On one’s uppers

Whoever you are reading this blog, I sincerely pray you’re safe and getting by. We’ve all heard this many, many times in the past six months, that we are in unprecedented times. People are not just anxious about the thought of probably catching Covid, but also of the fact that many of us are on shaky financial grounds.

I’m thankful to God every single day because I’ve been luckier than most people. Even if I had to take a significant 50% pay cut, at least I still have a job and able to pay the bills. There are also people who helped even without me asking for it. Such generosity is hard to come by these days. 

I have eliminated non-essential spending. In the first months of the pandemic when I was still getting full pay, I order food online almost every day and frequent online shopping sites. Now I am on a triage mode where I’m prioritizing our needs and monthly bills while trying to keep my expenses down. So far, I’m getting by and thankfully, still afloat. 

I wish I could say the same for everyone. Many were laid off due to business closures and stay-at-home orders and are now scraping a living. Some of them are people I know personally.

For the past few months, I have been a witness to other people’s struggles. Some had gone quite desperate that I would have messages on Facebook from mere acquaintances asking for financial help. I can imagine how humiliating it is to ask other people for money, but when the need arises and it becomes a matter of survival, most will have no choice but to swallow their pride.

Of course, if I have my way, I would help every single one of them, but I’m also living paycheck to paycheck at the moment and almost have no extra money left. Not to mention I have regular obligations looming over my head. 

Just yesterday I was at the parlor waiting for my turn for a pedicure when I overheard the staff talking about one of their colleagues who was brought earlier that day to the ER. That man, Roger, was asking the management for a CA (cash advance). I didn’t mean to eavesdrop at the reception guy’s side of the conversation, but he was the one trying to relay Roger’s message to the boss on the other line: “Kahit 1,000 lang daw po. Pandagdag lang sa pambili ng gamot.” 

I can read from the guy’s downtrodden face that the request wasn’t granted. When the call ended, he told everyone that the management wouldn’t allow CAs even for Roger’s case. I’m not sure if that has been their rule ever since, or perhaps only because we’re on a pandemic.  

My heart sank. I have some money inside my wallet and was thisclose to just handing them 1,000 pesos so they can give it to Roger (who I heard is still in the ER) but held back as I don’t want to appear flashy or pompous. Besides, I do not know the man and actually don’t know any of the parlor’s staff personally, but I just can’t understand why the management wouldn’t consider it as it was after all an emergency. Geesh, as if a measly thousand bucks would make their business go bankrupt. 

The staff then agreed to just dole out 100 pesos each to help out their colleague. It’s quite obvious that they’re also having it tough but one of them said it’s the least they could do. I guess, no one would understand such a plight other than a coworker. 

Witnessing all of this first hand made me sad.  I’ve been broke before and I know the feeling of having to go around in dire need for cash and it does something to your pride and self-esteem. 

There are a lot of stories like this happening every day. Here in the Philippines where the number of cases surged past 200,000 and more businesses are closing, financial hardship is the reality. We all heard of that jobless man who was nabbed for stealing a sealed plastic bag of pork in a mini grocery. I mean, I do not condone the act but it only magnifies the desperate state many of us are in right now. 

They said we are not on the same boat and this pandemic affects us in different ways. But if you’re one of those who are on their uppers and experiencing extreme financial difficulty, hang in there. I hope we can soon bounce back from all of this.