More than a week since President Rodrigo Duterte imposed the Metro Manila lockdown, almost every barangays in the city are closing its borders and asking citizens to stay home in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak.
As Manileños, what affects the whole country affects us. And during the past week, perhaps more than ever, we saw ourselves checking the internet for some news to see how the Philippines is doing in the face of COVID-19.
Here’s what people are doing to cope.
Ezra, 44, blogger in Quezon City
I've been blogging for more than ten years, and spent my time traveling and covering hotels, resorts and restaurants. At the beginning of the Metro Manila lockdown, it was announced that everybody should stay at home and never leave home if not that important. This has never happened before so guys like me, and so as the others, were still going out. A lockdown is just so unbelievable to be true. But by the next few days, when things get rougher, with Covid infections piling up day after day, things really got serious for me. I and my wife now go out only when buying food supplies. Outside, there are no more dine-in restaurants. There was a time when me and my wife grabbed lunch at a convenience store but had to eat them inside our car. As for my job, I called up my client-friends and found out things aren't also looking good for their businesses. There are no travelers anymore, hence no business in the FNB (food & beverage) and hotel sector. Their business is also my business, in fact every travel blogger's business. It's a good thing that I still have some savings, and it's helping us out through this. We can't expect help from the city government because they're prioritizing what they call "the poorest of the poor." For us here in gated subdivisions, there's nothing.
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| Cashiers and customers wear protective face masks inside a popular supermarket in Quezon City. |
Mang Atoy, 50, street vendor
Mahirap ang buhay. Mahirap na nga noon, lalo pang humirap ngayon. Takot ka na dahil kaunti benta, takot ka pa sa bayrus. Dati ako lang ang nagtitinda, ngayon pati misis ko, nagtitinda na rin. Andun siya sa may baba, gulay naman ang nilalako niya. Naalala ko, nung nasa TV si Duterte, sabi niya wala daw lalabas, madami na daw namamatay. Hindi kami agad naniwala, inom pa rin tuwing gabi. Kaya lang nung wala nang pera, wala nang inuman, hahaha!
Life is hard. It's been hard before, but now it's even harder. I'm afraid not only because I don't sell enough to earn, I'm also afraid of the virus. Now, my wife has to go out to sell vegetables just to augment the income. I remember the time President Duterte was on television and imposed the lockdown. No one is supposed to go out, but me and my friends still gather around and drink. But nowadays, we don't drink anymore. We don't have the money anymore, hahaha!
Platoon Sergeant, 42, Philippine National Police frontliner
I used to be assigned at a local precinct. My only job is to patrol the streets, look out for pickpockets and snatchers. When on duty on night shifts, I and my buddy would respond to burglaries, bar fights, and sometimes even to domestic problems. When the President announced the lockdown, our commander told us it's going to be bad. I felt it, too. True enough, I and my buddy were sent to the front lines, guarding road blocks and preventing people from going around. I encounter a lot of people. I can't tell if they're sick or not, so what I do is to just not get too near them and to never remove my face mask. Every night when I get home, I would wash my hands and my face — thoroughly. I can't kiss my wife or my kids because I'm afraid that if I caught the virus, They'd catch it, too.
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| Once one of the most populated roads in Metro Manila, the Novaliches crossing is now a deserted highway free from people, vendors and vehicles. |
Ava, 28, Nurse and frontliner
I dreamt about London and the U.S. I never dreamt about this. When I passed the nursing exam, I applied in every nursing job abroad. I spent two years looking for a job overseas, and while waiting for their replies, I took a job at a hospital in Manila. It was all smooth and routine, day in and day out until one morning, I got an offer from Saudi Arabia. I was already processing my documents for the Saudi job when news about the Covid-19 broke out. I didn't take Covid-19 seriously because I was too busy gathering my documentary requirements for Saudi; until one day, my Saudi employer suddenly stopped communicating with me. I emailed him many times but he's no longer answering my emails. Then the lockdown came. All the medical staff, including me of course, had to go on duty at the front lines, checking people's temperatures and all. It's not too scary because we have the police and the military with us. We feel awesomely protected. Because I got my hands full with the new responsibilities, I totally forgot about the Saudi job. Until one day, I got an email from Saudi. The manager was polite in his email and said my application is still active; and that the cause of its delay is the ongoing Covid-19 problem. He, however, assured me that as soon as the virus is contained, their company will again process applications in a regular basis. I replied with a 'thank you' email. I wrote it because I just don't know what to say.
Tess, 25, supermarket cashier
Hindi po ako natatakot, sir, (laughing). Maayos po naman dito, marami kami kaya masaya. Saka inaalagaan naman po nila kami dito. Takot lang yung boyfriend ko (laughing) kasi baka daw mahawa ako. Kelangan din kasi mag-work kasi para po sa family ko. Nagi-expect din po kasi mga kapatid ko, syempre may needs din po sila. Pangload (laughing). Nakakainis lang kasi walang masakyan, kaya naglalakad lang po ako, buti malapit lang po dito ang house namin. Ang kawawa po, yung ibang kasama ko kasi medyo malayo, kaya malayo din lakad nila. Pero okay lang po kasi nakakatipid sa pamasahe (laughing). Cash po o card?
I'm not scared, sir (laughing). My employee-friends are all here that's why we're happy and still working. Management's been good to us, they take good care of us. The only person afraid is my boyfriend (laughing) because I might get the virus. I need this job for my family. They have needs, especially for cellphone data load (laughing). The only hard part is transportation because I had to walk to go to work. Fortunately, my house is near here. My employee-friends is not as fortunate because they live pretty far from here and it's a long walk for them. But it's okay, I save more money because I don't have to pay for transportation (laughing). Are you paying cash or credit?
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| Sidewalk vendors along Quirino Highway, Quezon City. The Covid-19 does not deter vendors who stay in the sidewalks to earn a living. |
Beth, 30, convenience store cashier
24 hours pa rin po kami, 10 pm pa rin po ang liquor ban. Kaya po me plastic dito sa harap ng cashier kasi for safety purposes po. Diyan lang po ako sa tabi nagbo-board kaya ako na po pina-duty ng manager namin. Yung iba kasi hindi na makapasok. Apat na lang po kami nagpapalitan dito. Yang si Robert na nasa tapat ninyo tsaka yung dalawang kapalitan namin. Kailangan ko po ng work kasi nagiipon po ako. Mahirap ang walang ipon lalo na ngayon baka biglang tumigil ding mag-operate dito. At least may konting pondo pambili ng makakain. Alam ninyo, dati po marami kaming pumapasok dito kaya lang habang tumatagal, naubos sila, hindi na makapasok kasi walang masakyan.
We're still open 24 hours a day. There's a liquor ban at 10 pm. That piece of plastic in between us serves as safety protection for the both of us. I can still go to work because I rent a room near here. That's the reason why our manager chose me to stay on duty here as the rest lives far from here and can no longer report for work. Currently, there's only the four of us actively working: me and Robert for today and the other two for tomorrow when Robert and I are on off duty. I need the job. I have to save enough because it's difficult nowadays without money for food — most especially because I'm afraid that there will come a time our store might just stop operating. If I may add, all the employees used to report for work here everyday, but they stopped coming in because they can't get transportation anymore.
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