A STORY OF SURVIVAL

Conquering an invisible enemy

On March 9, 2020, every family went about their daily routines, assuming it was just another average day. Unbeknownst to everyone, it was the day when a sudden shift would occur that would linger over the entire nation for years.

Every Filipino household’s television flashed the announcement that the country would undergo Enhanced Community Quarantine. This left people in shock and thought that this matter would only last for six days, but came the declaration of the global pandemic on March 11 which made a significant change in their daily lives. Days turned into months, then turned into a two-year lockdown. This was a painful period for everyone, and never did anyone foresaw this fearful circumstance.

The declaration of the global pandemic has had detrimental consequences on the general well-being and the population’s daily lives. Most of the time, people stayed at their homes. No students turned up at their schools due to the suspension of classes, which soon led to the switch of learning modalities to Modular Distance Learning and Online Distance Learning.

All workers and employees were required to remain at home, with the exemption of law enforcement and health professionals. They were the ones who honorably battled at the front lines to protect the masses and prevent the further spread of the virus.

In addition, many businesses went through an existential crisis, and the lockdown placed personnel at risk of losing their jobs. The virus outbreak had significant adverse effects on the nation’s economic development.

Several people faced hunger while struggling to meet their basic needs.

It was a time of turmoil for everyone. The entire world was changing, but everyone had no choice but to accept what was not prevented.

However, if we look on the bright side of the situation, we cannot deny that the pandemic’s occurrence also had some positive effects on individuals. People learned to appreciate the value of spending time with others, especially with the loved ones we are stuck with at home. People were starting to see the significance of spending more time with family and realizing that it is great to be with people close to our hearts.

The pandemic also brings various positive impacts, such as improved lifestyles and habits. Good hygiene was also developed during the pandemic as we had time to improve our health by exercising and learning to have a more balanced diet. In addition, productivity was increased among the community members because they could control and manage their time well.

At present, the world is gradually getting better and beginning to make up for its losses from the twoyear crisis. Last January 1, 2023, the average of new COVID-19 cases decreased by 39 percent from December 26 (Montemayor, 2023). Face-to-face classes were brought back, much to the students’ satisfaction, especially those who had trouble with distance learning. Employees were back to work, and businesses were once again booming.

The old normal is slowly returning. This displays the Filipino people’s remarkable resilience, despite how much suffering they have gone through due to the unfortunate occurrence. The two-year wait and efforts were not in vain, and we are now slowly reaching the goal of freedom from the lingering fear for our lives.