Fil C. Sionil It’s been a relatively quiet 37 days since the lockdown here in the heartland of the Makati Central Business District. I miss the early morning siren that signals the first shift of the construction in the nearby Ayala Triangle, the honk of the vehicles passing by, and the sight of boisterous batch of millennials working in BPOs, including those chinky-eyed POGO employees. Yes, am again counting the days for the lifting of the quarantine. How and where do we start? Where do we go from there? How are going to navigate the new norm that will arise from the lockdown? Are we ready for it? How are you feeling right now? Excited, scribbling a to-do list once we get out of the confinement or just plain placid, calm? The advice, however, is: we have to manage our expectations to avoid that we wallow on depression. There are propositions for authorities meeting on a daily basis to assess the situation at the Palace by the River, to, instead of a removal, consider the alternative approach of a calibrated lockdown. The views on the emerging calibrated approach are contrarian! If only all of us are following instructions. “I would rather have a struck implementation, which is still not happening. There are many violators,” commented the noticeably exasperated Eduardo Sergio “Boy” G. Edeza, senior vice president for treasury of food and beverage conglomerate, San Miguel Corporation. His opposition mainly stemmed from the “pasaways (downright hard headed), who despite the restrictions still violate the SSS. Nope, it’s not the state pension fund but the cur¬rent mantra of Stay-safe, stay-healthy, stay-at-home. Based on Philippine National Police statistics, violators have surpassed the 100K mark, some of whom were, get this, the local village (Barangay) officials, themselves, who should have been handy sentinel in their community. Close contact is a fertile ground for the second wave of contagion. This former TOP (Treasurer of the Philippines) is not, altogether, against the graduated approach. He’s open-minded provided authorities have to institute a “well, thought-out guidelines” for everyone to fol¬low. No exception. The guidelines should include the continuance of these two important words – social distancing, which have been reverberating in my mind like a last song syndrome, must strictly be enforced. No slacken up of our guards yet. BDO Universal Bank Chief market analyst Jonas Ravelas is more emphatic. Haste makes waste. “I am just being conservative. We have yet to flatten the curve. And, premature relaxation could lead to reinfection. We could again be back to an extended lock¬down.” Just like in a vehicle, after weeks of not being used, it necessitates prepping-up the engine before taking it for a spin and a full speed ahead. This metaphor describes the current state of the country’s domestic economy. Essential sectors of the economy have to do a reboot. “Absolutely. I am for slight loosening of the ECQ. We have to somehow do a restart,” said RCBC President Eugene Acevedo. While WFH (work from home) should remain the mode for other segments of the economy, there’s a need to loosen-up the other sectors, particularly the manufacturing side. One good story to tell is the recovery of former Prime Minister Cesar E.A. Virata. Sometime March, PM Virata suffered a mild stroke then reportedly developed a pneumonia, which progressed. To cut the long story short, PM Virata conquered COVID-19. “The management knew he was discharged,” affirmed Mr. Eugene. PM Virata, 89, sits in the board of RCBC. Talkback to me at sionil731@ gmail.com