Creativity, generosity, and agency

In his commentary yesterday in this paper, Dr. Adrian Rabe, a physician and health activist, pointed out that amid the burgeoning “class war” occasioned by the subsidies given by government to the “poorest of the poor,” and the growing resentment of the middle class, it is those with the least resources who are most willing to share the little they have with others. “Study after study shows how the poor are more generous with what meager things they have. The instinct to share is strong among the poor as they realize that they can only get through their daily struggle by helping each other,” wrote Dr. Rabe. His insights are borne out by experience, especially in these trying days. I was struck by a Facebook post showing members of a 4Ps group in Abra gathering the goods they had received as part of a government aid program and dividing these equally to be shared to similarly placed families. The 4Ps families are recipients of government subsidies designed to encourage them to keep sending their school-age children to school, bring their infants for regular check-ups at health centers, and improve their quality of life.

That these families, already on the knife’s edge of poverty, would still find it in themselves to share the little they have speaks volumes of their innate generosity and capacity to look after those who are worse off. I am also impressed with accounts of how public and private groups, including local governments, are creatively finding solutions to problems of scarcity, especially in food distribution. In some instances, fresh produce, including fruit and vegetables, grains and livestock are bought wholesale from farmers hard hit by the lockdowns and then distributed to urban poor families to give them a break from a diet of canned goods and instant noodles.

Really, there needn’t be a shortage of ideas in the face of a growing demand. Hard times simply call for creative solutions, that’s all!

 * * *

Women everywhere testify to the truism that in times of crises, it is women who

bear the brunt of the burden. Last week, the inaugural session of “Usapang Everywoman,” an online series of discussions on gender issues at this time of crisis, touched on how indeed “poverty wears a woman’s face.”

A discussion between former social welfare secretary Dinky Soliman and Lan Mercado, a social activist who heads Oxfam’s regional office, talked about the extra burdens that women have to carry on their shoulders, from having to go the extra mile to source food and other resources, to enduring problems of violence and mental health in these times of hardship and tension.

Last Monday, Dean Guy Claudio of the UP College of Social Work and Community Development and young feminist leader Shebana Alqaseer took off from this focus on women’s hardship to explore ways in which women can exercise their voices and power, what Dr. Claudio calls “agency,” in the “time of COVID-19.”

The first step in empowerment, said Dr. Claudio, is simply to “decide that you will speak,” whether this be in relation to dividing household duties, demanding for a rightful share of government doles and services, or speaking out about national government policies.

One area where a woman’s or women’s voices is valuable, said Dr. Claudio, is in the formulation of policies and steps undertaken to cope with the quarantine. This is where community consultation and preparations would have been useful, she pointed out. “Our experience has proven that a ‘kamay na bakal’ [mailed fist] approach has not worked

in getting everyone’s cooperation. Instead, other voices, especially women’s voices, should have been heard and heeded.”

* * *

Truly, the private business sector has shown it’s capable of stepping up to the challenges posed by these days of quarantine. Even as business leaders are focused on ending the community lockdowns as soon as possible to get the engines of the economy working, they are also doing their part in ensuring community survival and welfare.

Among these companies is SEAOIL, which has pledged anew to help government battle the deadly impact of the COVID-19 crisis. This the company does so by contributing free fuel, worth more than P400,000, for use of buses ferrying medical frontliners under the free shuttle service offered by the Department of Transportation. Fifteen buses used to shuttle frontliners are provided with free fuel, translating to a total of 13,500 liters a day.

“We are very grateful to SEAOIL Philippines for providing fuel subsidies to the bus units of our free ride program,” said Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade. “Malaking tulong po ito, hindi lang para sa amin, o sa mga bus, kundi makasisiguro rin tayo na maitataguyod natin ang serbisyo publiko para sa mga medical frontliners sa gitna ng COVID-19 pandemic (This is a big help, not just to us or to the bus service, but this also ensures that we can continue providing public service for medical frontliners in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic),” Tugade added.

Alongside this effort, SEAOIL is currently supplying free fuel to over 20 hospitals nationwide, including the Philippine General Hospital, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, San Lazaro Hospital, East Avenue Medical Center, Philippine Children’s Medical Center, and the Philippine Heart Center, among others.

“SEAOIL continues to do its part in helping our frontliners #ConquerCOVID19. We are maximizing resources to keep assistance and aid for our employees and the community.” said Glenn Yu, SEAOIL CEO.

rdavid@inquirer.com.ph