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EDITORIAL STAFF 2020-2021
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MA. RHEANNA TUAZON
Editor in Chief
SAMANTHA GUTIERREZ
Associate Editor
ADRIAN POUL BLANDO
Managing Editor
EDITORS COMMITTEE
DOROTHY ANN RAE REYES
News Editor
KEVIN VALEN ARCELO
Literary Editor
TRISHA LINDO
Sports Editor
ANN CLARISE MERCADO
Features Editor
ALLEN DAVE TUBANGUI
Circulations Manager
CHRISTIAN ANDREW TORRES DENZEL DIZON RALPH LAURENCE PERALTA
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KIAN FRANCIS PERALTA
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KAYE CASTRO
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MA. CLARIZ ISABELLE MAGLALANG TRISHA MAE CHU THOMAS JEFFERSON OVIVIR
News Correspondents
JOHN LESLIE LAYUG SAIRA BOGNOT CARL DAVE SANTOS GERINE GONZALES YANCY MORON
Features Correspondents
ANGELO FERNANDEZ RAHUL MODY CHELSEA GALANG
Literary Correspondents
JOHN VINCENT MIGUEL CHRISTLE BERNARDO
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MS. CRISTINA REYES
University Paper Adviser
| The Pioneer AUF | @thepioneerauf | aufthepioneer@gmail.com
EDITORIAL
Our defender, the murderer
“Civilian authority is, at all times, supreme over the military. The Armed Forces of the Philippines is the protector of the people and the State. Its goal is to secure the sovereignty of the State and the integrity of the national territory.” Similar to the Philippine government, the supreme duty of the AFP is to serve and protect the Filipino people. However, who else should we cling to, when the very protector of our being has turned on us? As deafening sounds of gunfire reverberated through the oncepeaceful municipality of Paniqui, Tarlac, the entire Philippines trembled in its wake. Days before Christmas, a video of Police Senior Master Sergeant Jonel Nuezca mercilessly killing two unarmed civilians in said province went viral. The unarmed civilians were later named as Sonya Gregorio and her son Frank, whom Nuezca tried to arrest and was reportedly drunk. Meanwhile, social media users took to Twitter and Facebook to ridicule Nuezca’s daughter, a minor, who was heard screaming “My father is a policeman!” prior the shooting. These words clearly reflected how Nuezca, without thought, killed Sonya and Frank in point-blank range, as his daughter, unflinching, watched.
Prior the incident, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Debold Sinas announced that gun muzzling is no longer necessary; cops are allowed to be in possession of their guns during periods of leisure. The gun muzzling tradition was effective until it was stopped in 2016, 2017, and 2018 by then-PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa and President Rodrigo Duterte. This decision was wholly supported by Tarlac police chief Police Colonel Renante Cabic, who stated that, “There are incidents which we know about when a crime happens when we least expect it.”
As this gun muzzling tradition turned to an alarming halt, Filipinos grew warier of the extrajudicial killings happening in the country. Human Rights Watch reported that the Duterte administration’s “war on drugs” conceals deaths caused by the PNP as “homicides under investigation.” With the failure to disclose official documents regarding these deaths, and the lack of justice served for the families of the victims, the Philippines has been branded as one of the most dangerous countries in the world according to the Global Peace Index.
Reports that masked gunmen taking part in these extrajudicial killings are closely working with the police, with evidence-planting as a continual pattern, are no longer new to Filipinos. This is why anger turned to rage when Sinas warned that citizens must not take photos or videos of crime incidents. Fresh memories of the case of Kian Delos Santos resurface, as the case initially declared Delos Santos as a drug runner, killed for contradicting the police. Police desperately tried to cover-up the murder by accusing him of being a drug runner, and that the incident was a case of self-defense—the police, who were grown, armed men, reasoned they felt the need to protect themselves from an unarmed minor. CCTV footage and witnesses claim otherwise; Delos Santos was seen begging for mercy, and was forced to fire a gun before he was shot by the police.
“How many were not filmed?” was the outcry of Filipinos, citing that these victims could have ended up like the others, had the incident not been filmed—murdered in broad daylight, with packets of drugs forced upon their lifeless bodies, or accused of fighting and resisting the police. Another family would have been denied justice, a policeman would have gone away with murder, and another child would have been brought up believing power is to be spent on abusing the defenseless. My father is a policeman—he is the defender, the murderer.
