By Pilar Toribio

In the last quarter of 2021, society as a whole had slowly begun to improve, address, and adapt to the global pandemic, with many countries gradually returning to the “normal” lifestyle through various efforts conducted by frontliners and government officials coupled with the cooperation of the general public. Signs of improvement in the Philippines’ pandemic situation improving include DepEd allowing certain areas to undergo pilot testing for limited face-to-face classes, as well as 51.09% of the country’s target population being fully vaccinated.

This all changed, however, when the Omicron coronavirus variant swept the nation. With the COVID-19 positivity rate in Metro Manila reaching 52% last January 10, specialists say the sheer number of cases is a clear indication of uncontrolled transmission.

In the wake of the rise in cases, DepEd made a statement that limited face-to-face classes within the capital region are officially canceled until further notice. Many other nearby provinces followed suit,  and the Malacañang soon announced that Metro Manila, as well as other at-risk areas, would be placed under Alert Level 3 until the end of the month. Until it is deemed safer, senior high school students and graduating batches within college will not be allowed to step foot on campus.

As cases continue to skyrocket, Filipinos remain uncertain of what the future holds.  The question remains—is it even possible to revert to a pre-pandemic society, especially in consideration of the health crisis’ effects on our economy, education systems, and emotional and physical well-being?

Easier said than done

In an interview with Hi-Lites, ASHS senior Chris Tiamzon shared that he was looking forward to more face-to-face interactions in the future but expressed reservations on the likelihood of returning to a “pre-pandemic” world. 

“It still feels so surreal to take off my mask, to take off my face shield, and have a conversation with someone, [due to] fear of possible infection,” he said. “That need for safety sort of [poses a] challenge […] it’s sort of an effect on [my] social life, my social ability.”

Fellow ASHS senior Prairie Aytin also shared some of the challenges he expects to experience after long periods of purely online interactions. 

“I think it’s still gonna take some time to acclimate myself to talking in real life with real people,” he says, noting an observation that online conversations, despite bearing a sense of disconnection, allow for misinterpretations to be easily explained, while face-to-face conversations have “no sense of direction.”

Jumping the gun too soon

State incompetence and lack of initiative also make it difficult for citizens to move toward a post-pandemic world. Despite  “reassurances” from government officials, lingering fears, skepticism, and confusion have been a leading cause of paranoia among Filipinos in the past year.

An interview conducted with a working student who goes by ‘Mary’ expressed how they remain very cautious and alert regardless of the restrictions being eased. 

“First of all, I won’t deny na natatakot ako lumabas ako out there. Kasi given how the government handles COVID-19,  with the responses we get in the past two years, parang nakakatakot bumalik at lumabas out there and face people and act normal. So, siguro I’m adjusting at some point with fear kasi nakakatakot talaga. Tapos, adjusting while still continuously practicing the protocols: laging [nag-di-]disinfect, nagdadala ng alcohol everywhere, nagdadala ng face mask, double face mask kung kaya.”

In line with their work, Mary also expressed the reservations they have with returning to a physical learning set-up, especially with safety never fully guaranteed. 

They also talked about the challenges of “feeling comfortable around a flock of people around [them]”, given that they would have to cope with the anxieties of possibly catching the virus.  As their line of work is teaching, they noted the irony of wanting to see their students, but having to constantly worry about each student’s security. 

Realistic, not pessimistic

When the interviewees were asked whether or not it was even possible for our country to revert to the times before the pandemic, each expressed some form of doubt. 

Chris believed that herd immunity against COVID-19—in which the virus can no longer spread rapidly as enough people have become immune to the virus—was unattainable, given the limited resources in the country. 

“I fear that this country won’t ever really be able to achieve this sort of idea that every single Filipino gets to live in this equal society…[or even] go back to that old normal we had. And that normal, in my opinion, isn’t even that great itself.”

On the other hand, Prairie expects that there would be a “return to normalcy”, to some extent, within the next year. Although, he too believes that certain aspects of life must be altered especially to protect the most vulnerable. 

“I think a lot of people won’t have an easy time reacclimating. I don’t think they can just go back to normal,” he says. “With the situation [in] our schools, it’s still way too risky, especially for younger students. I mean, you’ve seen the classroom environments in public schools where everyone [is] jammed in one room. ”

Dr. Gene Nisperos, board member of the Community Medicine Development Foundation, shared similar sentiments with Hi-Lites: “Do we want to go back to pre-pandemic era na maraming ring  problema? That’s not a normal society. That’s a society that’s barely making it, right? So if you wanna come out of this pandemic, we wanna come out of this pandemic better. Let’s not go back sa luma. It’s a win-win. Let’s establish a new normal. A normal that’s better for both the teachers, the students.”

