EDITORIAL —–FOR MAY 14 , 2023
TEASER ON THE FRONT PAGE
This is a glimpse of this week’s Editorial entitled Key takeaways as
COVID-19 pandemic ends.“The pandemic was a test of faith and
character. Surviving the pandemic is a blessing we should be
thankful for. It has made our faith in God stronger and our
character grounded on the reality that we only have borrowed
time on Earth.” For the full text of the editorial, please turn to page
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EDITORIAL
Key takeaways as COVID-19 pandemic ends
The World Health Organization has officially declared
the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. The declaration does
not mean that the disease is gone. It only means we can
handle the disease like all other common diseases.
Looking back, the pandemic has shown the
vulnerabilities of public and private institutions. The
health emergency has brought to the fore the sad state of
the country’s health care and public health insurance
systems, which were overwhelmed with the influx of
people afflicted with the disease. The country’s meager
budget for public health has been exposed when people
with the disease waited long hours to be admitted at the
hospitals manned by overworked and underpaid doctors,
nurses, and other healthcare workers.
When the government imposed the hard lockdowns,
life came to a halt. We have seen how insufficient
government resources were to support the most
vulnerable sectors of society affected by the strictest
community quarantine measures.
The pandemic has also exposed government officials
and private individuals and entities who took advantage of
the huge budget for personal gain. Remember the
company that bagged the contracts for medical supplies
and personal protective equipment, many of which were
not even used by the medical workers?
The pandemic was a test of faith and character.
Surviving the pandemic is a blessing we should be
thankful for. It has made our faith in God stronger and
our character grounded on the reality that we only have
borrowed time on Earth.