VOX POPULI
To PH’s murderous system— there will never be silence
MA. RHEANNA TUAZON
Agonizingly, the state knows no humanity, compassion, nor uprightness; it jails guiltless people and no longer has respect for human rights. This administration stands as a bully and imposes double standard and impunity among many others. Statutory justice is transformed and weaponized into an inutile defense system for the rich and powerful. The Philippines is deeply flawed; its justice system— a crackled structure which murdered an innocent baby. of the state’s heedlessness. When she was incarcerated last November, she found out that she was pregnant. Even with the justifiable grounds of fear for herself and unborn Baby River, her petition for temporary release due to the Pandemic was also denied last April. The court did not even give her the chance to nurture the baby during early post-natal stages; as well as to extract breast milk because the city jail did not exactly have the proper facilities. Far from her mother’s reach, Baby River was taken into the custody of her grandmother. However, she was hospitalized last September 24 and was declared dead on October 9 when her lungs gave out due to bacterial infection.
Authorities certainly do not have conscience. Even with infant blood already spilled, hearts of immediate people concerned are as frozen as bergs. A furlough was approved, granting Nasino a 3-day visit to her baby’s funeral rites; but Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) cannily impeded with the duration of temporary release and managed to cut it down to six hours due to “personnel shortage and fear of spreading Coronavirus inside the jail facility.” However, a battalion of 40 defense forces escorting a single handcuffed woman would not cut that claim. These guards were also terribly inhuman as they refused to even remove Nasino’s handcuffs— the poor woman could not even wipe her own tears. Cops even pilfered the casket of the baby and buried it immediately in Manila North Cemetery leaving the baby’s grandmother crying on the road. It is obvious that the wardens and Judge were only finding loopholes to keep Nasino from acquiring any humanitarian considerations. If anything, they are naturally hostile to the political prisoner.
Moreso, the fact alone remains, that Baby River was killed by the government’s red-tagging system. The reason why the rich and mighty are untouched is because the system has a natural target-lock for activists. Instead of hearing the grievances of activists, such as Reina Nasino, the administration seeks to silence them all. With alleged “evidence-planting,” times are sure that no one, at least those who are critical of the government, is safe. Let the words etch down the minds of all: Baby River, an innocent baby, was killed by the state. She was killed by the state who jailed her mother with trumped-up charges— she was killed by the political fury of the government against activists and critics. Even with the judicial system specifically designed to give protection to the helpless, they turned to become animals and led to the murder of not one, but countless innocent people.
This de facto martial law regime has put many lives in jeopardy— but what is nauseating is that it only applies specifically to marginalized lives. While Nasino was denied of her reasonable furlough numerous times and had to fight to attend her baby’s funeral rites; then-president Gloria Arroyo was granted a holiday furlough and another one to her brother-inlaw’s wake, Bong Revilla was also allowed on several occasions to visit his father and son and was not even handcuffed, Jinggoy Estrada was also a guest of numerous granted furloughs to, aside from medical reasons, attend his son’s high school graduation, visit his mother-in-law, and to attend his father’s 80th birthday— all without handcuffs. When Nasino’s farewell was threatened to be cut short by the police when journalists tried to interview her, other politicians have been merrily popping open wine bottles. It is true that the law is extremely harsh to the marginalized and giving to the bourgeoisie; it is that fact which makes one sick to the core. Baby River’s death is on the Duterte administration; the murderous system could have done something to preclude this mishap but chose to be pugnacious. No apologies were heard, not even mealy-mouthed ones. However, in due time, the justices denied, incarcerated innocents, and surged blood will be charged. The story of Baby River and her mother is the story of countless poor Filipino people. It is outrageous; and people should turn their rage into a plea for the government— let there be a time of reckoning, let the oppressors pay the price of their sins, let there be accountability. As long as there is no justice for Baby River and other tragedies, there will never be silence.
Our photo albums present scarce moments of glee, and bare white spaces of where accomplished plans should have been. Dreams of travelling, graduating, and living in peace all came down the drain in one swift snap. The year 2020 sprung upon us unexpected eye-openers, making us grasp just how much we are lacking in preparedness, safety, understanding, and compassion.
Earlier this year, COVID-19 became global. The pandemic rapidly spread across countries, including ours, what with every government’s and individual’s lack of initiative to restrict non-essential foreign travel and maintain discipline. Death tolls rose to thousands amidst the confusion with the differences between ECQ, MECQ, GCQ, and MGCQ, on top of the lack of self-discipline. People eyeballed the differences with these restrictions, often resorting to their own intuitions; local communities still struggle to impose regulations on wearing face masks and face shields almost a year into this dilemma; social distancing, and age limitations in public spaces are more askew than ever.
Racism ensued right after. With Wuhan being the epicenter of the disease, some chose to pin this situation down on the Chinese people alone. Later on, China continued to mass produce protective equipment, open isolation areas, strictly impose travel bans, and close down face-to-face schools. China recovered while the rest of the world uselessly fought over tissue paper, rallied against COVID-19 protocols, and planned mass birthday gatherings. To them, COVID-19 is nothing but a conspiracy theory—an excuse to inflict hate and racism—and that face masks abridge our rights to “breathe.”
Ever since the onslaught of the pandemic, the Philippines turned divided, particularly the students and their universities. #NoStudentLeftBehind initially demanded an academic freeze for at least a semester, providing enough time and room to adjust, and for others to find means to take online classes. However, the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, and all other universities did not see this request fit for all the institutions and pushed forward, compromising with forcing inadequate changes in learning materials instead. To this day, students continue to voice their pleas for meager week-long mental health breaks, which are consistently left unheard.
What followed suit was the people’s frustration on the prioritization of the Manila Bay, which they deemed adequate had the government not employed a mere band-aid solution to a bigger problem. Just as all previous rehabilitation efforts were finally showing signs of development, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ progress took a step backward by dumping dolomite, which is often used in construction. “Dolomite contains high amount of heavy metals such as aluminum, lead and mercury, which would contribute to the pollution and acidity of Manila Bay,” Fernando Hicap, a member of the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), said. “Why is DENR leading a campaign that could increase and cause further harm to the bay?”
By November, a typhoon considered worse than Ondoy struck the Philippines. Typhoon Ulysses submerged parts of the country, leaving tens of thousands homeless, particularly in low areas. National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council announced that the death toll hit 73, and a total of 3,052,049 individuals were affected by the typhoon. Finally, as the year struggled to come to a close, a new strain of COVID once again terrorized the entire globe—making this hellish experience come to a full circle. 2020 plagued us with unforgiving diseases, illnesses, disasters, and forced upon us the unfortunate changes we now label the “new normal.” We lost thousands of lives, and risk losing more at this snail-paced rate. May we spend the lackluster new year reflecting on where we all went wrong in a desperate attempt to prepare ourselves for whatever disappointment is to come next.
DE FACTO
2020 at a glance
SAMANTHA GUTIERREZ
COGITO
Nation-building and Among Us
ADRIAN POUL BLANDO
Inever liked to play Among Us. I was always tired of being a crewmate. I do my tasks and suddenly, someone’s already killing me. I hate the thrill. I feel like my effort in doing the task is being wasted. Sometimes, the two impostors manage to kill eight crewmates; or impostors can deceive these crewmates telling them that their colleagues are the impostors. It was not until the boring evening when I tried to reinstall this game; this time, I got the chance to be the impostor. We were two impostors at that time and I never thought that being an impostor is fun. However, when we were about to win, I was voted by the players, making me lose the game. Since then, I never became an impostor.
I have realized that in this game that votes really matter. In fact, even if you are a crewmate, once they thought that you are the impostor and voted you, you will be kicked out from the game. It is always the decision of the majority. Right then, I picture that the 2022 election could be like the game of Among Us.
Recently, Pulse Asia released the result of their survey last November about who people would vote for the 2022 election. Davao City Mayor Sara “Inday” Duterte, the daughter of the current president, topped the presidential bid against other aspiring presidents like the current Vice President Leni Robredo, Senator Manny Pacquiao, Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno. In addition, as the result was published in all the social media platforms, many people (greater than the 2,400 representative adults who took the survey), disagreed with the result, especially those people asking for good governance because they are already fed up with the “leadership” of a Duterte.
Looking at the perspective of the game, the Filipinos are the crewmates and one or two of these aspiring candidates for presidency can be the impostor/s. Well, the solution for this is also in the game – determine who the impostor is and wisely vote.
Determining who the impostor is easy. The actions of these government bodies in times of calamities and pandemic are evident. We can determine who does the tasks and who does not; who use the people’s tax wisely and who does not. They have their own task and we should all be aware of that. With that, we can figure out who is just acting like an ally.
Voting is the essential part of the game to know if the crewmate or the impostor will win. If you are worrying right now about the result, remember that there are only 2,400 crewmates who voted. Still, the vote of the majority is what matters here. You can take part to turn this result around by using your vote in the upcoming election.
At the end of this game, it is what it is. When the majority speaks, that would determine the fate of this game. However, are you the voter who voted out your fellow crewmate or the impostor? At the end of the day, we are all crewmates here— we all want to win this game.
Education serves as a ray of hope to people. It is what every street child dreams of achieving; and what motivates parents to face adversity come hell or high water just to support their child’s endeavors. However, what if this ray of hope serves as a hindrance to fulfill their dreams?
As the threat of the coronavirus pandemic remains, physical classes are still barred and the government has shifted to alternative learning modes, including internet-based learning.
Recently, the Department of Education (DepEd) has received reports revealing their students hosting an online “Christmas sale” of their lewd photos and videos (pornography) so they could buy gadgets and pay internet bills in support of their distance learning. This called for the involvement of law enforcement agencies. The National Bureau of Investigation is currently investigating these reports.
The transition from face-to-face learning to distance learning that DepEd implemented caused panic amongst its students. Majority scrambled to get their hands-on gadgets which they will use for online classes. However, students from low-income families cannot afford to acquire a necessity. Because of this, many students are being left behind. The lack of action towards the needs of the students from the government compelled them to sell sensual photos and videos online, making them prone to abuse and sexual exploitation just so they can support their studies. because there are no alternative sources of income. The pandemic and its resulting lockdowns have left companies struggling to stay afloat while others shut down. Last October, the state statistics agency has recorded that 3.8 million Filipinos remain jobless, while studies by the Asian Development Bank showed that 84 percent of households in the Philippines said their income declined because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government’s overall response to the pandemic has been fraught with incompetence and terror. Rather than addressing the pandemic as public health issue, it has been met with a decidedly militaristic fashion. The authorities’ failure to keep up with the preventive measures of neighboring countries exposed a plethora of problems: the Department of Health inadequately addressing the primary crisis of public health and safety; the Department of Agriculture’s difficulty in transporting agriculture and food commodities from the farms or ports to the urban consumers due to our inefficient transport and road systems; economic decline; and DepEd’s unpreparedness for continued education to name a few.
Although obvious gaps in education have existed in the past, the pandemic highlights a stark divide among students: access to education for those who can afford it and for those who cannot. Further, limiting financial assistance to a selected few rather than extending financial assistance to everyone in need contributed to the dilemma. The accessibility of education for all under any circumstance thus remains a dream.
AD HONOREM Education: Hindrance to dreams
DOROTHY REYES
“The lack of action towards the needs of the students from the government compelled them to sell sensual photos and videos online
Education is not a privilege to be bestowed by the government nor is it a luxury for the rich. It is a legal right for everyone, yet it is far from being a reality for millions of Filipino people. The government must assume accountability in addressing persistent education problems as primary duty bearers of the right to education. They must ensure that millions of people left behind have access to the education they are entitled to. It is a crucial issue and should be made a priority. Hindrances such as legal, economic, social, and cultural barriers must be removed.
Bobocops on Duty
TRISHA LINDO
One cannot count anymore the errors made by armed and blueuniformed clowns who are supposed to serve the people but only favor themselves. The Philippine National Police is not new in committing the best blunders caused by their incompetence and slipshod “leadership.” Such gold comedy is not made for good laugh or appraisal, it is one that makes us shake our heads in disappointment with a heavy sigh of “When will our country get better?”
Although we believe that there are still officers who walk in honor, we cannot deny how those with corrupt minds outnumber the rest—continuously tainting the image of the institution and only making it harder and harder to be saved. These fools aren’t just making fun of themselves, what is worse is that they even fool the public—more pies are dumped at our faces. One pie thrown by these clowns recently is the mishandled Christine Dacera case that misled both the people and the media to think that it was a rape-slay without laying all the facts of their investigation. Said case of the 23-year-old Philippine Airline (PAL) flight attendant found lifeless in a bathtub after a New Year’s Eve party at the City Garden Grand Hotel in Makati City triggered countless debates and theories online. The PNP fronted initial and sketchy evidences to the public that drew the people to focus on the rapeslay case angle. These evidences were the cuts and bruises on Dacera’s limbs, the semen found near on her genitalia, and the CCTV footages caught on CCTV showing the attendant enjoying the company of her two male friends hours before her death.
What became a wake-up call for the public to fact-check and to dig deeper is when the autopsy report was exposed concluding that Christine Dacera’s death was naturally caused by aortic aneurysm and not of rape as the police asserted. The true sexual orientation confessed by the alleged and their persistent claim that they cannot bear to commit such inhumane act towards their friend, Christine, took a different swing. The public is now outraged by the lies fed by the PNP—another tactical lie similarly rooted to their badly written “nanlaban” fiction against drug suspects during Oplan Tokhang.
How can the police cap off Dacera’s case in a snap of a finger when the recent case of a cop in Tarlac shooting an unarmed mother and son to death last December isn’t even solved yet? Maybe the PNP is trying to cleanse their image after that big blow on their dignity. However, they did not realize that they only put up more trash on their figure . They are not our heroes anymore; they are not saints deserving of praise for their lapses and constant failure. Fixing such incompetence, dishonesty, and lack of integrity could have stopped victim-blaming and gender stereotyping. The alleged suspects who were actually victims of this rotten system as well, could have been spared from the public trial and humiliation if it weren’t for the PNP’s sickening manipulation at the very start. The damage has already been done . Justice isn’t really served, it is always denied. The real crime here is not rape, but voiding the thorough probe and due process of law.
This downfall of our supposed protectors is only a clear reflection of how disordered and unstable our government is. The PNP has sworn to protect the people as the constitution entails , but the reality is that they’ve always been kissing the feet of their beloved president . Filipinos still deserve competent and decent leaders. Enough of the patronage politics based on political loyalty!
Who can we trust when the police have little to no credibility left? Don’t ever bother to wonder, both the honor of the PNP and most of our government leaders died long time ago.
Underneath the chill and burgeoning flames brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic are the forgotten faces of the unreported, set aside, and left to be jettisoned. Although watching the news throughout the tides of the past year has led me to a better understanding of the conditions being faced by many individuals, I have realized, however, as I scrolled across the white glare of my screen, the lack of conversation primarily about the conditions of sex workers in our country during the course of the pandemic. I ask myself, what actually happened to them?
I try and search, but see the dust settle to unearth only little to no media attention about their “actual” situation in our country. Are they unimportant? Is the word “sex worker” too much of a term for the public that we just mute them out? I mean we know they exist. Many parts of the world do. To consider, other news from different parts of the globe seems to be more acquainted with these marginalized groups. Such as in India, for example, where protests have begun even all the way back in August in asking the government to support them since the pandemic has started. In addition, a quick scroll through a list of online news articles also show how these Indian sex workers are being viciously held back due to the current situation. Similarly,the same effects are being reported with that of Singapore all the way from Bangkok and, to be fair, all of this is just from Asia.
Such poverty in conversation in our country would only stir an even deeper wound among the victims of the pandemic. They are real people even if their job descriptions had been molded by the same government that considers their work to be illegal, but for some reason, poverty not to be. In fact, even before sex work had been made illegal, the government has already halted them from even forming as a group. This is evident even way back in since the 1980s when the first sex work organization was created. Namely, Women Hookers Organizing for their Rights and Empowerment (WHORE). However, such organization was short-lived as local governments and religious sectors participated in the early destruction of springing conversation for these people and their hope in being recognized.
In fact, even if conversations did exist, they are still infrequent and many times, conversations would always rely upon their stigmatization or even a malformation of their constitution to ask only what we want for them, when the real question should have always been: what do these individuals actually want for themselves? Specifically, individuals who either are strained into these circumstances where they enter into a mode for “survival sex” or those who are facing the possibility of losing their job that has truly given them good benefit and livelihood. Most importantly, during such a time in this current pandemic where we are so uncertain of how they are able to live day by day.
This is more clear given the fact that sex workers would usually pop-up in media in an article that involves a sort of “rescue operation” model. However, it poses the question. Do all sex workers really want to be rescued? If we think more empathetically to certain subgroups of this marginalized group that were provided stability by the job, some may be asking themselves: then what happens to me? While sex work is a consensual process that involves an agreed transaction of sex for monetary payment, human trafficking, on the other hand, involves coercive threatening and abduction of individuals for the sale of sex. The issue here being that without local and national government aid and clarity, many individuals entering in this field of sex work only become more prone into being involuntarily victimized by human traffickers who choose to prey upon them.
In addition, many public institutions also fail to fully realize the full-fledged experience of sex workers even up to this day as they cast them completely either as “low-morale” foes or completely as “oppressed” and “coerced” individuals. Many institutions are flawed to assume that all sex workers are “coerced” into these positions as this would only stereotype them and fundamentally erase their agency as an individual. And while it is true that some individuals are coerced and trafficked into such trades and truly require government rescue and aid from social welfare organizations, it is not completely true for all of them. The reality is that some sex workers do actually govern and support and desire their job. Whether it be due to the lack of time constraints and/or the amount of financial freedom that they receive which, in turn, allows them to better support their children, companions, and/or even themselves. Some even choosing this job either as a way of as a manner of protest, a philosophy, or even simply as a manner of sexual expression that may provide a different lens on the work that they do.
