Reflection Paper on the COVID-19 Pandemic

in connection to the course

Accounting for Government and Non-profit Organizations

Submitted by
Abby Gail A. Tiongson
AC181

May 4, 2020
 What COVID-19 Taught Me about Government Accounting

As a student, I was initially happy when classes were temporarily suspended for a week.

Besides from avoiding the risk of being affected by this terrible virus, I will be able to fix my

sanity again and breathe from stress caused by academics and other personal dramas in my life.

However, when I check any social media sites, everything is in chaos - a mix of fake and

credible sources of the news and a wave of divisive political posts about the quarantine.

Everyone is frightened, alarmed, and anxious. It was not long after when the class suspension

extended for another month when President Duterte ordered a "lockdown" for the entire Metro

Manila. Then, it evolved into an "enhanced community quarantine" covering the entire Luzon. I

did my best to stay well-informed about the actions of the government in this trying time.

Before ‘ECQ’, I have learned enough to know that the Php 275 billion emergency funds

was appropriated and allotted with no concrete plans promulgated or at least a special budget

execution documents to appease the public about where it is going to be used. This is a natural

reaction from the citizens of the Philippines knowing the corrupt and ugly nature of our

government especially in terms of handling money. This has caused a great uproar in most

social media sites. Being unable to provide transparency and accountability in a democratic

republic nation is a big problem. This is why our government have four phases of budget cycle

to ensure that every disbursement is authorized and used accordingly. However, I believe that it

is also a struggle for the government to be sure of the necessary actions, that’s why they can’t

give a complete plan, no one expected a pandemic after all. 275 billion is a huge lump of money,

I just wish that the national government gave it to LGUs in some sort of installment for better

monitoring and auditing. The ripple effect of this virus seems never ending, thus, as a student I

can only help the government by staying at home and following the social distancing policies.