UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES - MANILA

College of Arts and Sciences

Department of Behavioral Sciences

COVID-19 Advocacy Proposal

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for ANTHRO 179:

Culture Change and Applied Anthropology

Submitted by:

Jerico J. Rivera

2017-45013

Submitted to:

Professor Teresa De Guzman

Second Semester, S.Y. 2019- 2020

 INTRODUCTION

Background of the Issue

A start of a new decade has begun. However, prior to its beginning the world has
been troubled by the occurrence of the killer virus that affected the whole world for
almost half a year now, and is now considered as a global health crisis. It is the COVID-
19 or coronavirus disease (previously known as novel coronavirus 2019).

It is a new strain of coronaviruses that has been found in Wuhan, China on

December 2019, where pneumonia outbreak of unknown cause was detected. It said to
be originated in one of the animal markets in Wuhan City which sells exotic foods like
bats which according to scientists is the most probable source of the virus and
transmitted to humans that later on resulted into human-to-human transmission as seen
in epidemiological evidences. However, as research about the origin of the virus
progresses there are different versions of stories and reports circulated about its onset,
but its origin remains uncertain. This novel SARS-CoV2 coronavirus has already been a
global pandemic and spread to over 170 countries around the world which already led
to almost five million confirmed cases with over 300,000 fatalities and over one million
recoveries, as of May 20, 2020 ("Coronavirus Update… ", 2020). This is apparently why
WHO described it as a 'grave threat to humanity' (“WHO says…”, 2020).

In the Philippines, the first case of COVID-19 was reported on January 30, 2020
which is a 38-year-old woman Chinese national. The Department of Health (DOH)
immediately investigated the case and conducted contact tracing. The second case was
her husband who and died on the 1st day of February 2020. The first recorded fatality of
the virus in the country. The first three recorded positive cases had a travel history from
Wuhan City and the first and third case returned to China after recovery. The first case
of local transmission in the country was recorded on the fifth and sixth case because
they do not have a recorded travel history. The Event-based Surveillance and
Response (ESR) Unit of DOH’s Epidemiology Bureau established a surveillance for
Patients Under Investigation (PUI) and Persons Under Monitoring (PUM) for COVID-19
on January 12,2020 (Department of Health, 2020). The DOH conducted and intensive
contact tracing and home quarantine of those people with close contact to the confirmed
cases of COVID-19 in collaboration with Local Government Units (LGUs). The main
institution in the country responsible for testing samples from probable cases is the
Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and conducts 300 tests per day during
that time. The UP National Institute of Health announced on February 4, 2019 that it
was able to develop tests kits for detecting the COVID-19 which is six times cheaper
from the foreign testing kits. The DOH also raised a COVID-19 to Code Red sublevel 1
in preparation for the possible community transmission of the virus as well as facilitating
mobilization of resources needed in case of emergency. Travel bans was also imposed
especially to those countries with positive cases of COVID-19 (Bautista & Lopez, 2020).

On March 9, 2020, the government declared a State of Public Health Emergency

through the signing of Proclamation 922, which allows the release of funds to local
governments and healthcare officials to immediately handle any further surge in cases.
President Rodrigo Duterte was also given 30 special powers by congress to address
COVID-19 (Tomacruz, 2020). Afterwards, the COVID-19 code Alert system was later on
turned into Red Sublevel 2 on 12 March when community transmission of COVID-19
was reported making its way to a partial Metro Manila lock-down announced on the
same day and continued until the complete lockdown in the entire Luzon on 14 April
which later on extended until April 30 and further extends until May 14. The lockdown
affects more than 50 million people. This lock-down means prohibiting people from
going outside their homes except for getting necessities to contain the spread of the
virus (Duddu, 2020). It also suspended workforce in the affected areas especially
National Capital Region (NCR) and its suburbs. The supposed idea of this lockdown is
to contain the spread of the virus and intensify a comprehensive contact tracing and
mass testing to isolate the cases of the COVID-19 to flatten the curve. The government
announced that they will start the mass testing on April 14 but one month later it is still
not happening (De Silva, 2020).

After two months of lockdown or the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ)

the number of positive cases is still increasing. As of this writing the positive cases
recorded in the country already reached more 13,000 with 3,000 recoveries and 846
deaths (DOH, 2020). It is still far from the ideal number to flatten the curve but the
government on May 14 already lifted the ECQ to some provinces and regions across
the country and revised it into either General Community Quarantine or Modified
Enhanced Community Quarantine which enables the operations of work in the
industries through alternative work arrangements like skeletal workforce for those
essential jobs and operations of malls and establishments while observing
precautionary measures and social distancing to avoid the spread of the virus. This
move by the government aims to revive the economy while global pandemic is
happening.

