Help the Starving...Lockdown Crisis

1. Do you believe the those in power are doing the right thing with the lockdown & why?

No, because it effect the mental and spiritual health of the individual and it effects their livelihood and it causes too much stress financially and emotionally and there is no life during lockdown because you can not interact with people and your action is too limited. It leaves people confused because the government keeps changing their regulations and there is not enough funding and support that we are getting.

2. What is affecting you the most, the Covid -19 crisis or the lockdown itself?

The lockdown crisis because I only heard a lot of cases in the media about Covid and I don’t know anyone who got it but I know a lot of people effected by the lockdown because they are starving and stress from borrowing money from other people to survive everyday.

3. What changes could be made to make things easier?

Going back to normal where people can enjoy being outside and opportunity to get a job.

4. How do you feel about your exact circumstances right now?

Mentally and physically pressure.

5. What would reduce your current concerns the most?

Enough financial support to start on or get work.

6. What difference would a small amount of funding in rice and pesos make each week & why?  (Proposed amount to be funded is 3 kg’s of rice, and a few cans of fish and 250 pesos cash per person/week.)

That would be great if they supply that amount to each individual. Normally they give nothing like that and it is never enough.

7. Any comments you would like to add regarding the lockdown situation…

Stop the bull shit! The department of health is saying we need to get better masks which mean they can earn from it and more expenses.

1. .Do you believe the those in power are doing the right thing with the lockdown & why?

Yes, I think so because they can manage the people well and it well lessen the pollution. The people manage to be responsible as they have to follow the rules ang regulations of the government. At the same time it makes the people confuse and stress by the rules cause of so many limited actions during the lockdown.

2. What is affecting you the most, the Covid -19 crisis or the lockdown itself?

Lockdown cause people losing their job and no more source of income. People are struggling and suffering from starvation. As a student it gives us a stress cause of the lockdown we force to do our own study without the help of the teachers. And overload of homework. Instead of weekend we supposed to have a Free day but we used it as well to do homework and study.

3. What changes could be made to make things easier?

Government should give a job in able to sustain their daily expenses and make them busy not just at home it gives them stress and mentally pressure.

4. How do you feel about your exact circumstances right now?

Advantage it allows us to have time to the family. Time to think, and allow us to have idea and to discover more about our self like we able to do painting, reading books and navigate online games. Disadvantage: Limited interaction. Cant go anywhere, no fresh air, no travel, cant visit relatives.

5. What would reduce your current concerns the most?

Cooperation, provide job, livelihood program, financial assistance,

6. What difference would a small amount of funding in rice and pesos make each week & why? (Proposed amount to be funded is 3 kg’s of rice, and a few cans of fish and 250 pesos cash per person/week.)

It lessen the expenses of weekly budget, it make the people be creative how to make different dish using can sardines.

7. Any comments you would like to add regarding the lockdown situation…

Back to normal.

1. .Do you believe the those in power are doing the right thing with the lockdown & why?

I believe no, because lot of people suffering of too much hungry lack of foods. Because a lot of people of my surrounding starving cause of the lockdown especially to those people who got Covid the family is suffering cause the whole family will be lockdown and lack of support. Covid lockdown is not good for me.

2. What is affecting you the most, the Covid -19 crisis or the lockdown itself?

Lockdown crisis, Covid is normal cause the symptoms is just normal like flu but why they have to put the people in lockdown. Everyone can get ill but lockdown make the people suffer. We can go to hospital get better and have so many recoveries but lockdown people are starving and suffering everyday to survive.

3. What changes could be made to make things easier?

Back to normal. So that people can do everything including work. End the threatening the people of getting penalty from not wearing mask and face shield.

4. How do you feel about your exact circumstances right now?

I feel so bad and not good. I feel sad because for me I heard people suffering and even my family. They are poor before and getting poorest today.

5. What would reduce your current concerns the most?

Financial support and enough goods support.

6. What difference would a small amount of funding in rice and pesos make each week & why?  (Proposed amount to be funded is 3 kg’s of rice, and a few cans of fish and 250 pesos cash per person/week.)

Maybe they can survive starvation and better than nothing.

7. Any comments you would like to add regarding the lockdown situation…

Stop lockdown, let the people do what they normally do and let stop the doctor announcing Covid.

1. Do you believe the those in power are doing the right thing with the lockdown & why?

Maybe because the government believe that Covid really exist and so they make a story to put us into lockdown so in my opinion I dont know if it is true or not I just follow. I hear in the news they are going to make us wear another mask and this means we have to buy another mask again and it doesnt make sense. I also heard that the vaccine will arrive and the first people to recieve it will be the health workers and none of them want to take it. The senatars are saying Phil Health will shoulder the expenses of side-effects for people from taking the vaccine.

