Lockdown Lowdown

"Lockdown" "quarantine" "shelter-in-place" "shutdown" "recession" -- the new shared lexicons of the world are emotion-laden terms that stir a variety of reactions. And as the human race absorbs the effects of the pandemic on life as we knew it, each of us seek different ways to allay our anxieties.

Educator and policy analyst J.M. Luz ponders the problem of the class divide in the Philippines and offers suggestions on how to temper a possible social eruption in the midst of the pandemic. ["Metro Manila Lockdown: Finding Openings to Ease the Poor's No-Work-No-Pay Situation"]

From Palawan, Elise Suarez, a precocious teenager who writes a column for Palawan News, gets inspiration from a hit Korean teledrama even as she does her part in keeping the spread of the virus at bay. ["Crash Landing in Quarantine"]

In Los Angeles, PF Correspondent Anthony Maddela uses this time of lockdown to reflect on life's simple pleasures and challenges. ["A Time of Living Cautiously"]

PF contributor Patricia Araneta pays tribute to the legendary radio/TV host Leila Benitez, who passed away recently in New York. ["My Aunt and Friend, Leila Benitez"]

For Happy Home Cooks, here's PF Correspondent Rene Astudillo's "Fried Breaded Spam Musubi," a creative way of using a Filipino lockdown staple, Spam.

Don't fail to read our Partner posts this week:

Help Our Artists And Our Community

Filipino Food Movement Launches An Online Campaign, Supporting Filipino Chefs And Restaurants

And to further enhance your coronavirus knowledge, our In The Know links:

Meet the health-care workers spearheading the Philippines’s fight against coronavirus
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/world/2020/04/11/meet-health-care-workers-spearheading-philippiness-fight-against-coronavirus/?fbclid=IwAR38UtJzT6LH8XI9STe69m4g9Jav2x8WVZieSshjWSm4lMZqaL2d1nWmqqk

The Anti-Virus Warriors in My Blood
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/specials/content/142/howie-severino-the-anti-virus-warriors-in-my-blood/?fbclid=IwAR24MWyac6rBlagMmh2OagtmVfQraV-m7mZXlESYy096K8_5tOX1G9fN4bU

Life after lockdown: An infectious diseases expert on how we could avoid a surge in COVID-19 cases
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/04/13/20/life-after-lockdown-an-infectious-diseases-expert-on-how-we-could-avoid-a-surge-in-covid-19-cases?fbclid=IwAR3FMI8xA4093vDx6-NDDUf96AxhWLRKnDqkULKrHCvRBOurHkbyoJ-bA8A

Philippine jails are a COVID-19 time bomb
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/investigative/257640-philippine-jails-covid-time-bomb?fbclid=IwAR2YV1guhhmSmXgivXY3OdyjnAnPKbUGGrSZrZ4hj7Founthfa8YOACLTCA

Looking Out for Your Own in the Philippines
https://www.asiasentinel.com/p/looking-out-for-your-own-in-the-philippines?fbclid=IwAR3tfXWdoWwsZ6TRno_T7d0ndFUhfBn10B7vupanzGyXWBvem5LwYhElyl4

“Kindness station” in Sorsogon allows residents to get free food, clothes, rice for free
https://virtualpinoy.com/2020/04/kindness-station-in-sorsogon-allows-residents-to-get-free-food-clothes-rice-for-free/?fbclid=IwAR0eH897zz6I8eqmwk2nbSdV3qTxnOT8LD7So0WGxMYc2cpF66uRbmYyaVg

For our Video of the Week, the families of the medical staff of St. Luke’s Medical Center in the Philippines made a tribute video for their loved ones battling on the frontlines of Covid-19.

Journal of the Plague Months

We continue our focus on what is undoubtedly the biggest story of the year -- the pandemic -- even as our shelter-in-place days are interspersed with heartwarming stories about the heroism of the frontliners and the strong sense of community among regular citizens, along with our grieving -- almost daily -- of the lives unexpectedly snuffed out by this insidious virus.

 From Kenya, regular PF contributor Agatha Verdadero gives us a glimpse of how life has changed with "Social Distancing in Nairobi."

PF Correspondent Cherie M. Querol Moreno tracks down some regular folks who have stepped up to do their part in "Inspired Kindness in the Time of Lockdown."

From Manila, John Silva shares with us his tribute to two friends, fashion designer Ito Curata and his partner Bob Miller, both of whom didn't survive Covid-19.

From Chicagoland, PF Correspondent Rey de la Cruz features a Filipino restaurant who is likewise helping out, "Chicken Ati-atihan, Restaurant with a Heart" from which our Happy Home Cook recipe for Chicken Curry comes.

