Life happened that's why I've been silent for more than a month. However, I can't not write about what's happening right now in the world. I need to send this out to the universe so that it may bring some positivity to someone who needs it right now.
CDC/ Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAM / Public domain
With all the negativity going around due to the COVID-19, it’s very difficult to find something positive. However, let me share some tidbits that show that the “bayanihan” spirit in the Philippines is still alive. “Bayanihan” is a Filipino custom derived from a Filipino word “bayan”, which means nation, town or community. The term “bayanihan” itself literally means “being in a bayan”, which refers to the spirit of communal unity, work and cooperation to achieve a particular goal.
The tycoons in the Philippines of Aboitiz Group of Companies, Ayala Group of Companies, ICTSI/Solaire group, JG Summit/Gokongwei Group of Companies, Jollibee Group of Companies, Lucio Tan Group of Companies, Manuel V. Pangilinan Group of Companies, Manuel B. Villar Group of Companies, San Miguel Group of Companies and SM Group of Companies have stepped up on different levels. From unveiling response packages for businesses within their group to donating 1 million liters of ethyl alcohol, each business entity has created safety nets for their employees and business partners. That’s “bayanihan”!
Some smaller hotels in Metro Manila have allowed the local government to use their rooms as a quarantine place, in the event that the hospitals will run out of beds, or as temporary accommodations for the health workers in the frontlines. That’s “bayanihan”!
A café owner has transformed her shop into a temporary shelter to accommodate homeless individuals. The owner even serves free hot meals to anyone who needs one. That’s “bayanihan”!
A university has appealed to the local community to extend a hand to stranded students living inside a university dormitories. Donations in cash and in kind have poured in within 24 hours. Some people have even offered to pay for or facilitate the transportation of these students back to their hometowns. That’s “bayanihan”!
A microbrewery has used their resources to produce ethyl alcohol for the hospitals nearby. That’s “bayanihan”!
A lot of small business groups and individuals are stepping up by pooling resources to provide much needed food and protective gear to the health workers in the frontlines of different hospitals and clinics. That’s “bayanihan”!
As the public transportation woes hounded the workers (whose work were not suspended), individuals have stepped up by offering free rides to these people at the frontlines. That’s “bayanihan”!
Despite a pullout order, about 100 medical interns at the Philippine General Hospital, the country’s largest state hospital, chose to stay on duty to cover the lack of manpower. That’s “bayanihan”!
The list goes on and it increases each day. To those who believe humanity is dead, we just need to look around. It is still here. We just need to lessen the white noise and so we can hear and see it. Guys, this too shall pass. #wehealasone #myjapanlife #lifeduringcovid19 #bayanihanspirit #stayathome #helpthehealthworkers #flattenthecurve
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