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Next New Normal
Jose Luis Pablo “My orders are to the police and military, also the barangay, that if there is trouble or the situation arises that people fight and your lives are on the line, shoot them dead.” –President Rodrigo Duterte, during a televised address on April 1, 2020 Wash twenty times Pass or fail Online conference lag Extended work hours Broken body clock Balcony city karaoke Next door recital Knitted a sweater Watered the plants Baked own bread Whipped dalgona coffee Bedroom turned gym Took ten selfies Lip-sync obsession Weddings without guests Canceled vacation flights Riskier than Cesarean Check your mindfulness Binged every show Twitter cancel parties Neighborhood donation drives Helped from home Long-distance tribulation Protests for haircuts Liquor ban withdrawal Viral rant video Cabin fever outbreak Imagine celebrities singing Joined volunteer caravan Fought a troll Read daily obituaries Funerals without wakes Spontaneous panic attacks |
“Footage of the incident . . . showed nearby residents trying to stop [Police Master Sergeant Daniel] Florendo from shooting Winston Ragos, a retired soldier who supposedly violated the enhanced community quarantine protocols.” –CNN Philippines, April 23, 2020 Doctors catching disease Vending to nobody Relying on relief Walked five days Infection across jails Not martial law Late night gaslight Kill the virus Trust the badge Law and order Serve and protect Shoot them dead Shoot to kill Quezon City checkpoint Post-traumatic stress disorder Ghosts of Marawi Shouting and intimidating Threatened the police Searched his bag Pulled a gun He shot first Arms in air Raised in surrender Who to believe? Two warning shots Found their mark Dropped onto gravel Made judgment call Street death sentence War shock slay War without victors War with victims Winston Ragos, 34 |