Our links to stories to keep you In The Know:

New Tear-Jerking Tourism Video Honors Frontliners and Filipino Optimism
https://www.esquiremag.ph/politics/news/department-tourism-video-frontliners-a00204-20200404?fbclid=IwAR1GSOqQN1qtPDC7agR75ZSY9hemFVLlh52JBoiZmEaY7hglHrZRU1BOSTg

In Slum at Epicenter of Duterte’s Drug Crackdown, Fear and Love Coexist
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/world/asia/philippines-manila-duterte-market-three.html?fbclid=IwAR0PE5pd8jabbRWSCuofL83MHegffIdlMma72AxqSOm67wyLlz1fkZYo5U8

The Philippines is sending its nurses to the frontline underprotected. Now medics are dying, others risk spreading the virus
https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/01/homepage2/philippines-nurse-intl-hnk/index.html?fbclid=IwAR0NgvaYogiKXkDyzVnUPY7DI_ce4lH1toJ_Gk5TCFNKj72ldvOc56Diif8

Asian Americans use social media to mobilize against attacks
https://news.yahoo.com/asian-americans-social-media-mobilize-150724085.html

Dr. James Goodrich, friend to Filipinos
https://opinion.inquirer.net/128576/dr-james-goodrich-friend-to-filipinos?fbclid=IwAR36WY8nkcc_VYkPg6pFmLzjp13vktaU25oILWuS9ydrsm36-oYPqbI0i4s

Voices from the frontline: The volunteer driver giving free rides to stranded medical workers
https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/04/06/20/voices-from-the-frontline-the-volunteer-driver-giving-free-rides-to-stranded-medical-workers

For Video of Week, we commemorate the 75th anniversary of  the Battle of Manila and the  Liberation of the Santo Tomas Internment Camp.

Viral Rhythms

We keep our eye -- and our stories -- focused on the topic of the hour -- the Covid-19 pandemic whose numbers of afflicted and dead tick up every few minutes all over the world. 

Here in California, the rhythm of our days, so vibrant and busy just over a month ago, has slowed to a meditative drip-drop, at least for retirees like us (I know parents with young children have their hands full) . We wake, we eat, we patter around the house (meaning we do the same things we did yesterday and will do again tomorrow), we sleep. The next day, the same routine. 

Occasionally, just for sport, we allow our blood pressure to go up by watching TV and either getting agitated at the idiocy in full display before us (yes, that one) or becoming teary-eyed at the heroic efforts of frontliners in this war (the medical workers, the service providers, the police, the journalists) who are toiling, despite the risks, to provide the rest of us updated information and a sense of normalcy. Reading, long a major part of our day, has become a necessary tool in our arsenal to fight against mental atrophy and boredom, and to keep our fears at bay and our sanity intact. 

How about you, how do your days go? Our publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco gives us a glimpse of hers in part 2 of "Life (and Love) in the Time of Coronavirus." 

First-time PF contributor Ernesto M. Hilario writes about his from Quezon City in "Hunkered Down and Uncertain."

Writer/poet/critic Pablo A. Tariman shares with us his regret at the interruption of a cherished school-day ritual with his granddaughter, him being "Fetcher No. 244."

And in the course of a night's search for stories during curfew, an ABS-CBN News team in Metro Manila encounters a story that will forever stay in their hearts and in ours. Jervis Manahan, a member of the Kapamilya team, reports "The Long Road Ahead."

For comfort food in these days of uncertainty, here once again is Elizabeth Ann Quirino's recipe for "Corned Beef Sinigang."

To add to your reading list, here are links to stories you may have missed:

PH Health Workers and Their Struggle Against COVID-19
https://news.abs-cbn.com/specials/ph-health-worker-battle-covid19?fbclid=IwAR0oOx2c_YHjnnaKLo3YIqYbGeWcQjQvEnlUbxWYwmu0F-LGi_oscOa7cD4

Heroic Filipino nurses at the forefront of UK’s Covid-19 response
https://www.pinoyportaleurope.com/post/tataas-ang-unemployment-at-trabahong-may-short-time-working-hours-sa-germany-labor-expert-1?fbclid=IwAR2UbbXW4aNoKXOg-RBN-p2KoVQryHR4uKJxSm0JmcpVBsjT8exZ3As8C8I

Coronavirus: in Philippines, leak shows politicians and relatives received ‘VIP’ testing
https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3076788/coronavirus-philippines-leak-shows-politicians-and-relatives?fbclid=IwAR2NFoSf4VrURwQaobXM_2tq254t24ZWKwMrbsyVgbsAW9K6ftr-57LXYYc

Asian Americans report over 650 racist acts over last week, new data says
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/asian-americans-report-nearly-500-racist-acts-over-last-week-n1169821?fbclid=IwAR3oLJyo26XX6GvH0IYZMtPt7zuwRLUI8I6Ac0Uy-46MWMwEBFRqV03dBGA

Fil-Am director Dean Devlin’s ‘Almost Paradise’ is the first-ever American TV series shot in the Philippines
https://www.asianjournal.com/entertainment/showbiz/fil-am-director-dean-devlins-almost-paradise-is-the-first-ever-american-tv-series-shot-in-the-philippines/

For our video of the week, Filipino singers pooled their talents in this public service music video to give hope to Filipino citizens and crisis frontliners during the Luzon-wide quarantine to stop the spread of the coronavirus.