Out of the Blackout

I may have escaped Covid-19 infection; but it seems we couldn’t escape the whole day brownout. It has been semi-regular that whole day weekend brownouts revolve around the CASURECO districts. For a scheduled Saturday, homebodies endure the baking heat and hiatus from electricity for a whole dragging twelve hours. I’m sure the powers that plug the powers have a rational justifiable explanation/excuse for maintenance of the lines which would benefit the entire cooperative in the long run. Interestingly, these supposedly necessary suspensions of power supply can be suspended as per request of government officials by virtue of the fiesta celebrations. So, no brownout for the blowout. I suppose, so people could enjoy the festivities. But then, they had to push it through on a Monday when students go on online classes and employees have to work online. What’s a google geek to do? Get a table in Starbucks? It seems we have accepted it as a norm, that generator sets have become ubiquitous. So, it’s either we bear a lengthy scarcity of electricity or suffer the smell and sound of the grumbling generators. But this should not be normal. In developed nations, even minor power interruptions are unheard of. Should we just accept this as regular because we could never stretch that status? Should we accept this as customary like government corruption, illicit drugs proliferation, and incompetent Covid-19 solution? Come on, now. Certainly, we could do better than this, so much better than this. I don’t know much about how those power cables work, but definitely, there’s a way for us to be evicted from extended electrical enslavement. Definitely, there’s a way out of this, for the mere reason that other people have done it. Other energy suppliers sustain weeks and months of uninterrupted current, just like how our Southeast Asian neighbors have pushed cases down to zero, which we overlook (because we’re too busy opening our mouths in awe , waiting for something from all mixed up America or from the chains of China). Surely, we can do so much better than this; because just across the West Philippine Sea, non-first world societies with the same skin tone as ours have emerged victorious without a vaccine, and did not just merely wear a mask on their faces and waited for an injection which Dr. Redfield of the Center for Disease Control testified to the U.S. Congress, may have around 50% effectiveness which would be available middle to late of next year. Unquestionably, across the ports, the powers that possess the powers have polished the pour of power, and did not even think of spraying pesticide over their nation to plummet down the pandemic.

Naga City just got past through September 24 which should have been the termination of the requested modified enhanced community quarantine which had been obviously denied. Apparently, the intentions towards more stringent restrictions stem from the anticipation of uncontrollable inflation of population of devotion. Interestingly, it had been extraordinarily ordinary to have gone through downtown Naga on what should have been the day of the Traslacion and on the traditional days of the parades with continuous traffic on the road. There was no significant decrease of people going about. But then again, there was no evident explosion of entry on the downtown streets, or at least, none that I felt or heard of. Life seemed to have gone by as usual; as if there was no holiday. Well, I’m grateful for the holiday last Friday. That was a much appreciated breather. If not for the sporadic sending over of the traditional fiesta food, heck, I wouldn’t have remembered that it was fiesta season. That was remarkable. September 11 to 24 whisked by past us without a fuss or an over the top outbreak. Hey, we didn’t need MECQ after all. Public transportation did not need to be put on hold. Businesses didn’t need to be brought on the backburner. Strolls through the streets did not have to be struggled with. Most importantly, commerce and community, its normal life or what remains of its normalcy remained so. At least, we have learned that we did not have to place the city in suspension in anticipation of explosion of infection. I suppose there have been some infections here and there. I just heard that a street near our home is on lockdown because some neighbour who happens to be a health worker tested positive. I hope my neighbour recovers. But evidently, the numbers did not extraordinarily shoot through the stars.

I heard they’re going to push through with requiring shoppers with E-Salvar cards and penalizing non-compliant business proprietors. Now, that sounds like something I heard from Mayor Gatchalian of Valenzuela. Let’s see.

Definitely, there’s a way out of this, for the mere reason that other people have done it.

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” -2 Timothy 1:7