Gathering

May 25, 2020 | Philippines | 20-29 years

I was in line to get into a place. I can't remember what for—perhaps a concert, a grocery store, a conference? I've been talking and interacting with everyone around me comfortably until I was suddenly hit with a grim realization: "Isn't this a mass gathering? Oh god, we're gonna die.”

Note: Dreamer adds, “I live in the Philippines and, to my knowledge, we've had the longest lockdown in the world. I've only stepped outside maybe less than ten times since the lockdown started in March 16 and I've been working from home since late March. I'm actually one of the lucky ones in all this mess. This government is spending most of its budget on paid trolls for propaganda, ignoring its citizens' demands for transparency and mass testing. Government officials, politicians and police officers would break protocols and instead of facing repercussions, the government would ask for our empathy and understanding in all this. Meanwhile many have died in the hands of a military-manned COVID-19 task force, claiming these violators need to be taught a lesson. And yet my anxieties & anger is absolutely minuscule compared to the Filipinos who are suffering and dying from this disease & the lack of help this government is extending to its citizens.”