The New Normal (Philppine style)

[scott h]

We all know that things are going to change until a vaccine is developed and widely disseminated. In the states gone are Baseball, basketball, football, rock concerts and President rallies (joke guys, lighten up )

Here in the PI Mano Po (or money Po) is gone (wonder where the kids are going to get money for candy) crowding and cutting in line at the bakery are gone. 

On a more serious note, I read in the paper that to open up the tourist industry, things are going to change. Hotels will no longer offer buffet breakfast my personal favorite.

But if we take that to the logical end Buffet restaurants are a huge industry here in Manila, just along the bay by Mall of Asia I believe there are 8 big ones,,,,Vikings size. They are a mainstay for middle income Pinoy families for birthday celebrations. Reasonable price, decent menu and all you can eat. But elbow to elbow on weekends. I have to assume these are gone as we know them.

Filipino society is very "social"  in a cradle to grave sense. Huge christening parties, birthday parties, commencement parties, wedding parties and parties at funerals......

Wonder just how drastically this is going to change the culture...…….or will the new normal just be ignored 

Thoughts?

[Jack Peterson]

22 minutes ago, scott h said:

Wonder just how drastically this is going to change the culture.

 Scott, I am not sure it will, These people have had many hardships all their life in one way or another, Today is Today for them and Tomorrow is another day ( to be coped with as Today again) They have coped far better than we ( The Foreigner) throughout all this, I have just been talking to our Local Shopkeeper and he tells me that not once has he had any problems during the enhanced Lockdown, not even with the Liquor ban. Today it is as normal here in our Purock It was really only me that had the Grouchies and that was mainly because I can't get out. All in All There has been no suffering, Not even in this House. I think that we can and should learn from this, Integration brings to mind the world Togetherness. The Locals have made sure that we (me) have not gone without  Hats off to them, They have always been most Welcoming and throughout this they have shown me Jungle Survival at Province Level. Yes! We have done a lot for them over the Years but now they have repaid in Kind with making sure I as the only Foreigner in the Area was OK. That is part of the Culture here that I am 100% sure will not Change

[scott h]

2 minutes ago, Jack Peterson said:

100% sure will not Change

I hear ya Jack.

I am thinking about the parts of the culture (that a quite endearing) that involve close personal contact. Weather it be elbow to elbow in a buffet line or the Pelenke. Beso, Beso, Mano Po, Wakes, 1 year old birthday parties, graduation parties from 6th grade, having lunch with 15 batch mates. Filipinos just love large social gathers. 

[Jack Peterson]

Just now, scott h said:

I hear ya Jack.

I am thinking about the parts of the culture (that a quite endearing) that involve close personal contact. Weather it be elbow to elbow in a buffet line or the Pelenke. Beso, Beso, Mano Po, Wakes, 1 year old birthday parties, graduation parties from 6th grade, having lunch with 15 batch mates. Filipinos just love large social gathers. 

 Well rightly or wrongly, our Locals have been having them all through, Splitting the Attenders around the houses, As we say "Where there is a will there will be a way" and these people know how to do it Culture is Culture and it is theirs, Even in Marcos's days and the Curfews of Martial Law they were still doing what ( To them I am told) is their way of Life  These people will not yield to Oppression and I think we are seeing this now, They won't take on the Government or the Police but they will take it underground and that is from what I see, for them, I am not sure there will be a "New Normal" it will be Just be Today so lets Eat 

[GeoffH]

My guess?

 

I don't think this will change the way Filipinos of existing generations act, it might cause some generational change in younger Filipinos but if it does it will take a 'generation' and we won't see change until the young are the 'in charge' generation and most of us will be pushing up daisies by then I suspect.

[hk blues]

My tuppence -

This has gone on for about 2-3 months - lockdowns all over the world are being loosened, rightly or wrongly.  It's safe to assume that there is an urgency to get back to normal.  I suspect we will see the strictness of social distancing etc slowly, or not so slowly, diminishing pretty quickly.  I cannot see this having a significant long-term impact on how we live.

[Kuya John]

Morning Guy's

Although there are no immediate plans to loosen the lockdown here in UK, I just can't see industry or Commerce ever going back to normal by the way they are proposing to continue social distancing!

Normal day to day business and social interaction requires close contact in many ways, for weeks now I have not seen actual cash pass hands, surely that cannot become the norm?

Human contact and even in the animal world personal contact is part life, virus or no virus, eventually people the world over will start to realise that life as we know it must return at any cost financially or otherwise.....

just my thoughts having watched the latest information unfold.

 

[Kuya John]

6 hours ago, GeoffH said:

My guess?

 

I don't think this will change the way Filipinos of existing generations act, it might cause some generational change in younger Filipinos but if it does it will take a 'generation' and we won't see change until the young are the 'in charge' generation and most of us will be pushing up daisies by then I suspect.

The kids already have had a "generational change"

Have you ever tried to talk to one while they have a cell phone in their hands ?

They even text each other while they are in the same room!

 

Edited May 1, 2020 by Kuya John

[Shady]

9 hours ago, scott h said:

Wonder just how drastically this is going to change the culture...…

Or change the tourism industry, which is a large part of the culture. 

[Kuya John]

 

2 hours ago, Shady said:

Or change the tourism industry, which is a large part of the culture. 

Welcome to the forum Shady

Maybe an introduction to your being in Philippines whether as a tourist or a more permanent basis will give us a better understanding when you post. Enjoy the forum.