MAGPAYO 1 11B-THMINE

Social factors are an important element of health. The social services sector has close

contact with members of the community who have been most disadvantaged by these factors;

therefore, social services are one of the main tools for addressing the social determinants of

health (e.g., access to healthy food, safe and supportive environments for children) and ensuring

health equity (White, 2014). The social services system directly assists individuals and families

that have insufficient resources to meet their needs—often as a result of systemic inequalities—

and advocates for structural and policy changes aimed at alleviating the underlying causes of

such inequalities. There is clear evidence of disproportionate health risks associated with low

socioeconomic status. Lower income is associated with shorter life expectancy, worse self-

reported health status, and greater occurrence of chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart

disease (RWJF, 2008). Social service supports are vital in mitigating these effects, and higher

rates of spending on social services are linked to better health outcomes (Bradley and Taylor,

2013).

The unexpected event that is the pandemic due to COVID 19 has brought with it, numerous

tributary problems on what on any other normal time would be the focus of the world. There will

always be those who suffer more What I find to be a large issue right now in health care services

is the fact that people who are literally sick of other causes are hesitant to go to the hospital and

what I’ve observed to the two primary causes is fear, and finances. I see two reasons why fear is

a factor one because they fear that if they go to visit a Hospital, they might catch the disease and

two if they have some symptoms they might be confined and be a PUI. The second reason is
finances since the beginning of the quarantine a majority proportion of families

have cutting back spending money on what they deem to be inferior in the hierarchy of

important things the top being things like food, toiletries and stuffs that will prevent them from

being infected by COVID 19. Health care is a right but people are holding back in buying

medication, diagnostic exams and dialysis because of the lack of money.

There are also restrictions in some hospitals now on what they deem significant enough to treat

there is article I read about a little boy being refused admission to a hospital for skin treatment. A

man being refused by several hospitals finally being accepted to one only to die of stroke before

arriving. I fear this neglect can result to a new crisis further down the road because there has

been a large decrease of children getting proper vaccination. immunization programs have been

very effective against many diseases and have prevented childhood deaths and deformities.

Education one of the most important driving force of the world has come to a screeching

halt on 2020. In mid-April, UNESCO reported 192 countries had closed all schools and

universities, affecting more than 90 percent of the world’s learners: almost 1.6 billion children

and young people. most countries have resorted to online teaching but what did the pandemic

cost us in terms of education. Learning will indeed be lost, but not everyone’s lost will be even.

When children lose out on education, they lose out on future opportunities including economic

benefits, such as additional earnings, with far-reaching consequences. I’m thankful to be lucky

enough to have access to gadgets and internet but there is no formal schooling, it is saddening to

lose knowledge which I haven’t gained yet. I am terrified of returning to school having learned

so little and barely remembering past lessons. There is a gnawing fear that I might not be able to

get into college or any of us. I also regret leaving most of my notebooks in my boarding house.

Unfortunately, there are so many children less lucky than I and because of the inevitable collapse
of the economy after this. Many young people will be forced to make sacrifices like so many

aspects of this pandemic it hits those that are weak and disadvantaged this pandemic may seem

as a shock to some but to us children the impact of this is a start to a long inevitable crisis

As sobering as this is. I shall cling on to the hope that there will come a time when I am

at the peak of my life where things will be easier for me and for everyone else.
 MAGPAYO 2 11B-THYMINE

I wouldn’t wish poverty or homelessness upon anyone, not even to my worst enemies.

On 9 March 2020 the President Rodrigo Duterte declared a state of public health emergency.

Three days later, he announced that a community quarantine would be imposed on Metro

Manila. As of 19 March 2020, there are 217 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Philippines. Of

the 217 cases, 17 persons have died. On 16 March 2020, President Duterte declared an enhanced

community quarantine (ECQ) covering the entire Luzon island. Before we heard of the

announcement of this quarantine that was to happen, my classmates and I have just finished the

last exam for that quarter feeling exhausted from the week but at the same time anxious for the

following week to come when we have to submit most of our projects for different subjects. I

remember the feeling of sheer joy from everyone and the ensuing conversations of having a rest,

an extension to the submission of project, of things that they could do during a two-week

‘vacation’. How wrong we all were.

The secondary impacts of Covid-19 — including a possible “hunger pandemic” and

“poverty tsunami” — are worth taking seriously. The number of deaths they cause, experts

caution, could easily outstrip the number of deaths from Covid-19 itself (Samuel 2020). It is

estimated that the COVID will push up to 49 million people into extreme poverty in 2020.

Living in a country that almost half the population are under the breadline and

continuously dependent on foreign aid for almost every calamity. And already struggling with a

large poverty rate the rise of poverty during this time would skyrocket. I fear there will come a
time where other countries wouldn’t be able to help us because they also have the same problem.

Who will we rely on then?

Being poor and homeless is hard as it but being poor and homeless at a time it is required

by law to refrain from doing activities that is impossible for them to follow how could you?

when you live isang kahig isang tuka. ‘ one scratch one peck’ A term that Filipinos use, it means

the income is just enough for the meals or you live by what you earn on a day, every day and

there are some days that aren’t as lucky and you end up going to sleep ignoring the growls of

your stomach. In a country that is ill prepared to handle something as large as this Pandemic life

has been harder than it already is for the poor and the homeless like being hit by a truck on the

pedestrian lane… while on fire.