Despite the mounted multi-sectoral response of the Philippine government to

fight COVID-19, they are still struggling to flatten the curve of the people tested positive
from the disease. Through the continuous efforts of Interagency Task Force (IATF) on
Emerging Infectious Disease that is chaired by the Department of Health they
formulated a National Action Plan on COVID-19 to contain the spread of the infectious
disease and to mitigate its expected socioeconomic impacts (WHO, 2020). Several
public and private institutions and/or individuals are also helping together to address this
pandemic by giving donations and conducting fund raising. They raise funds and
donations to buy food, PPE, and hospital essentials that are highly needed by different
hospitals across the country especially those treating patients positive with COVID-19. It
is also the same from giving food packs to the families affected by the
lockdown/quarantine program of the government. The “Bayanihan” spirit of the Filipinos
can be seen even in just small amount of efforts and sacrifices.

The plan of action of the government in addressing this global health crisis has
gained so much attention and created various discourse by Filipino people, especially in
the social media. Contradicting point of views and arguments from netizens are
surfacing in different social media sites due to the controversies and misleading
information about the COVID-19 situation in the country. Despite the demands and call
of people for mass testing in the country; apparently, it is still far from possible
especially with the information released by the Office of the President that mass testing
is not feasible due to lack of budget. It is despite the 1.7 billion US dollars loan of the
country to Asian Development Bank and 600 million US dollars to World Bank (de Vera,
2020).

It is yet to determine the concrete plans of the government to save the country
from this invisible killer. However, we are still far from flattening the curve since cases in
the country is continuously increasing. Presently, there is still no approved vaccine that
can treat this virus, and this is the only way to treat this disease. Other countries are on
the progress of making its development and prospective vaccines are still on the
process of clinical trials before it is made available for use. Hopefully, they can fast-track
its trials so that it could already be used to stop the spread of this virus. Apparently,
what we can do right now is to cope with the new normal and spread awareness and
health measures to protect ourselves physically, mentally, and emotionally amid this
pandemic crisis. Promoting an intensified mass testing and contact tracing, conducting
psychosocial counselling, and advocating for a step-by-step shift to a “new normal”
would be a good initiative in dealing with this global threat.

People are divided based on their opinions about the government’s action in
fighting this unseen enemy. It is very apparent in the exchanges of ideas and opinions
of people as seen in different social media sites. The voices of the Filipino netizens
contribute to address the issues and criticisms about the action and plans of the
government.

What is COVID-19 (previously known as novel Coronavirus-2019)?

COVID-19 or Corona Virus Disease-19 is defined as an infectious disease

caused by a novel coronavirus, a new strain of coronavirus that is now called severe
acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; formerly called 2019-nCoV)
(“Coronavirus (COVID-19) Overview”, 2020).

According to a scientist from WHO, it comes from bats and can infect cats and
ferrets, however, it still needs further research to prove the suspected animal link to the
disease (World Health Organization, 2020). This novel coronavirus comes from a family
of coronaviruses that originate or spread in bats. According to Peter Ben Embarek, a
WHO expert in animal diseases that is communicable to humans, it is still uncertain on
what animal may have transmitted the disease to humans. Some studies suggested that
cats, ferrets, and perhaps dogs are prone to COVID-19 (World Health Organization,
2020).

Through small droplets from mouth or nose the disease might be spread when
an infected person coughs or sneezes. The elderly is more susceptible to this virus and
it can be more damaging for them the same with people who have preexisting medical
conditions. To prevent the spread or getting contact to this disease it is highly
recommended to observe proper hygiene like washing hands within 20 seconds,
covering the nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing. Observing social distancing
is also a must to prevent infections.

Symptoms of COVID-19

Symptoms of COVID-19 may appear about 2 to 14 days after exposure to the

virus, thus a minimum of 14-day quarantine or isolation is a must for the PUIs and
PUMs. The following are the symptoms of COVID-19: respiratory symptoms like cough
and shortness of breathing, fever, colds, chills or shaking, sore throat, loss of smell or
taste, muscle pain and headache. There are also possible symptoms that researchers
are looking into like rashes and skin diseases. It is important to note that all these
symptoms are not all-inclusive. There are also cases that a person infected can be
asymptomatic. Similar symptoms can be seen in both children and adults, and children
may have milder illness (“COVID-19 basics – Harvard Health”, 2020).

