IT’S barely four days and the year 2020 will end. The year was not quite kind to us and to the rest of humanity.
First and foremost, it has been ten months and the pandemic brought about by the CoViD 19 virus is still raging and is having a new threat of mutating into a much faster infecting thing. We do not see any sign it is in a declining mode.
And worst the economies of nations all over the world are being brought down on its knees.. This situation has caused too much suffering to the people.
To us specifically, 2020 showed us its wickedness. The CoViD 19 pandemic has showed no mercy to us, economically, that is. When the pandemic compromised the business of our news organization we suddenly ended up having our pay delayed.
Collections cannot be done on schedule. Work schedules have to be arranged in a manner that these are not in violation of existing health protocols. All these are in the name of personal safety and the safety of others.
When gatherings were banned we ended up denied our small source of extra income.
What with our small lights and sounds business sidelined as gatherings bookings were all cancelled. And “ayuda” for those affected hardly comes by. If at all it comes it lasts for only a day or two depending on how large a family is.
Anyhow, we are able to survive.
But somehow into this last week of the year, we are not quite physically well. On the night before Christmas we somewhat noticed we had a hard time maintaining our balance; one sign that somewhere inside us there was something wrong. For now we are resting and observing things over.
Then our daughter’s mother-in-law who was over a week inside the ICU in a local private hospital went to the great beyond despite efforts of doctors to revive her. We cannot help but be personally affected by the grief our daughter and her family felt. We have to empathize with them. Despite these blows we did not forget to greet our friends a Merry Christmas and a Bountiful coming year. Today we’d like to be specific for our wishes for the coming year.
To the family of Sisoy Rodriguez who is waging a gargantuan battle to have the Davao-Samal bridge route moved away from their property and the underwater resource area in the channel ronting it, be gifted with a positive action from government and start their New Year with much hope; to the government planners that they be given the wisdom to consider the cost aspect of the approved route before driving the first pile of the bridge’s post; to the other property owner in Samal that they feel the angst of Sisoy’s family and those who are working with them.
We wish too, good health to all our classmates in high school who are still around doing what they loved to do in their own world. Also our best New Year wishes to our fellow Davao Light retirees who are doing the things they think they are best suited. We know they still have roles to play in real life’s drama in this world.
We also wish our fellow journalists the best of luck in their continued pursuit for truth and justice. We hope that when they have to make decisions, it is not just their personal consideration that takes priority but also the good of the public they are sworn to serve.by virtue of the journalistic code they are
Supposed to be all aware of.
And to the whole of humanity and countries of the world, we have this fervent hope for the New Year that the present pandemic will be over; that the right vaccine will finally be discovered – the one which does not carry with it any stigma of doubt by the people.
Finally, we hope that by next year, the one that will set in four days from now, will give the leaders of the contracting firm of the Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project be able to make its people work faster to avoid extending further the inconvenience it gives to commuters., or, at least improve the traffic management skills of its people assigned to man the one way stretches so accidents can be avoided, or inconvenienced be reduced. Or better still, maybe they can arranged with proper authorities that the road to Calinan from Talandang be just closed to vehicular traffic to stop all the daily road mess.
