AT the same time a small store’s window is flung open in Muntinlupa, a woman crosses a narrow overpass in the eastern part of the metropolis; a bicycle in tow.

It’s another day of trudging on against the unknown but with a simple plan: both for Loida, the sari-sari store owner, and Elsa, the 30-year-old woman with the bicycle, it’s simply to earn something to get them through tomorrow.

The fortyish Loida de la Cruz (not her real name) said earning something is better than shutting down the store entirely and surrendering whatever hope there is amid the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown.