“It is now up to us to make a difference.”
We may be getting a sneak peek of the post-pandemic new normal as Metro Manila is pronounced by experts just about ready to be placed under Alert Level 2.
Despite the incompetence and monumental blunders of some of the key members of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Infectious Diseases, President Duterte’s hands-on leadership is making sure we triumph over this public health calamity.
But we must not get ahead of ourselves as the threat of COVID-19 and its variants remains, even as we look to fully open the economy and stride to recovery.
Curfew hours, which is an important measure against COVID-19 transmission, have been removed.
It has also been an effective deterrent against street crime along with police presence, as it prohibits those with no gainful nocturnal employment from loitering during unholy hours.
Businesses can still operate and cater to legitimate customers during minimum curfew hours (1:00AM-4:00AM) so there is no compelling reason why curfew hours must be lifted altogether.
Well, we really wish we have actually come to the denouement of the pandemic that has taken us to a roller coaster ride for almost two years.
Again, kudos to the Duterte administration that we stayed on course in keeping the COVID-19 surges under control and in flattening of the curve.
Slowly but surely, the government vaccination rollout will get us to the other side of the bridge across the worst pandemic in world history.
Continuity must be assured in the implementation of government programs and projects under Build, Build, Build.
We must have discipline and go back to the basics of personal hygiene, observing the health standards in the activities of daily living that will help prevent the outbreak of another infectious disease.
We must learn from the serious lessons and experiences through the agonizing lockdowns and business shutdowns.
At the same time, we must nurture the family bonding and celebrate the Filipino resilience and creativity with which we survived the arduous challenges of the crisis.
It is up to us now to make a difference with a historic political exercise in which we choose new leaders who, with a vision of a unified nationhood, will continue the nation-building stymied by the pandemic.
