Yet, what we are going through now is not merely a fleeting disaster but an instantiation of chronic injustice characterized by inequities on many fronts. The totality of our experiences relating to the pandemic constitutes evidence that the inequitable access to essential goods and services needs to be overcome – not only for the sake of the underprivileged but also for the sake of everybody else regardless of economic, political, or social status. What is being asked of us is not merely to provide for people’s needs during an emergency but to manifest our realization that fellow Filipinos are countryfolk with whom we are interconnected and interdependent “art bound by one fate, by the same joys and sorrows and by common aspirations and interests.”190 Mabini, A. (2005). Mabini's Decalogue for Filipinos. Project Gutenberg. Retrieved May 16, 2020, from https://www.gutenberg.org/files/14660/14660‐h/14660‐h.htm
Apolinario Mabini, one of our nation’s heroes, wrote these words having in mind a war time context, and went on to say: “unite in a perfect solidarity of purpose and interest, in order to have force, not only to resist the common enemy but also to attain all the aims of human life.”191 Ibid.
A war is precisely what many of us think we are in the midst of today;192 Crisostomo, S., & Romero, A. (2020, May 19). Spike In COVID‐19 Cases Feared: ‘Stay at Home, World War C Not Over’. One News. Retrieved August 5, 2020, from https://www.onenews.ph/spike‐in‐covid‐19‐cases‐feared‐stay‐at‐home‐world‐war‐c‐not‐over
, 193 Crisostomo, S., & Nonato, V. (2020, August 5). Winning or Losing? Nobody Wins in COVID‐19 ‘War’ if Authorities Don’t See Eye to Eye. One News. Retrieved August 15, 2020, from https://www.onenews.ph/winning‐or‐losing‐nobody‐wins‐in‐covid‐19‐war‐if‐authorities‐don‐t‐see‐eye‐to‐eye
, 194 Reperant, L.A., & Osterhaus, A.D.M.E. (2020, May 19). COVID‐19: Losing Battles or Winning the War? One Health Outlook 2, 9. Retrieved August 15, 2020, from https://doi.org/10.1186/s42522‐020‐00019‐2
the solidarity we seek can only find fulfilment in a new normal characterized by social, economic and political equity.