This provides only a fundamental realization that some sex workers can receive positive consequences through this job. The truth of the matter is that many of these individuals simply desire that they may be protected in such a way that prevents them from being trafficked and abused. They are unable to state their realities anymore and simply disguise as “entertainment” across red-light districts among nightclubs and massage parlors where they are unable to say their point of view even if it may be necessary. As speaking only causes them to be relentlessly regulated to the extremes, aggressively moralized, or altogether wiped-out from policy formulation. Which to consider, only breeds the right ingredients for other individuals to maltreat and wrongly criminalize them.
I would opine that these are the main exact reasons why sex work would be considered dangerous. It may not be the best job, but it is legitimate in its job risks. I am saying it is dangerous not because of them, but because of how society has treated them. Sex work did not have to be dangerous if only these individuals were properly provided a space to form actual organizations and groups. The lives of sex workers could have been much safer if initiatives were given to provide them with free training on the proper methods on how to prevent contracting sexually-transmitted diseases. They could have been better protected if they were provided a way to safely navigate if others are experiencing abuse from clients or third-party organizations. Public institutions should protect them in such a way that sex work does not end up becoming a ‘last resort” effort for other men and women. Appropriate programs should be provided to ensure that sex workers are not trafficked, and most importantly, sex work could have been less dangerous for these people if they have simply been recognized, listened, and supported by the government more eagerly as a sex worker.
The idea that sex workers can be completely eradicated is an “out-of-touch” concept for a world where poverty is still existing and were growing ideologies are sprouting upwards in support of these types of jobs. Although fiery debates still exist, the truth of the matter is that these individuals are here to stay. They are here to stay at a time where their lives are hanging by a loose thread, fleeting in a mystery, fogged up completely by the pandemic, and with only traces of their lives being reported. It is a stunting point to realize that the more marginalized a community is, the more forgotten they end up becoming. In this pandemic, I can only dare to hope that these individuals are still holding on to their dear last breaths. As one simply begs to ask: who may have also been forgotten? Who may have also been made invisible and unreported?
ERGO
Sex Workers: The Pandemic’s Most Forgotten Victims
KEVIN VALEN ARCEO
CARPE DIEM
Optimistic Christmas
ANN CLARISE MERCADO
Christmas celebration was still a merry holiday regardless of the COVID-19 pandemic, a celebration with strict protocols all of us are currently experiencing— the “new normal” Filipino festivity. When “bermonths” appeared on the calendar, families started to light their homes with colorful lights. Vibrant parols were lit and hung on posts along the streets and high ways. Hoping for the end of this pandemic by December— just like seeking light in the middle of the dark— being resilient and optimist during these hard times. of Simbang Gabi, the nine-day novena mass before Christmas day, this tradition never dies but there were huge differences by the scenario from the previous years. Under this ‘new normal,’ limited visitors were present. This is some of the evident that we are under the ‘new normal’ and even now experiencing changes.
Far from busy and lively, the entire province of Pampanga was quiet, as the Governor of the province, Dennis Pineda, issued the Executive Order No. 32 that regulates the movement of each person in the province with strict compliance to health and safety protocols in this season with austere monitoring of the checkpoints.
With these protocols, the entire Christmas day was a peaceful one with no vehicles and people bustling outside, no door-todoor visits, no traditional Christmas parties and, no get-togethers.
Again, under the ‘new normal,’ some parties were done virtually and close family members celebrated Christmas while confined in their homes. that, such as the competency and consistency of the government in strengthening our health care system and providing an adequate and rapid testing and tracing; having a better quarantine, treatment, and monitoring facilities; investing in public health to combat this pandemic and to ensure the welfare of all; proper planning and preparing for the infrastructure; and the budget in purchasing vaccines for Filipinos.
Pinning our hopes on the government and laws of the country – whatever it takes – to secure the nation’s health with consideration to the rights and welfare of every Filipinos. Nonetheless, while patiently and hopefully waiting, let us follow rules, always wear masks and face shields and observe proper social distancing – change starts with a small step.
“It is evident that we are still under the ‘new normal’ and still experiencing this global crisis.
