By Laniel Eszy Arive
Without a doubt, the quarantine was really a big carpe diem moment for everyone. It turned everybody into somebody else.
However, despite the overwhelming opportunities rising at the very palm of our hands, it has unquestionably taken a toll on our mental health. Now we are all itching to get out of our houses and embrace the families we have outside the four walls of our home.
“We know very well that we are in our homes, but we wake up each day as if we are lost in the wilderness”, said Alice, 19, as she recalled how arduous it is to live a life during a pandemic, where everything does not feel like moving or changing.
“Nakakapagod sa bahay, paulit-ulit lang lahat, pare-pareho ‘yong nakikita ko, nakakaanxious na lang na parang walang mangyayari sa buhay ko”, she explained.
(It is tiring at home. I do and I see the same thing everyday, and it makes me anxious to think that nothing is ever going to happen to my life.)
Since the coronavirus pandemic, social distancing has been among the golden rules to help curb the virus. The implementation of community lockdowns and stay-at-home policies are often equated as a big help at mitigating risks. But for some, like Alice who is struggling at home, what was deemed to be the best solution against COVID-19 turned out to be a problem.
Sharing a roof with abusers
Because of the order to stay at home, the pandemic has brought a steep rise in domestic violence against Filipinos, especially women and children.
Being stuck at home takes away the opportunities for victims to seek help like they used to. They can no longer talk to trusted friends or co-workers when others notice bruises on their faces, and there can longer be glimpses of hope when a friendly neighbor they converse with notices that something is wrong.
During the height of Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) last year, from March 17 to May 23, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said that 602 women were reportedly maltreated or raped across the country. This does not include the unreported cases which we will probably never hear ever due to fear of victims.
Domestic abuse is not new to us, but in a country where conservative and religious traditions are dominant, it does not receive the attention it deserves.
According to Rorie Fajardo-Jarilla, Institute of War and Peace Reporting Philippines country director, “Philippine society still largely regarded domestic abuse as a ‘family problem’ which can be settled in the confines of the home and did not see it as very urgent to rescue and protect the victims of abuse.”
Moreover, domestic violence takes many shapes and forms; the most common ones are among partners and child-parent relationships. But either way, stay-at-home orders spell something grave for the victims.
Sometimes, abuse takes the form of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) or physical and sexual abuse experienced by victims from their former or current spouses and dating partners.
Based on a World Health Organization (WHO) report, IPV has increased during the pandemic because couples are spending more time together at home. Such is the case of Malou, 39, who had to leave her husband last year after she got physically hurt more frequently than before.
“Sobrang dalas na naming nag-aaway, kasi yung mood niya mas lumala simula nung nawalan ng trabaho dahil nga sa COVID. Syempre ako, kailangan ko namang ingatan sarili ko at mga anak ko,” she said.
(After he lost his job due to COVID-19, his mood swings worsened resulting in more frequent quarrels. Of course, as a mother, I had to take care of myself and my children [that is why I left].)
Staying home won’t feed churning stomachs
Apart from the risk of domestic abuse, we cannot simply tell the victims to “go outside” because doing so is now punishable by law.
Since March 2020, when community lockdowns were first implemented, daily wage earners and those who worked in the informal economy have always feared how they will survive the crisis. Mang Tony, 42, a fishball vendor, said the pandemic had really disrupted their lives, leaving them no choice but to adapt.
“Kahit na ako pwede [lumabas], pero wala naman akong bebentahan, walang mga estudyante sa school, walang mga teachers, wala eh. Noong nakita ko na ganito pala, parang nawalan na lang ako ng pag-asa,” he expressed.
(Even when I am allowed to go out, stroll around and sell, there are no students and teachers at schools meaning I have no customers. When I realized things were going to be that way, I admit, I felt hopeless.)
Currently, Mang Tony works part-time as a vegetable and fruit dealer in the market, with an income half of his usual earnings when selling fishball, but he said it is better than nothing.
Meanwhile, with the pandemic on the rise, the government has also shut down all businesses that are deemed non-essential.
Large corporations have taken a blow, too. But when this pandemic ends and the economic recession hits, they can bounce back. Some laid-off workers cannot. For them, no work means no income, but they still all have mouths to feed.
It is the small businesses, especially the Asian businesses in predominantly white communities, that will take the largest blows.
But while local communities are doing their best to cater the needs of daily wage workers and small businesses, many of these workers are still left without proper financial aid and assistance from the national government.
Access to special needs denied
Individuals who are differently abled or sick are impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic as well.
For differently abled persons, caretakers and aides are not usually stay-at-home. However, they cannot avoid hiring ones who will stay home with them because it is increasingly difficult for them to go in and out of their houses and get essential items like groceries without putting themselves at risk.
Meanwhile, people who have serious underlying chronic medical conditions like chronic lung disease, serious heart conditions, or a weakened immune system are at an increased risk of contracting COVID-19. Even if they could go outside, there is a large likelihood that they will not recover, and even if they do, there is also a large likelihood that they will pass it on to someone who will not.
Additionally, hospitals are at full capacity, making it difficult to accommodate new patients. There are less people attending to the hospitalized, and their families cannot risk seeing them without the risk of exposure to the virus.
Many people who “have it worse” say that these people should count their blessings. They are not out of work, they are not being physically abused, so they must have it easy. But this assumption is unfair and wrong. Hardships are not something we should compete over.
Everything that we are feeling about the situations we are in is not a matter of having a positive or negative mindset. Whether we look around or we choose to close our eyes, the pandemic has really been a big stoplight; it has changed the course of our lives, forcing us to deal with new problems vastly different from our old ones.
Whether it’s domestic abuse, loss of livelihood, or lack of access to special needs, the virus seems the least of the worries for many Filipinos.
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