By Atty. Howie Calleja
A week ago, Filipinos all over the country waited breathlessly as the winner of the first-ever Miss Universe Philippines was announced. As soon as the queen’s name left the host’s lips, social media exploded with congratulatory messages and the annual dissection of who gave the most “queenly” answer – but, what made this year’s competition noticeably different from all other pageants was the distinct lack of cheers from an arena crowd. Beauty queens are rockstars in the country, going on to becoming spokeswomen, entertainment industry mainstays, and even politicians. And yet, as Ms. Rabiya Mateo waved to the camera, there was no one enveloping her in a group hug. The reason is obvious: we are still in the midst of a global pandemic. Though for the lovely ladies it was a moment of celebration, and a symbol of hope for those at home, the virus wasn’t far from anyone’s minds.
Just as we thought that, perhaps, events and the new normal could coexist, we were jarred back to the harsh reality. A few short days after we found our representative to Miss Universe, the PBA declared an indefinite suspension of games after COVID-19 threatened the bubble of professional athletes. Despite the millions spent on ensuring health regulations were followed, a lack of an audience, and assurances that the bubble was vehemently protected, two people contracted the virus. The suspension lasted less than a week as the league declared yesterday that the games would continue, following the negative results of those who initially tested positive. Typhoons -and now an aggressive virus- have tried, but nothing seems to stop the nation’s love for basketball. As important as the sport is to the country, and the need for even a small semblance of normalcy, have we forgotten just how serious the pandemic is?
The lapse in judgment seems to continue, as CHED presented a list of protocols which, if complied with, would allow student-athletes to resume the trainings. Among the recommendations include isolating teams and their coaches within school dormitories, routine disinfection, as well as reengineering the school facilities to allow for placement of handwashing facilities. And what choice would these students have, if schools decide to resume the trainings? After all, they are under a contract. But if professional leagues, where the money is no object, prove that the risk of transmission and infection do not completely cease when there is still no vaccine, then what hope to schools have? In a pre-COVID world, the minimum training requirements weren’t even provided for athletes in some of the UAAP schools; how could we now expect them to spend for isolated quarters and regular testing? Though CHED seemed to be moving towards bringing our athletes back, the desire to resume was enough to elicit negative responses from coaches, UAAP board members, and Senators alike.
With a beauty pageant successfully completed, one would think that events could continue. We have to acknowledge the determination of the Miss Universe team for the lengths they went to for safety precautions: in addition to social distancing and constant swab testing, the contestants were divided into separate batches to allow for absolute minimal contact. With no news of a positive case, it was obvious that these efforts were fruitful. How then, can I applaud the efforts of the team behind Ms. Universe and, in the same breath, question the intelligence behind the decision to bring back sports events? Well, the difference lies in the fact that a beauty pageant is not a contact sport (At least, as far as we know.). It is an incredibly difficult undertaking, but it is possible to continue events where social distancing can be implemented – without it making for a very boring basketball game.
Sporting matches are a breeding ground for bacteria and due to the contact nature of many of the UAAP events, make for easy transmission of the virus. So what are we now saying to professionals, and students, athletes? That our need for entertainment is somehow more important than their safety? And how are these athletes, under contract, supposed to refuse? Our athletes are not showing ponies, nor is their worth measured by their entertainment value. The risk to their health will never be gone until we get a vaccine. So, now, the message is that they are just commodities, to be used when we need to forget about our problems and maintain a sense of normalcy.
In the past few months, there has been an upward trajectory of cases in the country. But, while the number of infected increases, the fear of the virus is noticeably diminishing. By recommencing sporting events, we are only fooling ourselves into thinking that the new normal is back to normal. Though we must continue to have hope, we cannot be foolish. Perhaps our new Ms. Universe said it best when she was asked if pageants were essential during a health crisis: in these dark times, we need a light. Bringing our community together during a crisis is essential but, if we ask our athletes and entertainers to do so at the risk of their own health, we will only drive the country further apart.