Poor and homeless people tremendously bear the brunt of shocks brought by this

pandemic. Because of their already high vulnerability increased by factors such as like where

they live, where they work, high dependence on public services and limited savings. Firstly, the

poor who live in urban areas in overcrowded settlements where sometimes multiple families

share a small living-space they are more susceptible to the disease. And have a difficult time

finding a food source because from what I’ve observed in my home town the rations that they

distribute would not last for the allotted time when food aid is distributed again and let’s face it

after the end of the day there are still a large number of families that don’t receive them. And

they are limited by the ESQ in finding ways to get food. Secondly, where they work, they work

largely in agriculture and service sectors mostly self-employed or informally employed many

informal, micro-, small-scale, and even up to medium-scale enterprises will take the hit as

compared to the larger and more established businesses. Many jobs have no paid sick leaves.
Irregular workers, including those who are paid on a per output, takay, or pakyaw basis, are

particularly vulnerable. Like jeepney drivers, construction workers, street vendors and the

homeless who count on the meager change from passersby. Thirdly, limited access to high-

quality and affordable health services can have devastating impacts in the event of an illness in

the family, while school closures can lead to a decline in food intake among children of poor

families who rely on school feeding programs. loosing months of schooling and nutrition can

worsen their state of health impacting them on the long term. Lastly having no or limited savings

would force them coping strategies with potential long-lasting negative effects, like selling their

belongings or pawning family heirlooms or land or take up credit from loan sharks in an act of

desperation only to struggle to pay off later on.

After the pandemic there would be an undoubtable change to the economy. Everything

rides on what we collectively do during and after this crisis. So, we must focus on building more

equal, inclusive and dependable economies and societies that are more resilient in the face of

pandemics and other global challenges we encounter.

Hell is other people (Satre). I once read this joke about a professor asking his class ‘who

thinks hell is other people’ and half the class raised their hands the professor, rather surprised

meekly says ‘ I mean who originally said it’. This was incredibly funny to me not because I think

that hell is other people, but because people hear that quote all the time thinking something

completely different from what it meant in context. “Hell is other people” has always been

misunderstood. People assume that what it means is that relations with other people are always

poisoned, whatever they may be, that they are invariably hellish relations. With the mindset of

‘yuck’, people.

On the contrary what the other actually meant is if relations with someone else are

twisted, vitiated, then that other person can only be hell. In the play where this line comes from,

three people are trapped eternally in a room together. Feeling relieved that that is their hell only

realizing overtime that they are hell to the other two, their individual neuroses and flaws interact

and torment each other.

However, to me it is hell without other people. In this trying time where the norm is

isolation which is embraced and applauded and rightly so because of the COVID 19 pandemic.

what I find most difficult is having to transition from having the comfort of people ‘running’ the

World, to one day all of it suddenly stopping. Having to endure never-ending uncertainty of

tomorrow and the next. people not having the ability to contribute to society in terms of service.

Leaving one to worry about: would there be enough goods for everyone if there is no one to

make them? What about those that live alone and suddenly die would anyone notice? Call it
irrational fear if you will but having to live without others are taking a toll on me mentally,

physically and emotionally.

No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the

main (Donne 1624). No person that lives in a society can ever say that they can function alone

because to be part of a society interaction is needed and people are dependent and are depended

on by others.

I find it difficult to deal with the sudden change of my usual life mentally, because being

suddenly out of normal schooling and expected to comply to requirements by various teachers

along without the availability of materials ( my black pen is empty and I submitted assignments

written in red ink) there are also group projects where I had to carry more weight because one or

two of my teammates don’t have internet access. All the while having to deal with the flow of

being in a household being depended on by numerous things at a time and not being able to

separate the two becomes quite stressful and draining. The pandemic itself does a toll on

peoples’ mental health.

Likewise, physically because my eyes are straining even just by typing this sentence. Due

to the enhanced community quarantine no Optometrist is practicing even if there was one, I

wouldn’t be allowed to travel to another municipality. When could I possibly have a new pair of

glasses and when I finally do how atrociously high would they be? others have it worse I’m sure,

and it may seem rather trivial but having problems with vision isn’t any fun and I’m long

overdue for a new pair. Having the comfort of the thought that people are literally there for you

is something I will never forget the value of. People need people
 Lastly emotionally, we are social animals. We crave contact with others for support,

wellbeing and entertainment. Humans, because of necessity, evolved into social beings.

Dependence on and cooperation with each other enhanced our ability to survive under harsh

environmental circumstances. Being an ultra-social species interaction with others suddenly

being forced to a stop not being able to see family and loved ones for a long period of time not

being able to have contact with some of them eventually leads to an array of emotions sometimes

all of them at once. I suppose I can say this is the first time I’ve felt truly lonely even if there are

still a few people around me. I did not expect it to be at this degree sadly.

I hope that there would be a positive outcome to this terrible situation we are all in,

maybe even perhaps because of this people will be kinder to each other. We may not all be living

through this pandemic equally but it is an experience that we share and may make us more

empathetic to others. We should never underestimate the importance of people in our lives be it

your childhood friends, the man who sells you taho, or jeepney driver who drives you to school. I

am thankful for the people who are contributors to society. Which is why I believe the figurative

answer to what makes the world go ‘round would be… people. Because people need people.