Celebrity-Faculty from Media and Communication Department— Compassion, Reassurance, Love and Peace to Defeat COVID-19

Mr. Romnick Sarmenta, a veteran actor and an invited lecturer from Media and Communication Department of the College of Arts, Sciences and Education of Trinity University of Asia shares his viewpoint amidst COVID-19 enhanced community quarantine extension. He stressed that there are locked down opinion due to COVID-19 pandemic that Filipinos experienced during its implementation that started on March 16, 2020 and extended until the 30th of April.

He furthered that, obviously, some of the feelings our students, faculty and community from Trinity University of Asia have are uncertainty, fear, confusion, anger, frustration, among others. These are the common emotions that people go through during this challenging time. In COVID-19 enhanced community quarantine, the government issued house arrest that made people feel uneasy, restless and anxious.

He stated that people are abuzz with panic and the need to secure food for themselves, for loved ones—and supplies that are supposed to last them for what: days, weeks, months and heaven forbid, for half a year?  The COVID-19 outbreak in the Philippines may be stressful for the Filipino people. Fear and anxiety about a disease can be overwhelming and cause strong emotions among us. But this scenario had built us a better community.

The celebrity actor cum college lecturer expressed:

“Due to COVID-19 enhanced community quarantine, we find ourselves detached from work, from social gatherings, from friends and family alike. We are warned against hugs and shaking hands and from kissing our loved ones. Now more than ever, we have more free time than we wanted. For better or worse, we actually have time for all the things we felt we never had time for in the past. And we are alone, even in the company of family. We have never felt so rested and restless at the same time” the celebrity actor turned lecturer expressed.”

“But perhaps if we use this time to learn instead of allowing ourselves to be affected by the negativity of the situation, if we decide to respond instead of react—then we may be able to see that this is to our advantage. In this time of lockdown, we have more time to reach out, and all the time in the world, so to speak, to really listen. We do not need to hurry to get our point across. We can afford to digest what others are saying, and respond to the best of our diplomatic abilities. We actually have the time to understand what others may be feeling, when everything around them seems bigger than themselves, and they do not know what will happen next… or when it is going to turn for the worse.”

“Amidst all this silence and suspense, we learn. The effects of locked down in the past two weeks brought an important understanding among us, that we have time now. And while we still have one another, it is time to invest in people. We are called to forgive, to reflect, to pray, to prepare ourselves in the best way possible.  For us to learn something new, invest in your mind and your well-being and in your family. We know now the value of work, of relationships, of family bonds and of time. We understand better that we are all on borrowed time.”

Lastly, Sir Nick as his students call him emphasized that COVID-19 pandemic is the time to cultivate, to plant seeds—of fruits and vegetables, seeds of friendship and relationships, and seeds of faith. And that we must make good use of what little we have, to make this life better for others. It is time for true charity—not to be measured by how much we can give, but how much we can share. Keeping in mind that needs are more important than wants, and that others may have need for the same thing—we can afford to be generous to others. It is time to spread Hope. It is time to spread Compassion, Reassurance, Love and Peace.