Banking on hope amid the Covid-19 pandemic

Hope may be in short supply these days, given the continuing health crisis and the economic toll that is just emerging. But hope can also bolster the mettle of people in distress. History, for instance, offers examples of how people overcame adversity. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the end of World War 2. Granted, the anniversary of the victory in Europe earlier this May was overshadowed by the pandemic. But for the Philippines and elsewhere in Asia, the war did not end until after Japan surrendered on Sept. 2, 1945.

True, Filipinos collectively have a short memory, even a lack of affinity with history. Good thing that before the outbreak of of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), James Scott’s book Rampage: MacArthur, Yamashita and the Battle of Manila came out. It reminds us, in grisly details for some parts, about the atrocities endured by Filipinos during the Japanese occupation. The situation worsened as Americans returned to fulfill the promise of Gen. Douglas MacArthur. Nearly all of Manila was razed to the ground. Civilians were slaughtered, including women and children.