With Filipino Spirit We Still Manage to Smile

Resilience- it is the capability to withstand and recover after a misfortune. We don’t always have full control of circumstances, but we do have the choice on the way we respond to different situation. Philippines is one of the most disaster affected countries, How do we handle it?. .

We all have different perspectives but for me, Philippines is near yet far from being resilience. Mainly because of the government’s choice of prioritization, people's participation and how they respond to emergencies, crisis, and disasters.

Take today's situation as an example. Philippines is one of those countries who have taken strict measures by implementing the Enhanced Community Quarantine which was a great start but took a turn. Our country’s risk management is challenged by the invasion of Corona Virus, and they are currently handling it poorly, our country is low on finance that’s why it cannot go back to normal and continue developing like other countries. Because of the evident corruption and questionable decisions of our government.

I can say that our government is making questionable moves, it shows first when they decided to put P389-million-peso worth sand in Manila Bay in the Middle of Pandemic which could’ve been used to help families who are struggling to bring food to their tables. It was a great decision to clean the face of the Philippines, but didn’t they thought of the travel restrictions? where tourists are banned to travel because of safety protocols. Which leads for me to mention the delayed implementation of travel restriction that could’ve helped in flattening the curve a bit earlier. Considering distance learning used by students to at least learn during pandemic is a great move but also took a turn when they decided to use it as a replacement for face-to face classes. Can students really accomplish their studies away from the guidance of a teacher? barely. And also, the centralized attention and privilege to police officers instead of frontliners, hospitals and other health services giving chance for polices officers to be abusive. The fact that our president increased the salary of police officers instead of frontliners is just messed up.

To sum it all up our country will not develop if we keep on passing our responsibilities to others as well as choosing the wrong leaders. Hand in hand we pull each other up. We need to help each other and get back to our feet stronger. Let's prove that humanity still lives!

References:

Philippines man dies after being forced to do 300 squats for breaking Covid-19 curfew - CNN

Palace: P389-M white beach project to improve mental health of Filipinos – Manila Bulletin

The Philippines’ Pandemic Response: A Tragedy of Errors – The Diplomat

https://guelfoalexander.ghibellini.com/post/652690743225352192/hater-of-terfs-futao-i-just-wanna-share

Photos of Manila Bay's polluted mangroves show there's more work that needs to be done - Coconuts

Towards A More Stable And Resilient Philippines:Raising Our Risk Consciousness (edukasyon.ph)

Dreaming of a more sustainable and resilient Philippines (pwc.com)

Toward a Safer, Healthier, and Resilient Philippines : The Executive Master in Disaster Risk and Crisis Management Conducts Talks and Sessions | Asian Institute of Management (aim.edu)

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