot weather, everything. I feel so defeated right now. I feel so hopeless. The past 2 months are nothing but a series of tests, a test of character, a test of faith, a test of one's self worth. It's been really tough. This week probably was the worst, triggered by what's happening with the country, those people in power, the divisiveness, the apathy, the selfishness, the willingness to be submissive, the general lack of kindness, the entitlement, the shrewdness, the pure nasty behavior I've been witnessing. I'm living in a moment of history that will be discussed for years and I hope to God this will have a good conclusion. But this is life and nothing ever really concludes so I guess what I'm saying is that years in the future when this is studied I hope we are at a better point in the society, better than what we are living right now.  I hope we are an evolved society by that time and I hope I will be there to witness it. If there's one thing I've learned this week is that when your hunch tells your something's gonna be wrong, follow it. If ever life will give me a chance to raise my own family, I will do my damn best to be a good model of a decent human. A person who has empathy for others' plight. A person that will not cause great suffering to a lot of people. A braver person.

Endless Worries

So there's news today that Metro Manila will likely extend the quarantine until June 15. A one month extension again. Honestly, I understand the risk is still high for a second wave as the daily confirmed cases have not dropped and Metro Manila is the epicenter. We haven't flatten the curve. So what now? I really don't know if the company I work can survive this. I'm just scared of the uncertainty.

Another thing I'm scared of? Yeah the ABS-CBN shutdown is still a cause of concern for me. The congress Speaker said he will try to fix this mess but I haven't seen anything that he has done to make progress. As expected the TRO appeal to Supreme Court is not a "priority". This is just alarming that the people in the authority are not doing ANYTHING. Do I have just to accept  that this is really the reality, they control everything. If they can do something as grave as this, what's stopping them from escalating it even further? There are so many enablers as well and not treating this matter seriously.

I honestly feel so frustrated right now with how society works. When I was a young teenager, when EDSA Dos happened, I felt so inspired with the peaceful movement that it can be done. Now that's never happening. In a way I guess a lot of people felt fatigue because life post-EDSA Dos disappointed as well. But still life and discourse RIGHT NOW is so much more toxic. 

I need to stop thinking "when this is all over I will..." because I don't feel it will be over anytime soon. I'm just raising my hopes up for nothing. I feel so defeated. But I'm still clinging to hope somehow because if I don't I will go nowhere. I need to keep this fire burning and not let it die.

Semi Comeback

So TV Patrol returned tonight but not on the main channel of course because it has been shutdown. It returned online and on cable channel ANC. It felt good to hear the main theme again. Tomorrow DZMM Teleradyo will return on cable and TV Plus. I guess they went off air to double check if they are covered by the NTC shutdown. They really need to get back on air even under this format so this issue will still be in circulation and not be swept under the rag. Until today the congress leader is still NOT DOING ANYTHING about years old franchise bills, not even scheduling a day to discuss it even if it is now a pressing concern. To be honest, I'm not sure if ABS CBN can get their franchise back but I hope they do access to information is important and the job protection of thousands of people too. 

***

I also saw in the news today that the government is already setting up how transportation will work out in the trains once NCR moves to General Community Quarantine which is marketed as the new normal. I'm not sure if this will work, I could just imagine the commuting nightmare this will entail but we really need to get a semblance of normalcy again, so we can get the economy running again and secure our finances as well, we can't rely on the government cash aids which distribution has been marred by controversies. Next Friday, May 15, is the supposed last day of the Enhanced Community Quarantine and the government is already starting to warm people up that it won't be extended anymore and will move to GCQ with less restriction. However, two days of over 300 new cases. Are we really ready to open up the economy? I'm torn really, I want to go back to work but I'm afraid of a potential second wave. This is so stressful 

Rattled

The first full day with ABS CBN off the air. I didn't expect to be affected this way. All day this was on my mind totally eclipsing my COVID19 worries now. I'm just bothered the way it was taken off the air. I'm so disgusted there are people who are celebrating this shutdown. Sure there are the copy/paste trolls but there are still actual people enjoying the misery of people who could lose their jobs for good. Heartless. I'm bothered how misinformed people are, like some of the allegations why they should not be renewed have been answered way back in February and there were no oppositions that time during the Senate hearings because they were able to give credible responses point by point. But those were all thrown away, lumabas sa kabilang tenga! 

