Quarantine, it's more fun in the Philippines

On March 14th the quarantine state was declared in Manila and 2 days later, starting March 16th, they declared enhanced quarantine. Palawan was also considered under quarantine so… here we are.

From the 14th to the 16th we were allowed to go out as per usual. Restaurants were still open, we had access to the beach, we could walk around freely, terrestrial and aerial transport was still functional… the only difference was that after 8 PM and until 6 AM they imposed a curfew and going out on the streets was forbidden. Tourists were advised to leave Palawan until the 14th of March so the ones remaining in Port Barton after this date were the ones that either didn’t catch a seat on the planes leaving Puerto Princesa regularly or the ones that decided to stay until April 15th when they announced the quarantine to be lifted.

All of a sudden all restaurants closed, everyone switched to home delivery, hotels and hostels came up with special quarantine packages. All this in one day! The second day everything was shut down, no one was allowed to go out, there were checkpoints in each intersection, the army was out on the streets in a larger number (to be mentioned is the fact that there was a military vehicle around even before this madness began. 20-year-old kids with rifles on their shoulder walking on the beach and politely greeting us). At 8 PM sharp a siren started ringing just like in Purge if you’re familiar with the movie… absolutely terrifying.

We discussed with restaurant and hotel owners from Port Barton and they told me that no one ever received an official document presenting the situation, explaining the rules, offering solutions for the tourists they had “in custody”. All of the information available was from someone that knew someone who had a relative at the barangay (city hall). In the early onset of the enhanced quarantine, there were around 200-300 tourists scattered in the hotels in the area. The only ones who took care of them were the hotel owners (mostly expats) and they were the ones who did everything in their power (and I mean LITERALLY EVERYTHING) for the people to feel as comfortable as possible, so that they won’t feel weird and last but not least to keep them as SAFE as possible. It was obvious that the Philippines weren’t as fun anymore… Accommodation costs were substantially reduced, meals were also discounted, they added activities (yoga, movie nights, themed nights). Because the ATM access was limited, payment was organized in installments. EVERYTHING so that the tourists remained here would still feel on vacation and that all will be over soon.

This lasted for about 2 weeks. On March 26th all the tourists from Port Barton were about to leave. To be mentioned that they were able to leave before this date, special flights were still operating (from El Nido and Puerto Princesa) to Manila, facilitated by the Embassies and the Philippines Department of Tourism. Most of the people who decided to leave were from the UK. But we still have tourists from Spain and France that stayed willingly. From this point and until the present time, the quarantine was extended until April 30th and President’s order to shoot was issued for those not abiding by quarantine rules (a measure taken more likely for those in Metro Manila).

When it comes to us, we’ve gone from ecstasy to agony and our days lately have been either ok-ish, either bad, either very bad or a combo of the above.

During the first days, we realized we didn’t have supplies, an alarming state, given the fact that everybody was buying in excess (yes, it happens here too). Restaurants were closed and weren’t willing to reopen so they would sell all their supplies to the highest bidder who would usually buy EVERYTHING. This happened because their supplied was mostly comprised of things you can’t find in the village or maybe even in Puerto Princesa (feta cheese, yogurt, good quality cheese, chia seeds, quinoa, soy, or almond milk, good quality butter, olive oil, wine).

There was another category, of those who, although closing up shop, didn’t want to sell anything (and they still aren’t selling) because they hope that after the quarantine has been lifted things will go back to normal… We refused to play this game, we took a step back and realized we weren’t going to starve even if we had to eat rice and kangkong for months on end. During the first week, we got some supplies from Mabuti, the restaurant we went to most often, supplies containing a few bottles of soy milk, pesto, pasta, olive oil, coconut milk, some vegetables, seeds, yogurt, and feta, sold to us at an unbeatable price. Ultimately, some started making bread at home to sell it and others slowly started selling their perishables.

Somewhere around March 20th, the first case of COVID-19 was announced in Port Barton (an Australian fellow that was here for a few days, tested in Puerto Princesa and allowed to go back to his country before the test arrived). You can imagine the panic and havoc that caused. Therefore, 3 or 4 days in a row we weren’t allowed to go outside at all, no matter what the reason. We tried going to city hall to ask what we can do, how long this will take, what the next steps are but we weren’t able to pass the first intersection. There were moments when people were stopped on the street at gunpoint to their head and moments when I felt like the army was afraid of any contact they might have with us foreigners.

