Foreword

Abstract

It was exactly a year ago when the Philippines, together with so many places in the world, has been struck by a situation so alien that caused a literal stoppage of activities on a massive scale. Lockdowns, blockades, health protocols, curfews, and outbreaks are just some of the concepts that have penetrated man’s everyday existence. In a world so engrossed with specializations, it becomes strange that in this situation, no one can rightfully claim expertise; actions are tentative, policies are constantly revisited and revised, and protocols become provisional.

This experience brings us back to the drawing board: it makes us question our fundamental beliefs and understanding of the world, it makes us rethink our practices and ways of life, it interrogated what were supposedly ‘normal’ in all aspects of our daily existence…it brings us back to our humanity with our vulnerabilities exposed and our backwardness highlighted. This is perhaps a natural and authentic response of man to the ‘unknown’. As William Shakespeare in The Merchant of Venice through Shylock uttered: “If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh?” For what else could be more dreadful than facing occurrences full of uncertainties, bordering horizons never known to man, or indulging ideas and concepts so novel that even the fruits of modern technology cannot fully comprehend?