The Philippines’ COVID-19 Response

Abstract

The Philippine response to COVID-19 has been described as being one of the longest and strictest lockdowns in the world. Why has the Philippine government relied heavily on draconian measures in its “war” against COVID-19? And what discourse informed the framing of its response as a war against the virus? This article argues that the government’s reliance on draconian measures was a consequence of securitising COVID-19, appreciating the virus as an “existential threat.” The securitisation of COVID-19 was reinforced with a narrative characterising the situation of the country as being at war against an “unseen enemy.” This war-like narrative, however, invariably produced a subject, the pasaway. As the perpetual enemy of health and order, the pasaway became the target of disciplining and policing. The targeting of the pasaway was informed by deep-seated class prejudices and Duterte’s authoritarian tendencies.

Motivation and travel risk in visiting Camarines Sur during COVID–19 pandemic

“…Hou et al (2021) claimed in their study that the COVID-19 most impacts the Filipinos in terms of job employment or job hours reduction. Similarly, the study of Hapal (2021) has also shown that there has been a noticeable drop in the employment rate in the Philippines since the start of lockdowns implemented across the archipelagic country.…”

Community pharmacists’ perspective and professional fulfillment regarding online selling of over-the-counter and prescription drugs during COVID-19 in Metro Manila

“…Starting March 13, 2020, implemented community quarantine in the National Capital Region and it was expanded to "ECQ" on the entire island of Luzon on March 16, 2020 [17]. The whole island is under total lockdown, and later on, the major cities, Cebu and Davao also put under ECQ.…”

Overseas Filipino workers and the COVID-19 pandemic: Exploring the emotional labor of persistence

“…Kakay's statement, “bahala ka sa buhay mo”, which loosely translates to “you're on your own”, captures how the Philippine state abandoned and neglected its citizens, especially during the pandemic, when the state response is an extreme form of militarization, rather than scientifically backed policies and regulations ( Hapal, 2021 ). While bahala ka sa buhay mo is a common phrase in Filipino, the meaning of which ranges from “whatever” to “you're on your own”, here Kakay articulated the weight that the phrase has accumulated in the past months because of the pandemic, her situation as an OFW, and the Philippine state's role in this situation.…”