This was the moment I emailed the Romanian Embassy in Manila to let them know of our presence here and to find out what we can do if things get worse. Only 3 hours after sending this email, on a Saturday, we got a call from the Embassy clearing up all of our concerns. We even got the opportunity of being booked to the next flight to Manila to then leave the Philipines and go back to Romania. After a few days of mulling it over, we decided to stay. We are in the records of the Embassy and we were asked to make a phone call weekly and update them on our state of mind.

After those terrible 4 days, the stars aligned and the barangay concluded that each household should get a nominal pass through which the designated family member (case in point Matie Opra) to go shopping between 8 and 9 AM. The second day we found out that the foreigners that went out accordingly got their passes confiscated and given back to them a few days later. It remains a mister why this happened 🙂

One month after the quarantine was set (today, April 15th, the day quarantine was supposed to be lifted) we came to the following conclusions:

the quarantine was extended another 2 weeks. It was to be expected, it didn’t catch us by surprise
we eat better than before because we have more control over the quantity and quality of the ingredients
We don’t lack anything groceries wise. The markets are well stocked and there’s nothing we’d want and couldn’t get
Regarding the legality of our stay in this country, we have 30 days to renew our visas after the quarantine is lifted
During this time when the Filipinos are celebrating catholic Easter, we were informed that there will no longer be checkpoints and that we can go out, even to the beach (some say we are allowed to walk between checkpoints anyways, meaning from an intersection to another)
Although we have a huge back yard (land that the family we live at owns) we don’t use it more than before. We only have the psychological comfort it exists 🙂
“look at the sky” hasn’t been more useful than now 🙂
we work out 3 times a week (same as before) and sometimes we play Badminton or use the SlackLine. I haven’t lost or gained weight, but I definitely lost my tonus. Both physically as well as morally
During the first weeks, I cooked every day and it exhausted me (I don’t mean to offend anyone who successfully does this daily for years now, juggling a job and 3 kids, I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining) but I have the feeling that everything depends on me, that I am responsible for everyone around me to be fed. I feel that now, more than ever, I have to be creative and serious and if not me… than no one does. At some point I said “stop” and we regrouped. I started making time for myself as well, started thinking about some sort of quarantine content for social media, and keep my mind active with something other than just recipes. I’ve always found joy in cooking, but now, in light of this situation we’re going through, I felt like the joy was taken over by need. Especially since we live in a remote, tropical area. This means seasonal food, perishables, things that don’t fit the fridge, dishes that can’t be cooked in large amounts, insects, ants, high temperatures, stove with gas tank and the list can go on and on.
Because we are all in the same boat it means we’re all around our house which means NOISE. Everyone is around everyone at the same time. They talk, sing, yell. It’s a racket 🙂
We were hoping for better internet now that all the tourists are gone, but it’s as bad as ever
Alcohol is no longer sold so lucky those who have some stock made or have friends with restaurants 🙂 In this light, a sari-sari owner told us he could anticipate what comes next by the type of alcohol the Filipino workers would drink. If they drank San Mig Pilsen that meant they had money if they switched to Red Horse that meant they wanted to get drunk fast from a beer. If they went to Tanduay (rum) that meant they had no money and things we’re serious. If they didn’t have any of those, then you should brace yourself… 🙂
Many people got stuck with workers they need to pay, sitters that never made it home, guests who never left and so on
We received a bag with 3 kg of rice, 2 packs of coffee, and one pack of sugar, like once. Oh, and a baguette from city hall because we donated the frontliners 🙂

We anticipate that the quarantine period will be extended or, if not, after a short breather, we’ll go back to isolation. The president declared that he intends to keep people in their homes until a medication or vaccine will be invented and will become available in the area.

As far as the life of those around me goes, the locals, it hasn’t changed considerably. They have the same habits, the children are now with the rest of the family. Obviously, those who worked for foreigners have lost their income but this was never a problem. Not in rural areas. In Manila everything is frozen, nothing works. They slowly released merchandise transportation, the lockdown closed even factories that were producing medical equipment and disinfectant. Cebu Pacific and Philippines Airlines have docked almost their entire fleet and I foresee hard times for aviation. They recommend for tickets to be postponed and not canceled and they hope that tourists will come back soon to the area. We’ll see if that ends up happening…