On the very first day of January 2020, I suddenly felt dizzy, unable to stand well, and my first time to feel that way where I vomited all the food I ate. I had no idea what's the cause of it. I just lay down on my bed, rested.
The next day, 2nd of January 2020, my son felt sick. He had a fever.
I had no idea that it's the precursor of the BIG THING that had happened all over the world. It was like a bad omen for the NEW YEAR!
Both of us were not feeling well, but I was able to manage myself the following day.
We just felt well afterwards, after a week I guess for my son. As usual we're cured through natural home remedies, traditional medicines, just resting at home.
My brother just took a vacation to celebrate new year with us and just left after a few days.
Next, the 3rd of January 2022, we read a headline on the news about IRAN.
An Iranian Top Gen. Qasem Soleimani died. Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, was killed in a US drone strike shortly after touching down in Baghdad on January 3, 2020.
My son's fever was gone the next Sunday, 5th of January.
The following week, another headline was all over the news where Iran Missiles attacked a U.S. base in Iraq in retaliation for the death of Gen. Qasem Soleimani.
Next, volcanoes erupted in series, worldwide.
January 9, 2020: Mt. Popocatepetl Volcano Erupted in Mexico.
January 11, 2020: Mt. Shintake Volcano erupted in Japan
January 12, 2020: Mt. Taal Volcano Erupted (ashfall was everywhere in National Capital Region = Metro Manila) in Philippines.
On January 13, 2020: Classes & Work suspended due to Volcanic Ashfall (Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Whole Metro Manila) in Philippines.
Taal Volcano in Batangas, Philippines began to erupt on January 12, 2020, when a phreatomagmatic eruption from its main crater spewed ashes over Calabarzon, Metro Manila, and some parts of Central Luzon and Ilocos Region, resulting in the suspension of school classes, work schedules, and flights in the area. (Wikipedia)
During the Taal Volcanic eruption, I was there renting a house around the Cavite area, two rides away from Tagaytay. Our rooftops were full of ashes everywhere
and it's difficult to clean it up.
People began to wear face masks due to ashfall.
Around March, the kids stopped schooling due to the spread of CORONAVIRUS in the Philippines. My son was in his 6th elementary grade at that time.
He's about to graduate in Elementary when the Philippine Government decided to control everything to avoid the spread of the virus.
The school just ended the classes and he automatically graduated in Grade-6.
Before the control happened, we already bought tents beforehand for the two of us. We slept inside the tents inside the house.
The reason we were sleeping that time inside the tent was because there were many insects or various pests in the house we rented.
There are only two of us in our rented house, my son and Me. And my Aunt's house was 2 or 3 houses away from us.
The government declared lockdowns around the country. Everybody's not free to go out except the authorized ones with ID, proof of identification and/or
valid reason to go like to buy groceries, to work and medical personnel.
Our barangay was giving us a temporary PASS with our picture in it. And we have scheduled a day on when to go by the first letter of our surname so that people
won't crowd the store.
At that time, the jeepney's seats were following a standard distance between passengers and the fare increased dramatically during PANDEMIC.
Some of the jeepney operators had decorated their vehicles, making plastic divisions.
We wore our face masks and face shields as well. No face mask, No face shield, no ride, no entry.
Our faces were all covered like an Astronaut.
And I was renting a tricycle most of the time during the pandemic, paying 500 Pesos to the driver, for back and forth service. Our place was so remote,
only tricycles were the common means of transportation going inside. It normally takes two rides, a tricycle and a jeep, when going to the nearest town,
to buy groceries, and to go to the banks.
I only went out twice a month, and it was during my payday only.
I felt blessed that even before the pandemic, I was already working from home, since 2018.
I already got used to working from home, unlike the others, where it's their new experience, they brought their big PC monitor, CPU, keyboards, etc. impromptu
just to continue their work at home. I saw them over the net, one of my officemates was photographed by an unknown passenger where he was holding his big CPU inside a jeep, and it went viral, as a meme.
Everytime we entered the grocery store, we logged in our name on a logbook, on the guard, putting our contact numbers with our signature for tracing purposes.
I just left my 11 year old son alone at home every time.
He was just playing on his phone, playing mobile legends and watching Tiktok, editing videos and uploading them on Tiktok and he's many followers as well using pseudonyms.
During pandemic months, people kept complaining due to repetitive lockdowns, again and again.
Maybe most are bored. And people spent most of their time online, facebook-ing, selling and buying online, and online mode of living became a trend!
It's my first time to join LAZADA as well, ordering even not useful things at the very first.
Most of the people had no work, their operation was suspended, the shopping malls were closed so my 2 brothers were affected as well.
One of my brothers was working at a shopping mall, and the eldest one was working in a small factory. Both rested, no work, no pay.
*CLOSED/BANNED ACTIVITIES during pandemic: hugging (standard distancing observed), gatherings, travels, fun or sports events, going to school, shopping malls, swimming outdoors (public) and the like.
Because I felt blessed that pandemic period, having still a stable job, without hassles, I provided a little amount for them.
And I sent money every payday to my parents as well and provided the rest of my brothers mobile loads.
It was like I wanted to alleviate their mood, to give them hope during those dark moments.
The President of the Philippines during the onset of Pandemic was Rodrigo Roa Duterte, the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. During his reign, before the pandemic, he was an advocate of drug war. He hunted down the drug addicts and drug lords, that was his main objective, to control the drug-related problem in the country.
