Lesson 1

Activity 1 – Share Your Thoughts

Name: John Sydric T. Rendeza Course/Section: BSSTAT-3A

Date: September 3, 2021 Score: ________

What do you think in a very personal view that have made the Filipino human
resilient in his response to the globalized COVID-19 pandemic in this contemporary
world? (Write with no limit of pages what you feel and use any language comfortable to
you so long as you can fully express what is in your very heart and mind.)
Answer:

It is in my personal view that the term “Filipino resilience” is a myth, overused by

mainstream media and the government to cover-up negligence and incompetence.
While there may be some grain of truth about the Filipinos’ amazing ability to spring
and rise again after deluges (from Super Typhoon Yolanda to the current COVID-19
pandemic), the sad reality is that “Filipino resilience” is a result of a need – the future is
uncertain so making do of what we have as of the moment became our mantra.

2013 saw the havoc of Super Typhoon Yolanda which resulted to deaths of more
than 6,000 people and destruction worth billions. The super typhoon, dubbed as the
strongest in the 21st century, dealt a devastating blow to our country, and Filipinos were
praised around the world for the “resilience” we displayed after the tragedy.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has been endangering the human populace,
and its end is still not yet in sight after more than a year due to rising number of
mutations. A lot of people became unemployed due to lockdowns, loss of customers,
and government restrictions. Increased unemployment also resulted to more Filipinos
having trouble to fund their food and bills. And once again, stories of “resiliency” sprung
once more on mainstream media to romanticize the people’s suffering. Teachers
walking miles to deliver printed modules, medical frontliners sleeping on hospital floors,
common people opening up community pantries – the list goes on.

Throughout these disasters, Filipinos endured, and will continue to endure,

because we have to. But do we really need to endure?

In short, “Filipino resiliency” is a myth that sprung up because we developed

tolerance to hardships, being a country of people accustomed to natural disasters.
While being able to endure hardship and stand up the next day is a positive trait, the
Filipinos don’t deserve to experience suffering time and time again. Remove that red
shades and we will start seeing the red flags.