THE VIEW FROM RIZAL

By DR. JUN YNARES

Dr. Jun Ynares

“We will miss the entertainment shows.”

That was the gist of the reactions from friends and colleagues in the local government sector. The reactions came after they heard the news that a major broadcasting network has stopped its operations after it was served with a cease-and-desist order by a government regulatory agency. The order came after the franchise of the network lapsed.

As we write this column, the fate of the network remains uncertain. The last piece of news we heard about the matter, we learned that its lawyers had gone to the Supreme Court to stop the implementation of the halt-order.

Meanwhile, some quarters are pondering the possibility that the absence of the network from the airwaves may become part of the “new normal”. Their concern is that the entertainment which derived from some of the network’s programs would be a thing of the past. Their worry is that they may never see their favorite “stars” from that network on the screen again.

The fact is the face of local television broadcasting under the “new normal” has gone through massive transformation.

Before the lockdown, the greater amount of local broadcast time was dedicated to entertainment: morning cartoons, mid-morning teledrama, noontime variety shows, more drama in the afternoon, late afternoon game shows and more drama after the evening news and until sign-off.

The allocation of significant time to such shows catered to the public’s need and demand for “stars” – celebrities who represented two things in their lives: first, what they hope they could be some day; and, second, what they feel they could never be in this life.

Local broadcasting networks gave the public two sets of stars: celebrities in the world of entertainment; and, celebrities in the world of sports.

Many of these stars are young and are not even out of college. They have large following evidenced by the huge number of fans they have in the various social media sites. A single word or a simple picture posted in their sites would trigger an avalanche of approving emoticons and affirming, swooning comments.

Some would say they are “stars” in the truest sense of the word as it is used in movieland.

Today, one major “stage” where the “stars” stood in full display of their celebrity status is gone – maybe just for a while, maybe forever.

Some may “mourn” the passing away of such “stars.”

Our view is, there is a bright side to this.

With entertainment celebrities and athletic stars absent in our consciousness, we can now discover and rediscover other bigger “stars.”

Among them are the heroes at the frontline of the current battle against COVID 19. Today, much of the admiration and adulation are being given to this new breed of “stars” of the “new normal”: doctors, nurses, medical technologists, paramedics, nursing aides.

They include soldiers and policemen manning the checkpoints; the garbage collectors; the delivery guys who brave the risks posed by the present situation to bring groceries and food to locked-down homes.

Let us not forget the farmers and other food producers, as well as the other role-players in the food supply chain.

Not the least among the new “stars” are our local government unit workers and their counterpart at the barangay level. They have had their share of being maligned, bashed and even assaulted as they conducted relief operations in their respective jurisdictions. They have not abandoned their duties. They will continue to play a major role in the survival and well-being of our local communities as we move to a possible “general community quarantine” mode and until the world finds both a prevention and a cure to COVID 19.

The biggest “star” of this lock-down era is “we”. Yes, you and I. All of us.

We are facing today one of the biggest challenges to human existence in the past 100 years or so.

Regardless of how we may have behaved at the outset of the lockdown, the fact remains that we have faced the present realities with courage.

We struggled with the restraints, the constraints and the serious limitations imposed on our lives by this unseen virus.

Yet, we learned to deal with them. We have adjusted. Many of us have embraced the “new normal” and have discovered a way to thrive and prosper.

I know of a fellow Rizaleño whose videography and photography services business was doing very well prior to the lock-down.

His name is Jojo Paraiso, a Rizaleño from Taytay.

The lockdown has caused a halt to his prosperous business which included video coverage for weddings, events, workshops and training. The vanishing of the “old normal” had damaged his revenues.

The Rizaleño Jojo did not take things sitting down, did not waste his time wishing that things were back to the way they used to be.

Jojo immediately embarked on the food business. He began by offering fried and fresh egg rolls (lumpia). It became an instant hit in his community. Since fried “lumpia” is best eaten with vinegar, he came up with his formula for this favorite Filipino dip. He sold it together with his now-famous food offering.

Recently, Jojo had built a food cart for direct food buyers. His business model now includes online ordering and direct selling.

Jojo is a perfect example of the “stars” of the “new normal.” Like Jojo, they are quick to adjust, to innovate and to find ways to survive and thrive under current conditions.

We no longer need celebrities to dazzle and delight us.

Our display of our own heroism and tensile strength during these times is more than enough.

*For feedback, please email it to antipolocitygov@gmail.com or send it to #4 Horse Shoe Drive, Beverly Hills Subdivision, Bgy. Beverly Hills, Antipolo City, Rizal.