GOODBYE 'OLD NORMAL', WELCOME 'NEW NORMAL'

By Philip M. Lustre Jr. 

IT appears to be a compelling thought that what we consider the “old normal” may not come back at all. Hence, we have to come to grip that the “new normal” is already on us. The only choice to is accept it and adapt to it.

In brief, those scenes where we shake hands, smile a lot, talk animatedly, or laugh boisterously are things of the past. Now, social distancing, not physical contact, is the norm. But this is only the starting point. The new normal connotes massive changes in the educational system, particularly schools, workplace, and every mode of human interaction.

“The realization that there is no going back to the ‘old normal’ is a somber thought. It is now imperative that global, regional, and national commitments are geared towards transitioning properly to the ‘New Normal,’” says DICT Secretary Gregorio Honasan in his June 22 letter to Antique Rep. Loren Legarda, the deputy speaker who chairs the House committee on the new normal.

The Legarda committee on the new normal has been ascertaining the various roadmaps and agendas, which the line agencies have come out to adapt to the effects of the pandemic. It has been holding public hearings to hear the views of state officials. It has yet to come out with a consolidated report, which it would submit to Congress to serve as its guide and input for various purposes including the proposed national budget for 2021.

“These commitments would entail addressing the challenges and gaps in digital technologies and infrastructure that are now critical components of pandemic preparedness and socio-economic resilience and sustainability,” the DICT paper says.

The DICT paper indicates the pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus called Covid-19 has come suddenly to challenge mankind to adapt immediately. Because the pandemic has overhauled human interaction, It says the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has to hasten the development and use of digital technology as the principal mode of communications.

“The experience of recent months in the Philippines saw the acceleration of the country’s adoption of digital technologies, both in direct intervention efforts such as providing immediate response to health, medical and other emergencies, and other mitigating initiatives,” the DICT paper says.

“The use of these technologies has surged due to the increase in citizens’ access of social services, educational and job opportunities and livelihood online; not to mention the migration of socio-political and economic activities of both the public and private sector to cyberspace in the span of only a few weeks,” it says.

“With the increasing dependence and reliance on digital technologies, there is a need to strengthen Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure and ensure that every citizen has access to vital services. On the macro level, there is a need to ensure minimal disruption of our governance and economic processes in order to survive under the ‘New Normal,’” it says.

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After the Department of Health, which takes the pandemic head on, the DICT is probably the second busiest state agency. It will have to take the bull by its horn as it has to hasten laying down the digital technologies under the era of the new normal. As the lead agency to lead the country’s digital transformation for the new normal, the DICT will have to identify and put in use the necessary digital technologies in the new normal.

Take education, for instance. The old normal where students were gathered in classroom for face-to-face instructions does not appear practical at the moment. In its lieu is distance learning, where students use digital technologies in their homes to get instruction from their teachers. The sheer magnitude of this task forces DICT to work triple time.

“The subsequent surge in demand for Internet access has exposed the gaps in the country’s digital infrastructure that need the most urgent attention. The forthcoming opening of the academic school year on the 24th August 2020, for example, is the first major litmus test of the country’s digital capacity to provide connectivity in public places where students may be able to access the Internet for free,” the DICT paper says.

“The task of providing Internet access to public areas, which is the primary mandate of the Free Wifi for All Program (FW4A),5 places an immense responsibility on the DICT to provide connectivity to a majority of these communal locations,” it says.

The workplace is another area which the DICT would have to intervene. The old normal where workers gather in a single workplace is no different from the classroom. Workers would have to work at home. Again, the DICT intervention is necessary to lay down the digital infrastructure to ensure viability of the work from home lifestyle.

“The Digital Workforce Program is aimed at bridging the skill gaps necessary for the Filipino workforce to transition and adapt to the demands and needs of the ‘New Normal.’ It focuses on building the capacities of Filipino workers in the Government or Public Sector, as well as those belonging to the vulnerable industries,” the DICT paper says.

