Abstract
The well-being and the will of the Filipino people are now to be considered. With many people gathering and having leisure time, the well-being of the people is being balanced now. The spiritual, mental and social well-being of the people are being satisfied but with the consequence of putting our safety at stake because of the seemingly unending threat of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. We know that we want a normal life, but it seems too much for the people to stay at home while seeing other countries enjoy a post-pandemic life.
To the Editor,
The COVID-19 pandemic has done numerous casualties in the life of people around the globe. Different studies have shown how this pandemic brought mental, social, physical and spiritual implications manifested in our daily lives. In recent publications, many authors agreed that religious and spiritual interventions made impact to the lives of the people. With the catchphrase #ChurchInAction on social media platforms, different initiatives were done to aid the needs of the people.2 The impact of the massive use of live streaming of Eucharistic celebrations helped people sustain their spiritual nourishment that resulted in having no dissonance between the lived experience and ideal of spirituality of the people.4 After a year of pandemic, Filipinos have shown the importance of spiritual well-being despite the ravaging effect of the pandemic.5 Filipino families also did creative faith-based practices/rituals at home as an adjustment for the sake of public safety and the common good to avoid large gatherings.3 But in the midst of the pandemic, people cannot be persuaded anymore to remain and nourish their spiritual well-being at home.1 They keep coming to churches and attend services which they longed for almost a year and a half.
With all the support given by the Church to maintain the wellness of the people, from giving dole-outs, online services and psychological first aids, it cannot be denied that people wanted to be more physical. In the Philippines, people are already confident enough, though not yet vaccinated, to roam around and go to places they wanted. These places include leisure parks, malls and churches where mass gatherings are present. Though there are still restrictions laid down by the national government, wearing face masks and shields has become a normal part of their lives wherever they go. This might be very alarming because many are contented to be unvaccinated as long as they are following the minimum health protocols of wearing face masks, face shields, and having physical distancing.
The current situation we have in the Philippines shows two different aspects—the will of the people in going out and doing a seemingly normal day-to-day activities and the well-being of the people which is deeply rooted on their spiritual life. With great faith and devotion to God, they think that their faith is far more powerful and effective over the vaccine provided by the government. Their will to live a normal life despite the ravaging effect of the pandemic is rapidly getting stronger than before. With many people gathering and having leisure time, the well-being of the people is being balanced now. The spiritual, mental, and social well-being of the people are being satisfied but with the consequence of putting our safety at stake because of the seemingly unending threat of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. We know that we want a normal life, but it seems too much for the people to stay at home while seeing other countries enjoy a post-pandemic life.
Declarations of competing interest
No funding was received for this paper. The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Contributor Information
Renniel Jayson Jacinto Rosales, Theology and Religious Education Department, De La Salle University, Manila 1004, Philippines.
Crizlene Magpantay Adia, Batangas State University, Batangas City 4200, Philippines.
Kiara Cristine Macuha Miral, Batangas State University, Batangas City 4200, Philippines.
References
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