Gabrielle Antonette Lapinig April 19, 2019

12 – HUMSS of Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion - Mandaue

“Trying Times”

We were months on end awaiting the windup of the school year that marked a close to
our high school lives; the month of March marked only two months until then but time didn’t go
by the book and the fate of humanity had other plans. It has currently been a month since
quarantine was initiated and time had become a lost construct with every moment fleeting, all of
us just waiting for the simple pleasure of roving the great outdoors. An abrupt change in routine
came from well-pressed uniforms to now only loose shirts and homey jammies, we are all
following suit of the government’s advisories in hopes of not contracting the deadly virus namely
“COVID -19,” which is a contagious disease that causes respiratory infections from common
colds to chills. Policies of social distancing had been established and places weren’t as accessible
with the need for government-approved passes. Cases were often asymptomatic which has left us
wary and cautious of the brevity of human life.

Quarantine has given me a chance to reconnect with my family as life before the
pandemic was fast-paced full of unanswered questions of the future and decisions on the places I
plan to cultivate my career – I was lost in the grand scheme of things that I had strayed away
from this luxury of familiarity. My days have been full of binging random series and picking up
new skills such as playing the ukulele. Walks around the neighborhood have been the closest
thing to the outdoors since and I’ve never felt more grateful for the daily practices I had before
all of this happened from packed jeepney rides to hour-long lectures in school. I wouldn’t
necessarily say that I’m handling quarantine better than the next guy but it has genuinely been a
journey of self – discovery. 
           Cases have risen over the past month and as testing kits become more available, the curve
continues to grow. There was a period of relative calm where days went on with zero cases until
we all awoke to the morning of April 17 to the news of 84 new cases, marking the biggest single
– day increase of cases in the region. News channels flashed these updates in big bold letters, I
watch these in apprehension as my hopes of going out sooner falters and begrudgingly agrees to
it being a fantasy – the pandemic has only started. 

Cases gradually come closer to Talisay with residences being closed off in order to
prevent the spread of the virus. Coronavirus has truly taken Cebu by storm and the province has
transitioned from a brimming metropolis to a reserved state of checkpoints and required passes.
We are all left with no choice but to isolate ourselves in our respective homes in anticipation of
the volatile impacts this may bring to us alongside healthy diets and routines to build up our
resistance to the disease. 

Preoccupied with our blue-lit screens, we frequently face the onslaught of information
and updates but it is crucial for us to put these updates in question as a multitude of people have
fallen victim to fake news. From swallowing bleach as an immediate remedy to a sudden
increase of 10,000 cases in Barangay Luz, we must instill media literacy in discerning the news
given to us for us to lessen mass hysteria and no doubt – mindless decisions of grave results. It
comes to a point where both reader and writer must be responsible for the dissemination of
news. 

On a positive note, many media outlets have released articles of different recipes,
activities, and practices inspired to while away the time throughout quarantine. Different media –
sharing platforms are being shared to and fro to acquire consistent communication amongst peers
and admittedly has lessened the lonesome feeling of isolation for me. We must not be on
standstill as we should be reminded that there lies a world out there for us with consistent
routines and different relations.

Drastic outcomes of agricultural reformation come from the lack of human manifestation,
the planet is on its venture of healing and we, too must share that energy by taking utmost care of
ourselves to encourage our roles as the stewards of this planet. The future ahead of us is hazy as
we are consumed of our endless queries of the curve’s growth but we can only be strengthened
by our responsibility as a fellow brother or sister of our fellow countrymen and to consistently
resign ourselves in prayer as it soothes our inner turmoil by letting Him hear our earnest pleas.