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It was indeed a dark time for the whole human race, but we only have
ourselves to blame for playing and experimenting with fire. Burned by
stupidity, naivety, and the hunger for something new, we now found
ourselves knocking on the creator’s doorsteps.
It was on December 2019 when a new type of disease emerged out
from Wuhan, China. A disease which would later be known as the Novel
Coronavirus Disease or commonly known as COVID-19.
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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease
caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
It is known to target a person’s respiratory system. Infected patients may
exhibit symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, and in some
cases, muscle pain and sore throat. Some patients may also be
asymptomatic.
Up until now, the source of the said disease was yet to be determined.
Some scientists have claimed that it originated from bats. 2In a research
journal posted in Oxford Academic by Liansheng Zhang and his team from
Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University in Fuzhou, China, they stated
that base on their analysis, the 2019-nCoV is most closely related to 2
(SARS)-like CoV sequences that were isolated in bats in 2015 and 2017.
Thus, sharing common ancestry, and with a conclusion that the 2019-nCoV
can be considered as a SARS-like virus. However, in an article published by
Denise Chow in the NBC News Website 3, she stated that a group of Chinese
scientists suggest that genetic analyses pointed to pangolins- a scaly, long-
snouted anteaters – as a likely source of outbreak.
Both of these claims were said to be plausible.
But unfortunately, the citizens of the world watched helplessly as the
said disease spread like a wildfire in many countries. Infecting millions of
people and killing hundreds of thousands already. Philippines was one those
countries which were affected.
It was on January 22, 2020, when the first suspected case in the
country was investigated. Both patients were Chinese nationals on a
vacation and travelling as a couple. Both of them were confirmed to have the
disease, and one of the couple died due to it. Patient 2, as he was called, was
confirmed as the first COVID-19 death outside of China. He died on
February 1, 2020.

1. http://www.covid19.gov.ph/
2. https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/doi/10.1093/cid/ciaa112/5721420
3. https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/where-did-new-coronavirus-come-past-outbreaks-provide-hints-n1144521
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On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) has

characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic due to the exponential increase of
the number of cases in more than 100 countries. A few days later, on March
16, 2020, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte placed the entire Philippines under
a state of calamity amid the threats posed by COVID19.
At first, before the WHO declared COVID-19 as a pandemic, the
government took little concern. It is only upon the death of the above-
mentioned Chinese national and the increase in the number of the infected,
when the government took preventive measures to protect its citizens. One
of those was the creation of Republic Act No. 11469.
Republic Act No. 11469 or also known as the “Bayanihan to Heal As
One Act”, took effect on March 25, 2020. This Act is an act which declares
the existence of a National Emergency arising from the Coronavirus Disease
2019 (COVID-19) situation and a national policy in connection therewith,
which authorizes the President of the Republic of the Philippines for a
limited period and subject to restrictions, to exercise power necessary and
proper to carry out the declared national policy and for other purposes.
This is in view of the continuing rise of confirmed cases of COVID-
19, which seriously threaten the health, safety, security, and the lives of our
countrymen.
The said law contains the proclamation declaring a State of Public
Health Emergency throughout the country. It also enumerates the authorized
powers of the President, the penalties for violation, and the effectivity of the
law.
Although this law was passed and was implemented, it did not
however escape the eyes of well-known critics which scrutinized the said
law.
The following are some of the issues or concerns that I was able to
identify:

I.
The mobilization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines during the
pandemic
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II.
“Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right
includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive
and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of
frontiers.”
― United Nations, Universal Declaration of Human Rights

“Hope begins in the dark. The stubborn hope that if you just show up and
try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work:
you don’t give up.”
– Anne Lamott, Novelist