2. What is affecting you the most, the Covid -19 crisis or the lockdown itself?

The lockdown, because of this I lost my job. They have now closed permanately (movie theatre). It means no income, no food so what happen, I am drowning from loans.

3. What changes could be made to make things easier?

It seems like the agenda is to kill everyone so why not put an atomic bomb so no one is suffering anymore. Many people are suffering a lot, starvation, crying, depression, everyone is following the rules from those people in higher position.

4. How do you feel about your exact circumstances right now?

Stress from loosing the work. Depressed unable to go out as a senior citizen (age is 63) and hopeless because we can not ask anyones help because even our own family memebers are struggling. Irritated most of the time and it cause trouble between me and my wife as always discussing what we can do to survive.

5. What would reduce your current concerns the most?

They should put things back to normal how it used to be. Stop all these new rules and give us our freedom back.

6. What difference would a small amount of funding in rice and pesos make each week & why? (Proposed amount to be funded is 3 kg’s of rice, and a few cans of fish and 250 pesos cash per person/week.)

It will make the situation less of a struggle at least in a small way, it is better than nothing so at least you have something to cook and prepare for your family.

7. Any comments you would like to add regarding the lockdown situation…

The lockdown should be ended in order for the people to go back to work if they still have a job because those of the establishments are already closed. When is the fund going to release?

1. Do you believe the those in power are doing the right thing with the lockdown & why?

Its very confusing, it seems like maybe they use it in order to control the people. Because for me it is already obvious that there is a business involved. Once the vaccine arrives they say things will get back to normal. There is a hidden agenda. The only good thing that happened from the lockdown is the QR Code enabled the government to get a lot criminals.

2. What is affecting you the most, the Covid -19 crisis or the lockdown itself?

Of course the lockdown as a tricycle driver there are not a lot of passengers compared to before. For me the Covid can be cured but the lockdown makes us sick because it makes us stressed. On Sunday there are no passengers. Also because there is no school. And most establishments are closed. Plus there is a lot of competition because now there are so many drivers. This causes trouble between drivers too as we need passengers. There are days we only eat twice, there are no snacks most days.

3. What changes could be made to make things easier?

For what I see now it is very difficult but we are always looking for other ways to earn another income. We have to do what the government is saying because the government control everything like for example you cant go out according to your numbers. The vaccine worries me because they will stop us from going places unless we have it.

4. How do you feel about your exact circumstances right now?

We are struggling, stressed, worried, exhausted, devastated and our income is not like it was before. Before earning 300 to 500 pesos but now I may manage to earn 60 pesos for the entire day! 500 down to 60 is too low.

5. What would reduce your current concerns the most?

For me it should be back to normal but since we don't have power we are still hopeless to follow the rules.

6. What difference would a small amount of funding in rice and pesos make each week & why? (Proposed amount to be funded is 3 kg’s of rice, and a few cans of fish and 250 pesos cash per person/week.)

Its a big difference already, an additional source of food and the money that we earn can be used for other stuff.

7. Any comments you would like to add regarding the lockdown situation…

Mostly it is a disadvantage as most people are suffering. All these questions are dependant on the government. It seems like the government are making fun of the people. For example they are implementing a national ID and we dont know why and it is extra cost and we are powerless to stand up to the government as you will get a case filed against you or worse you may end up dead. Most of the poor people will give you the same answer to what I have. The government is too powerful and those have stood up have had case and penalty against them.

1. Do you believe the those in power are doing the right thing with the lockdown & why?
In my own way of thinking, i do believe that those who are empowered people are doing the right thing with the lockdown owing to the fact that the blue-collar and white-collar people has their own privilege to follow it's command of the empowered people which is the government. The government showed to citizens of their nation that they are all trying their very best to diverse and adapt the new normal.

2. What is affecting you the most, the Covid -19 crisis or the lockdown itself?
One of the first thing that affected me the most is my emotional security because i am not that sure if i can survive this phenomenon together with my family. Second is not having a work due to the lockdown, everything is being transitioned into technology or we say, online stuff that i am not familiar of.

3. What changes could be made to make things easier?
Change is the only constant in life. In depth, there are a lot of things that needs to be changed however, nothing comes easy. Therefore, we have to adapt changes because again, change is constant.

4. How do you feel about your exact circumstances right now?
I feel so grateful the fact that I survived the pandemic specifically that I am able to feed my family. As of now, grateful is the exact emotion that i am feeling right now.

5. What would reduce your current concerns the most?
Basically, I've got a lot on my plate right now. I can not summon everything. Maybe I need money for food consumption too and for every day needs.

