Pandemic in PH: Misery beyond numbers Tony S. Bergonia June 3, 2021 https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1441193/pandemic-in-ph-misery-beyond-numbers The COVID-19 virus is one of the most unforeseen and horrifying disaster up to this day. This kind of disaster is classified as a "pandemic", and have claimed the lives of 65,999 Filipinos up to this day. The preventive measures that we could've done amidst such a disaster can actually be observed from the epidemic events of the past. The Antonine Plague for an instance, took place in the Roman Empire, happened because of continued trading activities with other regions despite reports of a new illness. In the Philippines, we could've immediately closed all borders during the first confirmed cases on our neighboring countries, particularly China, but our incompetent leaders chose not to. Our country also lacked the resources to fund research facilities that could've discovered crucial information to disseminate within the population. The people of the Philippines, especially our government, reacted poorly to combat the spread of the virus and therefore amplified its effects on the common people. Our vulnerable sector, those that are within the poverty line, suffered insurmountable losses because of their lack of protection due to the high prices of face masks and face shields, which they cannot afford. The government was forced to restrict all economic movements because they lacked information about the virus, causing the economy to collapse. Solutions and reparations for all problems took so long to come into place, the citizens were bombarded with news of failed projects, alleged scandals of officials, and riots inducing negativity and hopelessness to them. The pandemic revealed the flaws of the government, but surprisingly encouraged the people to come up with new ideas and adapt to the harsh circumstances of living through the disaster. The pandemic surely almost brought the world down to its knees as it stricken the global population, but it also made way to new advances and innovations that were never thought of before. Our environment, a shrouded mystery that can either bring hope or tragedy, pushed us humans once again to ascend to a new level of wisdom and development through this novel virus.