Developing digital education and digital workforce would require the task to develop digital skills of teachers, students and workers and laying down the digital infrastructure, which includes the establishment of the National Broadband Program to ensue digital connectivity to the entire country.

A DAY OF TWO FILIPINO MUSICAL TRADITIONS

By Philip M. Lustre Jr.

N.B. I was in Intramuros on March 25, 2018  (Palm Sunday) and I witnessed the following Filipino musical traditions.)

FILIPINO musical traditions hardly die. In fact, they persist. And I saw why and how.

I was witness this afternoon to two genres of Filipino musical traditions. I swear before the graveyard of my most beloved grandmother that they are very much alive today. The influx of modernity and other pernicious influences – local and foreign - do not affect adversely their musical survival.

I was about to enter the National Commission on Culture and Arts (NCCA) building in Intramuros to interview a source about the ecological issues confronting Boracay island and watch a rondalla concert there, when I saw denizens in the nearby urban poor community doing what we call “Pabasa,” or the singing of the sufferings and passions of Jesus Christ at the hands of His tormentors.

Pabasa, also called “Pasyon,” is a musical epic narrative of Jesus Christ focusing on his sufferings, death, and resurrection. It is a tradition that dates back to the Spanish colonial rule. It starts on Palm Sunday and ends during Easter Sunday. Hence, it is a week-long, 24-hour musical tradition usually done without any stop.

The musical tradition requires denizens to sing the he suffering and passion of the Lord Jesus in a monotone continuous voice. Assigned singers alternate in completing the weekly musical ritual. It is part of the tradition of the Roman Catholic Church, of which an overwhelming number of Filipinos belong.

I went to the Pasyon, where about nine persons gathered before an improvised altar with a white cloth on the wall and a table with three statues, two, Jesus Christ and one, Blessed Virgin Mary, a crucifix, and a lighted candlelight. They appeared to be neighbors in an urban poor comnunity. The women wore shorts and blouses, or the so-called “pambahay” type, and pairs of slippers. A lone guy was in sando and shorts too.

Each singer had a copy of a “Awit at Salaysay ng Pasyon ng Panginoong Hesus Kristo.” I was told it was the official copy of the Roman Catholic Church. A copy has about 100 pages. After completing reading and singing each page of the pamphlet, the Pasyon singers would repeat it again until they reach Eastern Sunday.

Pasyon is essentially a form of street music. It is meant to be sung on the streets, although, in some provinces, they do it in the comforts of a home. It is part of the Filipino culture of “panata,” or pledge. A person does the panata usually as an act of atonement for his sins. Following religiously a given panata could mean spiritual salvation for a devotee.

I was told certain musical scholars have attempted to give musical structures to Pasyon, but this has not been successful. Pasyon is Pasyon. It is not meat to be so structured unike othr formal musical genres. So long as the spirit of the song are there, it does not matter how its singers would do it.

After watching the Pasyon, I went to the NCCA auditorium to see the rondalla concert. For the first part, the 17-man NCCA Employees Union did some Filipino and western musical compositions. The second part had the six-man Cesar Espejo Rondalla Band, which did three Filipino songs (Pasa Doble, Matud Nila, and Dalagang Filipino) and three western Music selections (Couchard, Sole Mio, and Dance of the Dwarves).

I saw some rondalla bands performing in the malls or elsewhere, but in the small auditorium like the NCCA’s, rondalla music is delicate. A slight mistake could be fatal. This afternoon, I saw the rondalla players doing it with unparalleled musical virtuosity, clarity, and discipline.

The Cesar Espejo’s Rondalla Band did justice to the songs. Although it only had six members, what I saw and heard music that was most exhilarating to the soul. A rondalla band has four instruments – banduria, octavina, guitar, and double bass – but skillful players could produce outstanding music.

I left the auditorium deeply satisfied at our own musical traditions. Yes, we could claim to the world that we are a musical people. Filipinos know their music.