Impact of Omicron, and (lack of) Government Response 

A clear example as to how difficult it is to “overcome” the pandemic is the upsurge in COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant.

Dr. Gene Nisperos emphasized how the government has failed to promote the urgency of the pandemic, instead  changing the narrative by reassuring the public that there is no need for panic because hospitals are not at maximum capacity.

He lamented how the government continues to reject the proper preventive measures and other basics of fundamental health in favor of criticizing the public for their lack of discipline and disregard for protocols. 

“The basic fundamentals of public health and preventive measures were outright rejected by [the] government. For instance, sufficient numbers in testing. The easiest way [to do this] is mass testing. Why? [Because] that is the only way you could know who has the disease and who doesn’t. And you separate one from the other, diba? From [there], you monitor [kung] sino naging contact sila so you know where the spread is occurring. But for now and up to date, the government refuses to do mass testing.”

“And the most important aspect of what the government should have done is to inform the public properly. Correct health information, encourage the public to be part of the solution. [Pero] anong ginawa ang gobyerno natin from the start? Sinisi ang publiko.”

For all these reasons, he believes “some degree of human interaction in the general population” will not be seen anytime soon. 

“Mag-a-adjust pa tayo….everything is still fluid. And everyday, our understanding of COVID and its variants [changes] considerably. So I’m looking at [the] middle or end 2023. Personal ko lang ah, when we can actually travel across the globe again. Travel the country again.”

Managing expectations

So, how should we proceed with slowly returning to life prior to the pandemic?

As Dr. Gene puts it: “Well, we have to do that sooner or later. But sana, we have to do it based on the right reasons. Not because of some dumb economist idea that the economy is suffering. Because ‘yun lang gagawin—babalik tayo sa paulit-ulit na bubukas, maraming magkakasakit—you know it’s gonna be a vicious cycle. Because people, the ones who make the decisions, don’t see health solutions as part of economic solutions, and they do not know their priorities. 

“If you put the economy first and do not address the health concerns, nothing is going to be solved. But if you address the health concerns first,  then you have a safer environment. You have a more enabling environment for people to come out. Ang ginagawa nila ay binubukas ang ekonomiya kahit hindi naligtas yung kabaliktaran. So ayan, may surge nanaman tayo. Sa lagi nangyayari. This surge is what? This is the third surge! Sana natutunan tayo sa dalawang nauna.”

Meanwhile, Chris emphasizes that even as early as now, the government should prioritize support systems—especially for students—for there are those who would have to readjust after two years of pure isolation and seclusion from peers. 

He added, “So to me at least, that also adds to the fact that these things can only be done if the government actually puts money into education and not [plunder] it into corruption.” 

Prairie also remains certain in his beliefs that there are some things that simply cannot be brought back, either because of the aftereffects of the virus or because it took a virus for the general public to realize the inefficiency of certain systems. 

“Especially in public schools, we can’t just go back to jamming all those 50 plus students in one room and then expecting nothing bad to happen. I don’t think that’s one of the things you should bring back because of the pandemic. I think the government, if they want to help students cope with how it is right now, I think they should be giving us more options. As in, there should be a return to physical classes but I still feel like there should be an option for some courses or maybe some special cases where a student would be allowed to take online classes still.”

Mary also stressed the need for our government to provide more financial support, particularly for individuals and families who need but do not have the means to purchase the resources to keep themselves and their loved ones safe. 

Tierone Santos, co-convenor of the Rise for Education Alliance, UP Diliman, also told Hi-Lites that the return of face-to-face classes could only be achieved if the government finally gave educational institutions sufficient support. Regardless of whether or not schools would continue with the remote learning set-up, “students and teachers alike [should be] fully supported (be it through gadget support, internet support).”

“Of course, students are also affected by COVID, [and so are] their relatives, So we expect the government to aid in providing social services such as health and economic aid to the families affected by the pandemic,” Santos said. 

He also added that school administrators have a responsibility as well. Considering the current circumstances many of their staff and enrollees have to go through, they should be understanding of each of their situations.

“[At] the end of the day, we should be united—teachers, students and school administrators should urge the government to provide a concrete and scientific solution to the pandemic.”

Indeed, it is only through collective efforts, both from the government as well as the general public, that we are able to create some semblance of order and reconciliation with the current state of the country. To put it simply, doing our part and doing what we can no matter how small is the only possible outcome for the Philippines to continue having a future in the first place.