Is one of us next?

I am sure that these words are echoing incessantly in each and everyone of us,
thoroughly making us anxious day-by-day because of the uncertain future. COVID-19’s impact on us
cannot be overlooked. The epidemic has already killed over three (3) million people and infected at least
140 million individuals. Even though preventive measures have been reinforced, the statistics of COVID-
19 infection and death toll continues to climb. The country of China had an outbreak of a severe
respiratory illness in early 2020. A cluster of viral pneumonia infection was reported in China’s Hubei
province around December 2019, and that was when the virus was officially discovered. Known as 2019-
nCoV at that time, it triggered the pandemic. With tons of confirmed coronavirus infections across their
country, Chinese officials acted immediately to quarantine all infected individuals, without a second to
spare. Despite early preventive measures, the virus still has spread across neighboring countries, and
later across the whole world.

The Philippines, being one of the first countries to have a case, has no way out. The alleged first
case was investigated on the 22nd of January 2020. The first case was discovered to be a Chinese national
who was visiting the country. This accelerated the virus's spread over the whole nation, and with the
virus's inexorable escalation, every Filipino's life began to alter as well. The first ever lockdown has been
declared by the President during the 15 th of March up to the 14 th of April 2020. Instead of health experts
and scientists, the President was backed up by the army and police, causing widespread confusion and
strife among residents. Locals have begun to flee to panic buy in preparation for a full lockdown in every
part of the nation, resulting in a shortage of food, water, and medical care necessities.

People were troubled as a result of what happened. For others who are less fortunate, the
epidemic has been far more challenging, if not disastrous. Malls and other businesses were compelled to
close as consecutive lockdowns began. Transportation became extremely restricted, and rates were
hiked. The educational sector implemented a flexible learning approach that eliminated the need for
physical classes. Furthermore, the Philippines' economy has been driven to the brink of collapse,
reaching its lowest point since World War II, with a GDP that plummeted by 9.5 percent year 2020, the
country's worst loss since 1947. Additionally, the GDP plummeted to -16.9 percent in the second quarter
of 2020, when the most stringent measures were implemented. Also, almost every day, the number of
cases of Covid-19 in our country increases. As of October 4, 2021, according to the report of DOH or the
Department of Health, a total of 106, 160 is active cases that is equivalent to 4.1%, a total of 2, 459, 052
was already healed which is 94.4% and a total of 38, 828 that has an equivalent of 1.49% already died.
According to the latest data, as of October 6, 2021, a total of 9,868 additional confirmed cases were
recorded, bringing the overall number of confirmed cases to 2, 622, 917. On the other hand, no deaths
have been reported, and there have been 133 new recoveries.

This epidemic may have sparked strong emotions, but we can't deny that, in the middle of it,
we've all witnessed how hard Filipinos work to support one another. From food and groceries to the
establishment of a communal pantry in each town, the needs of each people who are less privileged
were addressed. Educational aids were provided to students: from loans of devices and loads for
internet connection. There are also free rides provided by community shuttle buses for the frontliners.
We may think that these actions are simple, yet for people who have received assistance, it is already an
enormous help.
 When COVID-19 unexpectedly upended our lives last year, it nearly entirely removed us from
the routines and events that normally anchor our lives in time. The situation has never been better;
behind the scenes, there are more terrible occurrences that have never been exposed by the media. The
actors—the healthcare workers—have long been exploited by the corporate and government sectors.
Currently, the health-care systems are on the verge of collapsing, the economy is in shambles, and many
Filipinos are starving to death, and blue-collar job workers are begging alms on the streets just to feed
their families. We've never seen such horrific fears brought to reality as what the frontliners have
witnessed firsthand. Imagine the horror of bringing a dying person to the hospital only to have them
become a corpse before the doctors could tend to them. Consider the agony of not being able to secure
a hospital bed, and then learning that patients must secure their own oxygen tanks to have even one
inch added to their life. It sent shivers down my spine that more individuals are losing their life and
would not be able to say farewell to their loved ones in person. Now tell me, are consecutive lockdowns
ever effective? Is the government truly trying to help, or are they using the epidemic for their own
advantage?

According to the statistical report of the World Health Organization (WHO), last September 27,
2021: There have been 2,490,858 cases, 2,292,006 recoveries, 37,596 deaths, and 17,007,328 of the
country’s population have been vaccinated (WHO, 2021). Currently, as of October 06, 2021, there are
2,622,917 cases, wherein 112,807 are the active ones, while only 2,471,282 patients have recovered and
38,828 people died (DOH, 2021).

“If the COVID-19 pandemic is prolonged, many households in Southeast Asia may suffer from hunger and
increased poverty” -Asian Development Bank

Because of the ever-increasing COVID-19 statistics, consecutive lockdowns are being imposed by
the government and authorities, which significantly hurts the impoverished Filipinos. When the global
pandemic of COVID-19 began, the Philippine government undertook a large-scale social protection
program while putting the country under strict community quarantine. The government provided
emergency assistance under the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) in conjunction with the Bayanihan to
Heal as One Act. The program supported 18 million low-income and vulnerable households, which
accounted for 70% of the country's population. SAP beneficiaries included the 4.4 million households
enrolled in the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps or Pantawid), as well as other vulnerable
groups such as informal workers. According to an Asian Development Bank Institute report, the
Philippines, which has the highest COVID-19 infection rates in the region, had the greatest proportions
of individuals suffering financial troubles, at 84 and 85 percent, respectively. The country also topped
the list with the most households with at least one person losing work amid the pandemic. Some of the
70% Filipino households reported that they had at least one person who lost their job or had to reduce
their work hours. The proportion of those in the Philippines who lost their job permanently or
temporarily is very high at 22.5% and 28.5%, respectively. The pandemic is really sucking up the state of
microenterprises and the poor households who do not have a stable income. With this, more and more
people will suffer from hunger and poverty if a solid and efficient plan is not yet enforced at this point,
one that has no discrepancies.