I have a friend in college who works at the Metro Manila radio station of ABS CBN as a DJ. He just joined this year and of course there were people asking if he regretted his decision and he answered that he knew this was a risk but he is fulfilling a lifelong dream to be part of that FM station so no regrets and he is willing to go on this fight. I got teary eyed when he was explaining earlier on their FB Live show. He is just one of those people  affected by this shutdown. But they were inessential i guess. There's this "law is law" propaganda on social media conveniently forgetting that law is law only applies to their self interest. Like a few days ago the big issue was the added contributions in Philhealth as set by law! I was actually on their side that this should not be implemented at this trying time and their thoughts were heard. But this nope, even if NTC earlier issued all permits that will expire during the ECQ will be extended until after the ECQ is lifted but nope they conveniently forgot that.

There are just so many questionable things that were done so this shutdown would be fulfilled. But people don't bother to research anyway. People have short term memories especially if you have a specific bias you want validated. 

This shutdown is not just about liking the company or not. This goes beyond that, there are valid more deeper concerns because of this precedent. Some people are not realizing that and it's driving me insane. 

Shutdown

Today NTC shutdown ABS-CBN because their franchise expired yesterday and the congress didn't approve a renewal nor even start preliminary discussions despite bills for renewal filed for years already. In a national health and economic crisis, always remember that some people prioritize closing a company that employs thousands of people, even for that reason alone, no flexibility. But for Chinese-run POGOs, so much flexibility and leeway to accommodate them despite their questionable reputation. This media company, whether you like them or not, in February, during senate hearings were able to give fact-based and legally binding proof against allegations. But still congress didn't bother to even start discussing the franchise renewal. Why? Your guess is as good as mine. 

The company I work for was struggling around 7 years ago and what saved us from totally shutting down is when ABS-CBN became our client for subtitling services. Until now they remain a client. So on a personal level this shut down of this media giant hurts. On the grand scheme of things, this shutdown is a very bad precedent. This isn't about liking the company or not. Rooting for a company which employs thousands of people to shutdown is just pure heartless. 

I am so frustrated right now. I can't believe that this is happening. This is so scary because it's a show of force, of what they can do. I'm devastated as well that there are actually regular people thinking this was the right move. 

I am so sad they won.

Hopefully, not for long. 

Sub-optimal

It was so hot today, I was perspiring heavily doing a simple task like washing the dishes. It was so humid that I took bath twice. Drank so much water that of course made me pee frequently. I'm craving for Zagu, Coke Float or any kind cold shake really. But of course I can't during this quarantine. It's not essential reason to go out there. Not gonna lie, my cravings reminded me of the things I miss pre-COVID19 quarantine. That luxury and freedom to move without fear of checkpoint personnel being unreasonable and this unseen enemy that could threaten life. 

Some provinces in the country now are in General Community Quarantine which is what they are marketing as "new normal" where there are still restrictions but loosened up because some of the industries can now open and public transportation will be available but with limited capacity. I have a bad feeling it will be executed so poorly when the time comes that NCR will be under that. They are teasing that after May 15 the rest of the country will be under GCQ. I'm skeptical but we'll see how it works. I have mixed feelings because there's still more than 200 cases each day and there's a chance it would still be like that in 2 weeks time. However, I understand that a lot of people need to work now and support their families.  There have been news of people dying due to heart attack while in line for the government cash aids. All you can hear on listener feedback in radio shows and comments on LGU Facebook pages are about the cash aids mostly because they haven't received or not even qualified. A lot of frustrated people right now. And just imagine you are so anxious about your day-to-day survival then this heat torturing you physically.

When I think of what other people are going through right now, it really makes my issue of being uncomfortable with the heat and not being able to go out freely so minuscule. There are lot of  issues in this pandemic that have frustrated me so much but seeing how people are suffering more gives me perspective to check my privilege.  I do believe that we have the right to complain and criticize but still we need to get a reality check as well so you won't across as a self-absorbed whiner.

Still, I wish for this nightmare to end soon or at least a light of hope that eventually things can go back to the "old" normal. 

Labor Day.

 Today is Labor Day in the Philippines and the government allowed the controversial Chinese POGO companies to operate. Supposedly, in the government's Enhanced Community Quarantine guidelines gambling operations are not allowed but they conveniently classified them as BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) just now. I will be blunt but I really don't like POGOs operating in the country because the business itself is shady because online gambling is not allowed in their home country China and yet we allow them here. There are also reports they don't pay taxes and have been linked with crimes such as human trafficking, kidnapping and prostitution. It really infuriates me that they have been allowed to go back to work while most of us can't which is actually the right thing to do because it's simply not safe yet to do so as we still have more than 200 reported confirmed new cases a day. Why allow them? Quick scan of the news and you will see multiple stories of people who lost their jobs/source of income due to the crisis. So many people hoping they will get the "ayuda" (government aid). There's so much pain and hardship right now. And you hear news like this where an inessential and questionable industry in a pandemic is allowed to operate and go back to business as usual. It's so unfair.