6. What difference would a small amount of funding in rice and pesos make each week & why? (Proposed amount to be funded is 3 kg’s of rice, and a few cans of fish and 250 pesos cash per person/week.)

Yes, that would help me a lot and also other people that those who are in need too. I am very grateful for that kind of funding because there are also a lot of people who are misfortune and those privileged people like you would mean so much for me because you are an example of a person who has a good heart.

7. Any comments you would like to add regarding the lockdown situation…

I hope this will end soon. I am praying for everyone to survive this pandemic and so am I. In God we trust, we can pull through.

1. Do you believe the those in power are doing the right thing with the lockdown & why?
Yes I believe in the lockdown because we don’t have a choice to disagree with it and you will get caught but Covid I don’t believe it exists.

2. What is affecting you the most, the Covid -19 crisis or the lockdown itself?
The lockdown. Covid is just the flu and can be cured but lockdown effects our daily life as there is no job and our action is too limited. My mum died because of the lockdown because my mum did not get her medical attention. She was being ignored because they prioritise Covid patients and she just needed medical attention. There was also no transportation available at that time. The hospital did not accept her even thought they brought her to the hospital. Then she died in the middle of the night. Even during the week most family members could not attend the wake because of the lockdown situation. If there was no lockdown my mum would still be alive. It seems like a lot of people are dying during the lockdown but not because of the Covid. Bill Gates monopolise the entire world. Why is Gates the one declaring about it? It is just about money, power and business. I consider the vaccine as a mercy killing for the people. And maybe this is the beginning of microchipping the people. Its not just Gates but the people in our government who join in this kind of action. The lockdown causes poverty.

3. What changes could be made to make things easier?
People in low class families should get support from the government because their action is limited and they can’t go get work. There is no more food and financial support. Also they should tell the truth about the situation because it is already a question that it not right for us to be in lockdown anymore...let people be free to do what they have to do. They should supply support. If they keep continuing the lockdown they should keep providing assistance to poor families.

4. How do you feel about your exact circumstances right now?
So far neutral, go with the flow, normal. At least right now its not too strict right now and I have my job right now. (His in a security force against terrorist forces against attacking a banana plantation.)

5. What would reduce your current concerns the most?
The poor are getting poorer due to the lockdown and they must attend to these people because I know a lot of people struggling from this situation. They may eat only once a day. These people really need assistance. Myself alone I can survive. Hopefully soon they can build their lives back to normal. Hopefully we can afford to help 100’s of families. That people are willing to help the poor.

6. What difference would a small amount of funding in rice and pesos make each week & why? (Proposed amount to be funded is 3 kg’s of rice, and a few cans of fish and 250 pesos cash per person/week.)
Its already grateful and great happiness can not exchange for money. Whoever those people to provide it we are so very grateful. If it is really available I give it to others who most need it.

7. Any comments you would like to add regarding the lockdown situation…
As soon as possible the lockdown should end so people can go back to their jobs. End the situation of Covid. We need help right now though.

1. Do you believe the those in power are doing the right thing with the lockdown & why?
It could be yes and no. The pollution is less because of the shut down factories. No because a lot of people do not have a job because of the lockdown.

2. What is affecting you the most, the Covid -19 crisis or the lockdown itself?
Lockdown as my job was shut down for 5 months and now my income is reduced by a third.

3. What changes could be made to make things easier?
Follow the rules of the government. It is hard to tell as it difficult for our boss. But really it is not enough to live day to day. All we can do is understand each other and wait for things to get back to normal.

4. How do you feel about your exact circumstances right now?

Struggle because there is no income for 5 months and when there is a job the income is reduced. Also my husband has much less work as there is far less customers. We have to budget with cheaper value food in order to eat. There is also no interaction, we just have to stay at home. It is a very depressing struggle.

5. What would reduce your current concerns the most?
The biggest concern is the salary but I understand they can not afford to pay more so there is not much that can be done. I don't want to take a day off work but the boss wants me to. Lack of budget for my boss but also for me. The government support was only twice in one year (6,000 pesos and we had to line up for the whole day both times.) Twice we have received rice 5kg each time.

6. What difference would a small amount of funding in rice and pesos make each week & why? (Proposed amount to be funded is 3 kg’s of rice, and a few cans of fish and 250 pesos cash per person/week.)
It is a really big help. It would be really good. Can survive a week. We would continue as we are but it would be much easier to survive.

7. Any comments you would like to add regarding the lockdown situation…At least they should remove wearing the face shields. The government should give small job for those who lost their jobs or people who don’t have income. There are jobs available but there are high requirements to get these jobs. They focus too much on education level but not on the person’s own capabilities to do the actual job. For example call centres were interested in basic English skills but now they require high graduate to be considered.