Sana marami pang maisulat na mga kuwentong sumasalamin sa sitwasyon ng mga katulad kong mag-isang lumalaban sa buhay. Dumarami ang aming hanay; nakikita ko ang ilan (mapa-lalaki man o babae) sa korte, sa trabaho, sa lansangan. At marami rin akong nababasa online na mga istorya ng kanilang buhay, kadalasan ay dumadaing at humihingi ng saklolo; nakadudurog ng puso dahil wala akong magawa para sa kanila kundi ang ipagdasal na sana maging okey rin sila. Sana kahit papaano, maging maayos na ang takbo ng ating buhay at magkaroon ng sapat na trabaho sa “new normal” para makabangon na tayo sa pandemyang ito. At higit sa lahat, sana mamulat na ang mga mamamayan natin sa tunay na kalaban. Ipagdarasal ko nang taimtim ‘yan.

– Tessa Godoy Reyes

COVID-19 Journals
Edited by Ma. Diosa Labiste, Pinky Serafica, Diana Mendoza, and Chi Laigo-Vallido

This collection of women’s stories represents a little more than a year of living under the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It is a year remembered in the Philippines for the nationwide strict lockdown that took place from March to May 2020, and yet another hard lockdown from March 28 to April 11, 2021, rounding out the year in crisis. This book joins the growing literature and publications of stories that document the lives of women and their communities drained by the pandemic. The stories function as a logbook of the various stages of lockdown, starting with mothers selling vegetables and cooked food in their neighborhood and ending with a minutely detailed account of receiving a vaccine. Eighteen writers present the experiences, events, and facts they encountered. Here, they explore moments of living in extraordinary times, and write them in a manner that the circumstances, grounded in life and vivid details, become remarkable.

Publication Year: 2021
Language: Filipino, English
Format: Print
Pages: 144
Size: 5.8” x 8.3”
Selling Price: Php 350