Extending Care and Citizenship in the Quarantine

by Phoebe Joy S. Uy

My daily morning routine is a bit different every Friday. I always wake up a bit earlier than usual to make time for me to do my Bible Study assignment. I have a Bible Study meeting every Saturday, and during regular school days, I do my assignment on Saturday morning since I didn’t have time to do it, but I decided that since my schedule is much more free these days, I would work on it on Friday mornings. Today’s lesson accentuated the importance of prayer—and the Bible passage was about the Lord’s Prayer. I took the time to pray for the people infected and affected by the coronavirus. 

After the morning devotion, I ate my breakfast and got ready to continue my unfinished Self-Study Program (SSP) Homework. I have been wanting to get a plant to put on my study table (to keep me company as I study), so I took one of my succulents I have been keeping for my Biology class and placed it in an empty cup. It is my personal quirk to give names for my belongings, so I decided to give it a name. I enlisted the help of my Junior Choir friend in naming it, and we named it “Joy”. I was in a pretty sanguine mood for the rest of the day, since I had a new study buddy, and I felt quite responsible for having to “raise” my new plant. I was so excited to the point of wanting to water my plant every other hour, and when my mom saw me, she reminded me that it wouldn’t grow immediately.

My dad was listening to the news on his cellphone, and President Duterte was giving his report and update on the ECQ situation. President Duterte decided to extend the ECQ up until May 15 (as of this writing) while I could say I am blessed to enjoy the new quaint (and sometimes, frugal) living we have, I couldn’t help but think about how everyone else will be able to cope with the extended quarantine. My dad also brought up how the school would be officiating my sister’s batch’s moving-up ceremonies online, since no one would be allowed to gather together anytime soon.

In the afternoon, my mom was on her phone talking to the home-service doctor who visits my bed-ridden grandmother almost every week. My mom shared that we were truly blessed to have people like him help us during this time. She also shared about how she had to help her sister and brothers (my aunt and my uncles, who lived with my grandmother) by buying and delivering all the medical supplies over to my grandmother’s house. In fact, our living room doubles as a medical supplies storage room since my mother had to stock up on suction catheters and bottles of irrigation solution even before the quarantine has even started. I realized that this pandemic taught us to be prepared, especially for the medical supplies (which are always out of stock). 

At night, some of my Junior Choir friends decided to hold a Zoom meeting, and my sister and I were very excited for it. We ate our dinner as fast as we could so that we could join the video call. I relished being able to see my friends again even if it wasn’t face-to-face, and we spent 3 hours until midnight chatting and sharing our own SSP experiences and our favorite Chinese and Korean dramas. This may be a platitude, but truly (physical) “absence makes the heart grow fonder.”  After the call, my sister and I headed straight for bed as we were tired already after the long conversation, but we were extremely happy nonetheless.

My memory with my plant Joy made me realize something in relation to the CoViD-19 situation. My mom’s statement that the plant wouldn’t grow immediately in one day reminded me that any good news relating to the crisis would not definitely happen overnight, but as my Bible reading has taught me, we must remain prayerful and patient with how God would help the people affected by the coronavirus recover. I also thought about how the medical front-liners were trying to keep the “joy” alive in the patients (referencing my plant too). I’m thankful for every person involved in ameliorating the medical situation of the Philippines.

Listening to President Duterte’s speech made me think about how hard the government officials have it right now, trying to decide whether the quarantine must be extended or not. On one hand, there are many Filipinos who do not have any stable source of income, and they need to work already to survive. Businesses are also greatly affected by the quarantine. But on the other hand, the number of positive cases are not decreasing yet, and if people do not adhere to the government’s orders, there might even be more cases. I pray that God would continue to bless them with wisdom and guidance to manage the country during this time. Our leaders must take on the role of health and security officials— not being political in handling the case but focusing on the public’s well-being first. They must remain patient with the people also, especially with those who don’t usually follow the orders. 

The ethical issues raised during this pandemic would most probably be obedience and fairness. My parents also talked about how the barangay officials were giving out assistance money and goods, and how those who already had “enough” shouldn’t take anymore so that those who actually need it more can make use of them. Those who aren’t obediently staying at home should also do their best to stay put at home. I remembered President Duterte’s first speech about the quarantine, when he said that students must obediently work on their school tasks and not spend too much time on their phones. As a student, I would do my best to diligently continue my studies. As a citizen of the Philippines, I would do my part staying at home and telling my family members to do the same. I would also practice good hygiene while I am at home. To be a good citizen means during this time is to practice social distancing and remain hopeful and positive about the situation and ultimately, support the government’s decision. A good citizen would take care of himself/ herself and the people around him/her too.