We struggle to fathom our present predicament but we continue to live as if everything is perfect. Mother Earth is healing, experts thunder, but we as a nation is hurting because of this global health emergency.
Faultfinders say that the end of the world is near, but I really don’t buy that because, who are they to predict. We are frightened but God’s grace will always be present to all of us.
God will never let us down.
It is normal to worry these days. I worry and there are times of broken sleep, thinking of the what ifs and what must be done to escape the pandemic. I think of the daily wage earners, the physically-challenged, the frontliners, the sick, the foot soldiers and I cannot help but say this crisis magnifies the great divide between the haves and the have nots in Philippine society.
Before the so-called lockdown, we delight in viral jokes like there’s no buying, only panic for the poor. And this is the glaring truth. Lucky are those, who can shop one or two weeks worth of groceries, while others can only gnashed their teeth in anger as they struggle to wait in line to buy their daily needs.
Such inequality.
These are uncertain times, no doubt. And we can only hope for the best.
Remember, we continue to experience sunrise and sunset. Here at New Cabalan in Olongapo City, I still hear the chirping birds. Charlie the crying dog delights in playing with Small Cat and No Tail. Neighboring kids remain playful and somewhat rowdy. The flowers are in full bloom and the avocado,banana and santol trees are now bearing fruits. The stars remain bright at night and the moon remain mysterious, as ever.
It is still a beautiful life.
Being a member of the sporting community, I cannot help but think of the welfare not only of the athletes but coaches, fans and those tasked to ensure the safety of the nationals. I share the anxiety and frustration of so many Olympic hopefuls, and organizers of well-known sporting events like the PBA, UAAP, NCAA, MPBL, CBA and other local-based events. Millions down the drain.
My idol friend and paralympic swimmer Ernie Gawilan, whose rise to fame is a testament to the triumph of human spirit, is on self quarantine at Samal Island in Davao del Norte. He was picked as one of the torch bearers for the 20202 Tokyo Olympics but COVID-19 rewrote what could have been a magnificent script for Ernie. He now keeps fit inside his residence and continues to see the silver lining in the face of this monumental problem.
Rising tennis star Angel Santiago caught the eye of Louisiana Ragin Cajuns mentor Stephanie Vallejos after likeable coach Marty Ilagan posted a video of the 19 year-old La Sallian on YouTube. Santiago joined the foreign-spiced roster of the Ragin Cajuns and for sure, Marty’s one proud mentor, But Santiago needed to go home due to the pandemic and is now cocooned at her home. Every bubbly, Santiago remains upbeat that she’ll return on August to help team, which is competing in Division 1 of the tough US NCAA.
Gawilan and Santiago are just two of the country’s sporting heroes affected by the new coronavirus yet their positivism must be copied by all of us.
We all know that the likes of pole vaulter EJ Obiena, weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, skater Margielyn Didal, karateka Junna Tsukii and other athletes are troubled by this twist of event and athletes from the provinces have no choice but to remain inside their quarters. Athletes, tough. belong to a different breed. Because most of our elite athletes belong to the Armed Forces, they are naturally fighters. Remember the saying, “ang sundalong nasusugatan ay lalong tumatapang.’’
Our athletes are true examples. And it is comforting that the men and women of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) headed by the hardworking chairman Butch Ramirez and commissioners Celia Kiram, Ramon Fernandez, Charles Maxey and Arnold Agustin are making lives easier for our athletes. It must also be stressed that all national athletes are COVID-19 free as of this writing.
Still, we must not be overconfident. The invincible enemy is lethal and anything can happen. Suffice to say, that with everybody’s cooperation and understanding, it will soon be business as usual.
Life will go on.