March 6th, 2020. Around 9:00AM in the morning. The Sangguniang Kabataan, or the SK council were suddenly given a task.
"Let's see..." Adrian Bajkal, the carefree SK member who prefers not to do work more than the others, is busy carefully reading the list of goods from the convenient store just a few steps away from the Barangay hall.
"...Most of the snacks and beverages have more than enough supply to last for more than a month. A cup of coffee and a biscuit would be enough for a day, so it's good to have those. Mineral water supply is in green light, too. Condiments, easy to cook meals, instant and instant cup noodles, canned foods. Apart from those mentioned, everything needs restocking."
"All right. We'll contact our supplier today."
"Please prioritize the necessities for babies like baby powder, disposaple diapers, powdered milk and such."
"Yes. We'll do just that. Excuse me."
"Thanks for your work! Now then..."
Adrian picks up his phone and sent a message to the Sangguniang Kabataan private group chat in.
Adrian: "Sari-Sari and Convenient stores secured. They're on their way into restocking the supplies that are running out!"
All the while, the stern Lisa Samson is finally on the last retailer store she's checking up.
"Everything is in stock. But can you consider early restocking?"
"Yes. We will communicate with our suppliers right away."
"Thank you very much."
The meat retailer watched the young lady walk away to the distance as she puts a check mark on the name of the meat retailer store she inspected just now.
After walking a certain distance, she picked up her phone from her pocket and sent a message to the group chat right after Adrian's.
Lisa: "All vegetables, rice and meat retailers are stocked up, but they are now considering early restocking."
Adrian: "Done already? Don't you think you did it quite fast?"
Adrian: "You should do your work properly, Ms. Treasurer."
Lisa: "I don't need a lazy and disgusting pervert that keeps photos of girls he's fantasizing with in his phone to talk to me about my work."
Adrian no longer sent a reply. He was completely destroyed. A few minutes later, a message popped up from the group chat.
Sherrie: "Pharmacies are A-Okay!"
Sherrie Dimaculangan, one of the SK members is in charge of checking up on the pharmacies in our barangay. Following her message, she sent an image of her together with Lisa who she saw on the way, making a peace sign combined with Sherrie's usual cat smile and Lisa who looked unmoving and stern like always while holding the right corner of her reading eyeglasses as though fixing it in front of the camera.
Norman: "Ugly freckles as always, Sherrie."
Sherrie: "Shut up and finish what you're doing."
Back inside the SK council room, Kyouka Amagi, Enzo Belize, and Norman Herrer are making a cover photo for the SK social media page. A cover photo with a message about the way to combat Covid-19 transmission.
"Since our main focus are the people on the same generation as ours, I thought adding a little meme humor, would make the readers feel like they're reading a typical friendly message rather than a strict reminder that'll just cause more worry and concern for everyone. It'll look more like we're having a casual conversation in a group chat, than a scary warning."
Enzo summarized the message he created to Kyouka who are wordlessly reading the one he made. With a content smile, Kyouka responded to Enzo.
"I like the idea. I'm sure that even the kids who can also brows through the internet would be able to follow the message."
"Then it's decided." Norman proceeds to put his fingers on the laptop. "Let me just fix the font, the background color and the outline in a way that will catch everyone's interest."
After a few taps here and there, Norman finished doing the final improvision for the cover photo.
[In times of the ongoing pandemic, we must combine our powers to keep the virus from spreading further! Let us help each other by following these steps!]
~> Social Distancing | Inappropriate handholding and face-to-face conversations can help transmit the virus! Practice social distancing by keeping a certain distance apart from each other!
~> Stay at Home | Who says being a shut-in is a bad thing? Refrain from going outside unless you're running an important errand or having the need to buy essential goods! Let us keep ourselves busy with YouTube and Tiktok at home! Ah, but don't forget to eat and exercise!
~> Proper Hygiene and PPEs! (Personal Protective Equipment) | Don't forget to use disposable face masks and gloves when going outside to buy daily necessities! Always remember to wash your hands carefully with soap and use isopropyl alcohol after going outside or after you're finished eating!