Travel restrictions were in place during the lockdowns, no domestic and international travel.
According to them, many died due to COVID-19 ( short for "coronavirus disease of 2019).
The common symptoms of the disease are difficulty in breathing, fever, cough, or mostly flu-like.
People became discriminatory during this time (a lot of discrimination), even a little cough only, people would suspect everyone and some were afraid to go near, afraid that they might be infected.
The spread of the virus, according to them, is through saliva, through sneezing, coughing, etc.
I saw a mayor of Quezon City, who went to the extreme in cleaning her community. She even wiped every rail on the road to make sure she'll not be infected.
People were freaking out, very conscious of cleanliness. The government, all over the radio and TV, is always advertising to bring ALCOHOL, to wash every now and then.
Alcohol, face masks and face shields are popular during Pandemic time, it's a boom in the industry.
Those who were suspected to have symptoms were immediately picked up and separated. They were quarantined in a designated area, some were put in a selected hotel and other chosen houses by the local government.
The government delegated a group as well, it's like a group of GOSSIPERS who had nothing to do but to observe and report those who have symptoms, maybe they're paid for it.
It was a little funny at times, the gossipers (they called them 'MARITES' lately) as the reporters, the walking CCTV of the barangay!
The Philippines have one of the longest lockdowns in the world in response to COVID-19. The government declared national health emergency in the country.
The Philippines began its national vaccine drive against COVID-19 in the following year 2021.
Many types of vaccines arrived in the Philippines from other countries.
From UK: AstraZeneca (viral vector type)
From US: Moderna (RNA type)
From US: Pfizer (RNA type)
From China: Sinopharm/Sinovac (inactivated virus)
They started to inject everyone and made it required at work, as an entry requirement in the mall, churches, restaurant and a requirement to reopen all offices.
Many were skeptical at first, doubting its effectiveness since it's only experimental and many were afraid of its side effects.
However, they cannot go to work unless they're vaccinated.
People were afraid to lose their jobs, so most of them lined up in every designated place, in LGU's hall just to get the vaccines.
Some were very enthusiastic to get it and some were doubtful but still pushed through to get it and some didn't respond.
My neighbors, my relatives, friends and workmates complied with the GOVERNMENT's requirements, it was like a MANDATORY to them.
I was not affected greatly by the mandates, and I firmly believed that without the vaccines I could survive!
I didn't follow the crowd and just stayed at home.
It was normal to me, I didn't go to the mall, I didn't eat in restaurants/fast foods, I did not go to church, and did not report at work.
But still I could buy food in selected fast food chains like Jollibee and McDonalds, as long as it is TAKE OUT or DINE OUT, only the vaccinated people can dine inside.
It was a bit discriminatory but it's a crisis and people were freaking out, they were scared to get infected by the UNVACCINATED PEOPLE.
Most of the vaccinated people considered the unvaccinated as a THREAT to them. They considered the UNVACCINATED like me as the CARRIER of the virus.
It's nonsense really, how could the HEALTHY UNVACCINATED PEOPLE could infect them? They were freaking out, they're using the word ASYMPTOMATIC everytime to justify their thoughts, that we might be not showing the symptoms although we're sick, but we're not sick!
It's all in the head, maybe! Those who are freaking out are sick in the head!?
The President was always in a threatening mood every time to address the unvaccinated live on TV, scaring tactic, so that everyone will be convinced to get the vaccines, following the mandates of the WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION.
*Waiver: Every person who availed the covid vaccine will sign a waiver to blame no one in case something wrong will happen to them or if there are adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccines.
You can't sue the Government, Health workers or any Pharma Companies for authorizing a vaccine for emergency use, nor can you hold your employer accountable if they mandate inoculation as a condition of employment.
My company was offering free vaccines and one of the supervisors was checking up on me, every time, but she's not my immediate boss.
I told my immediate boss to decline the vaccine and stated my reasons. And he did not question me anymore, unlike this nuisance woman.
I made her silent after clarifying things, that I was not part of her group.
After more than a year, around November, in 2021, I traveled within the country, traveling by sea only.
I traveled through ROLL-ON, ROLL-OFF (RORO) for the first time.
There were many requirements to comply with like RT-PCR TEST (if no VACCINE CERTIFICATE) to ensure that the passenger is NEGATIVE from the virus, QR code, LGU approval (arrival place), and Travel permit (from barangay).
The RT-PCR TEST cost 2000 pesos at that time. Since I brought my son, it took 4000 pesos for the test, it's through SALIVA only.
Both my son and I took the test result for almost 2 days, and we're NEGATIVE and successfully boarded the bus going through the ship.
The restriction became less strict during our travel, unlike before where people are quarantined first for a few days upon their arrival.
We haven't undergone quarantine anymore, and we just boarded smoothly.
In the beginning of the year 2022, in the last week of February, the war between RUSSIA and UKRAINE began. The cost of the products around the world rose again. The war triggered a massive shock to the global economy, especially to energy and food markets, squeezing supply and pushing up prices to unprecedented levels. It's an added burden to all humanity, aside from the struggle due to pandemic.
Fast forward in 2022, the Philippines had elected a new President, it's Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr., the 17th president of the Philippines.
Everything was slowly going back to normal, less restrictions; travels in and out of the country were now rampant.
I sailed in the Summer of 2022 and there were no requirements anymore, except the S-PASS print out, an online registration only.
(written on July 23, 2023)