Alayon, Rosalito Jr

Carelo, Jenarie Q.

12- Reliability

VIDEO TREATMENT

The blinding rays of sunlight beamed through the holes-filled roof of the Ramos family’s
humble home along creeks of Manila. The eldest son, Jojo, got up to put the monoblock chair
in front of their house to make sure that they can receive the weekly donation of foods from
the Local Government Unit. It’s been a month since the start of the region-wide lockdown
and his family barely earned enough to meet their basic needs.

After cooking the canned sardines that he got from the donation, Jojo picked the best curtain
they owned to put as his background for his online class. He is a scholar in a well-known
university in Manila and to secure his good grades, he had to make adjustments just so he
can comply to his school requirements. His mother, Aling Gloria, checks out on her son
smiling. She’s glad because she thinks that spending her money for their pocket WiFi over one
kilo of rice is worth it.

The mood of their online class is quite different this time, after they heard about the passing
of one of Jojo’s classmates, Rachelle, who is also a scholar. She succumed to COVID 19 and
none of them was able to pay a visit for she was cremated right after her demise. Jojo’s
online class ended just before dinner time. He checked on his two younger sisters playing
with the paper dolls that he made for them. Because of the health crisis, the girls cannot play
outside with their neighbors so Jojo made toys to keep them indoors.

The family finished their dinner, sharing the noodles still from the donation when the father
arrived at home, his hands injured because of his job. Mang Nestor is a garbage collector and
he had wounds on his palm after picking up a plastic bag with broken glass bottles. Aling
Gloria rushed to cleanse his wounds with Jojo’s assistance. While Aling Gloria treats his
wound, Jojo removed his dirty shirt for him and rubbed a wet towel on his father’s face and
body. It’s been a lot for today, yet they survived. Before going to sleep, Jojo made time to talk
to his significant other. “I’m doing good babe, I hope you stay safe and not talk to other guys,
aye?” He said jokingly, “.. I wish to see you soonest, but if not soon then I’ll wait here.”

This short story is about the daily struggle of a Filipino family in the midst of lockdown due to
the spread of COVID 19 in the country. It told a story of survival, resiliency, and love all at the
same time. From the tiniest to the biggest efforts, every citizen like Jojo is cooperating to
avoid getting infected by the virus. Despite being financially-challenged, the Ramos family
sets an example on how the whole country could have prevented the spread of the virus. The
family members stayed indoors to stay healthy, unlike the Senator who roamed a hospital
despite the fact that he is COVID positive. Mang Nestor worked with dignity to provide for his
family, unlike the country’s leaders who still managed to use this as an opportunity for
corrupting donations and funds for themselves. The last point that this story aims to tackle is
knowing what our priorities are and how the government should have designed a game plan
like how Jojo did the most important things to do throughout the whole day, and still keeping
in touch with the love of his life by the end of the story. This trying times may have cost us a
lot as individuals and as a society, but we must keep on moving forward. Like how Aling
Gloria smiled while Jojo is studying, let us all make good actions and hope for the betterment
of our current situation every single day.