[Together, we can win as one! Let us keep ourselves clean and protected against Covid-19!]
"And... uploaded!"
After clicking the confirm button, the new cover photo of the SK's facebook page has been uploaded.
"Now that's settled. How's yours, Lenlen? All good?"
Their eyes panned onto the girl with a brown ponytail hair who's quietly tapping on her phone just from the other side of the table.
Making a peace sign with her left hand, she answered Enzo's question with a resounding yes.
"All good. I've contacted our entire class. They'll help us tell the entire student body of Silangan High to visit the SK page and share the message online. They'll also help spread awareness around their residence."
After that, another image was sent by Dale to the SK private group chat. It appears that Louise is pinning down a person while Gilbert and the others who Sano met on his way to the Barangay hall this morning are keeping hold of the three others.
Dale: "We have an emergency."
Said, Dale Magalang, the guy that was standing beside the window in the SK room earlier. He then continue to explain what transpired from the photo.
Dale: "One of the group of teenagers that came from Barangay Santo Niño stabbed one of our classmates. Louise, Gilbert and the others are pinning down the suspects. I'm keeping the blood from flowing out of the wound for now, but he needs proper medical treatment. Please send an ambulance at the Tierra Monte Covered Court immediately."
Sano along with Rene were right outside the Barangay hall reading the group chat when he heard one of the sirens of the ambulance vehicle echoing throughout the entire area as it make its way to the Tierra Monte subdivision followed by a police vechicle from behind.
Adrian: "Read you loud and clear, the ambulance and some barangay officers are on the way.
After reading the last message sent to their private group chat, Sano reflexively turned left, only to see Adrian making menacing poses while giving an OK sign to him. Sano quickly averted his gaze as though he had seen nothing. Then the barangay councilor speaks.
"It looked like someone already did my job for me."
It was only at that moment that Sano realized Rene Agario was glancing to the private group chat from his phone and had caught wind about the situation in the Tierra Monte Covered court.
"Sorry, Adrian and the others didn't mean to steal the spotlight. I was about to tell you what was happening but..." Told the SK chairman to the barangay councilor.
"It's good to know that the new SK council can make decisions and react fast in such scenarios without having to rely on the adults." The councilor replied. "So it's all right."
After that exchange of words, Sano puts back his phone inside his back pocket. Afterwards, Sano brought back the topic of their discussion outside the barangay hall.
"Then, can you tell me more about the barangay captain?"
"Ah, that's right."
Rene took a quick glance around their surroundings, making sure that there is no one that could hear them, especially the barangay captain herself. After being certain that no one is around, Rene Agario begins to speak.
"Risa Pontavel, 38 years old and have two sons, living in the only three story house residing in Phase 4A. She's an allied member of the same party I'm in ever since our first term 6 years ago." The councilor told the young SK chairman. "Before we won the electoral campaign 6 years ago, Risa is known to be a kind, sincere and a charismatic woman who always held a helping hand for the poor, helpess people. She is regarded by those people as their savior."
'So she has helped people in the past, huh?' Sano mumbled to his head.
"A couple of months since we won our first electoral campaign, the barangay captain and the barangay council have accomplished a number of programs and projects for the barangay." Said, the councilor. "The barangay made an investment into agricultural businesses, enabling the piggeries, chicken, crop farms and such to thrive and be able to export goods even outside Silangan. Old roads were fixed into a brand new concrete roadways. The barangay also bought a land in the Old Army Road as a relocation site for people living illegaly in private areas and even added more classroom buildings in Silangan School and Silangan High."
"Those buildings that were built 6 years ago... Haven't been renovated and didn't look as good as it was back then."
It was still clear in Sano's head the decaying state of the buildings in the Silangan Highschool that he felt down mentioning them.
"I figured. The concrete road that was once fixed returned to their horrible state, and the relocation area that was supposed to be the land for the relocation housing project for the people ended up being used as an empty lot for them to build their own house made by patching iron sheets and wood all together."
"..."
"The reason why the barangay, or the barangay captain, never spent a single penny on those things since then, is because it doesn't give a return to the barangay budget."