Aside from the pandemic’s impact on Filipino family households and the country's economic
standing. There are still many different aspects which have been greatly affected. First and foremost,
the healthcare system, the lack and inefficient allocation of funds by the government have cost the
health facilities greatly. Vaccine funds are being misplaced, and mismanagement is now leading to
expiration. Facilities were not enough to accommodate all infected individuals, and most importantly,
the healthcare workers are being overworked and not compensated well. There is only one thing that
can be inferred here, that the country’s healthcare system faced the pandemic unprepared. Next is the
education sector, the pandemic has already a profound impact on the education since the closing of
school institutions, the pandemic has ended the engaging lives of the students, and they were stuck
inside their houses, and forced to shift to the “new normal” by sitting in front of their tables, facing their
cameras for online classes. Even worse, children who are at most disadvantage here are the ones who
do not have access to resources needed for remote learning thus, this led to high dropout rates, and
low-quality education. Restrictions are also placed on travelling, affecting the tourism of the country.
Furthermore, because individuals are encouraged to stay inside their homes, the level of inactivity rises,
as does the use of technology to keep ourselves busy, which without everyone knowing, contributes
greatly to environmental concerns. Climate change, which has been accumulating for a few years, has
already reached its pinnacle, and the severity of it is very alarming. Therefore, experts have recently
declared that the Earth is in an unequivocal state of emergency. On the other side of things, Politics has
been the focus of attention and debate, being in a state of upheaval. The administration is constantly at
the top of the list on social media, as all discussions and criticisms are directed at them. Finally, food
scarcity has become a major concern. With all of our actions constrained, it has been difficult for a
family to suffice their needs especially with all of the prices skyrocketing and employment being elusive.

 For many food enterprises, the most of 2020 and 2021 have been spent focusing on acquiring
enough just to survive for another day. We all know that COVID-19 has been said to spread from an
infected person’s mouth or nose in small liquid particles when they cough, sneeze, speak, or breathe,
one can be infected by touching contaminated surfaces, and being in close contact with the infected
person. The danger mainly affected the food industry, whose main work is to produce products that are
necessary in daily living. Everyone understands that if one facility closes, a certain number of individuals
who work at these facilities may go hungry; but, if processors and distributors become infected, all
people are at risk. Furthermore, food business is a very substantial to economic sector. However, the
food industry confronts unique problems in contrast to the other industries whose operation is not
dependent on daily necessities. Some food companies are facing various problems as a result of a
reduction in income, whilst others are working hard to fulfill retailers' rising demand. Under some
quarantine levels, establishments are only allowed to operate by take out or by delivery, because of the
inability to have customers and reach the quota, several of them have made the decision of closing
temporarily or permanently because of bankruptcy. Small, individual companies are unquestionably
more vulnerable to losses and bankruptcies than larger corporations and restaurant chains. Often, small
businesses may not have a massive fund on which to rely, especially in these difficult economic times.
Consequently, the survival of businesses has turned into survival of the fittest.

Since the rampage of COVID-19 there has been a paradigm shift, making flexible working from
home, online interactions, and transactions the standards. However, people who work under fast food
chains and any other food establishments did not have a choice, but to continue hence, keeping their
typical work routines. Moreover, generally, consumers do not think much about how the product or
food that they are buying are produced. However, amidst the pandemic, concerns regarding food safety
have been a focal point and discussion of all workforces that are responsible in producing quality and
safe supplies.

Some people have become frightened of eating foods made by other people and outside for
they do not know what hygiene exercises were exerted, and how the food was prepared, and, in my
opinion, it is only natural to be so cautious like that, for we cannot risk our health and safety, for the
virus is not visible. Though, belief like this is one of the reasons why the food industry is barely
surviving. To revive the dying industry, establishments must regulate all their workers to exercise proper
hygiene and conform to the health policies. The preservation of employee’s health must be a priority,
and the industry must have enough workforces owing to those who do not want to engage physically
because of the fear of having been infected by the virus. In this time of unbearable crisis, it is of
importance for the food sector to maintain and secure a healthy environment to avoid the domino
effect of passing down the virus upon the consumers.

In conclusion, during a pandemic, the flow of supplies in food sectors must still progress and be
maintained, for it is important along with safety precautions to avoid food scarcity and even large-scale
impacts that could endanger the global economy as a whole. Because the future is unknown, higher-ups,
enterprises, factories, industries, sectors, and even the government, may need to recognize and assert
how big of an impact a possible situation might result to, they may also need to tighten or ease their
policies and controls, depending on the advancement or retrogression of the pandemic. Each of the
country’s private sectors, businesses, enterprises, etc., must be flexible and adaptable in every kind of
changes that might occur, by that, we could still make the flow of the economy in the country
progressive. This pandemic impacts us in a variety of surprising ways. It taxed us physically,
psychologically, and emotionally, but despite the unforeseen impact of this outbreak on our lives, we
should still hope that everything will fall back into place eventually.