Goals and Objectives

Since there is still no approved vaccine that will cure COVID-19, the answer to
the question ‘when this virus will leave humanity? or will it really end?’ is still uncertain.
Study says that lockdowns and quarantines cannot really end the spread of the disease.
It is just a band aid solution to contain the virus and reduce the magnitude of the
outbreak. Although some countries already flattened their curve, the second wave of
infection still occurred as they resume the socioeconomic activities in their country.
Thus, it is evident that people cannot really go back into their normal lives if the virus
still exists. While other countries are already combatting the second wave of infections,
the cases in the Philippines are increasing continuously. Apparently, going back to our
normal routine is still far from reality. Hence, the goals of this advocacy are:

• To flatten the curve of the COVID-19 cases in the country before the end of
year 2020.
• To conduct psychosocial counselling and briefing to students, workers,
frontliners, and other vulnerable sectors of the society.

In order to achieve the abovementioned goals, these are the specific objectives
of the advocacy:

• To convince the government to intensify the conduct of free mass testing and
intensive isolation and contact tracing in the country to efficiently contain the
spread of the disease.
o Increase the funding to health sectors especially in the fight against
COVID-19.
• Mandatory psychosocial counselling before deployment of workers in the
industry, prior opening of classes for students, and regular assessment for
frontline workers fighting the pandemic crisis.
• Monitoring the mental health of COVID-19 patients and survivors should be
conducted.

Mass Testing, Isolation and Contact Tracing Campaign to Flatten the Curve

According to the survey conducted by World Economic Forum (2020), 42% of

people globally view this pandemic as a high or very high global threat. While 86% of
people are already aware about the outbreak. Widespread support for actions such as
quarantine, travel bans (66%), and mandatory mass testing and contact tracing (85%)
also gained attention.
 The conduct of mass testing and contact tracing is very vital in isolating and
containing the spread of the virus since vaccine is not yet available to the public. The
Department of Health announced on first week of April that mass testing is targeted on
April 14, after almost three months Professor Rabajante of the UP COVID-19 Pandemic
Response Team suggested that the Philippine government should invest on mass
testing and contact tracing due to the inability of the ECQ alone to stop the virus
(Magsambol, 2020). Extending the ECQ without mass testing and aggressive contact
tracing would be useless in this case. Many experts and scientists are proposing for its
immediate conduct to flatten the curve just like what Vietnam, Taiwan, and South Korea
are doing. In social media, people are voicing out their opinions and concerns about this
initiative to the point that it becomes a topic for discourse for netizens. The hashtag
#MassTestingNowPH became trending on social media (DJ Yap, 2020). Moreover,
many Filipinos are pushing for free mass testing especially for workers, students,
repatriated OFWs, frontline workers, and other sectors vulnerable to this infectious
disease. The demand for mandatory screening prior the resumption of work, classes,
and before going back to the respective provinces of people from hotspots of virus
through “Balik Probinsya Program” and returning OFWs is also called for.

Upon recommendation of the UP COVID-19 Response Team through their 7th

forecast report, they proposed the following measures: a) in order to come up with a
refined risk analysis a comprehensive analysis on people’s mobility should be done by
the government to help the decision makers in formulating an evidence-based policy; b)
expanded testing capacity prioritizing people in workforce; c) implementation of
aggressive and systematic contact tracing of people at risk to the virus and immediate
isolation; d) strengthen healthcare system in the country that would benefit every
Filipino; e) efficient information dissemination; f) allocate budget for scientific and
research funds (David et al., 2020).

Following the abovementioned recommendation of UP experts, the call for mass

testing and contact tracing is already on process. However, advocating to convince the
government to conduct mass testing would be of great challenge given various
circumstances. The issue of budget, manpower, and health human resources will be of
primary concern with this matter. Thus, identifying important institutions to influence the
administration to adopt this recommendation is important. The Office of the President,
and its subnational agencies and departments like DOH, DOF, and IATF will serve as
the decision makers and final decision will depend on them in accordance to the law.
The private partners like T3 Coalition, public figures like celebrities and private
individuals, researchers, scientists, experts, healthcare professionals, and the house
minority bloc will be tapped to support the goals of the advocacy(“On the national
testing… “, 2020). Influencing and convincing the decision makers are their roles to
promote this advocacy. Conducting several assessments and research for possible
would make this possible. Public support will also help to know the pulse of the people
since all of us are affected by this issue and will also benefit from this initiative.

Initial steps have been done already in relation to this advocacy. The former
health secretary and incumbent Iloilo representative Jannette Garin proposed the
House Bill No. 6707 or “Crushing COVID Act”, this allows for an expansion on the
testing to include individuals who are either symptomatic or asymptomatic of COVID-19.
It also aims for the creation of “COVID Testing Assistance Fund (CTAF)” that will
subsidize testing of priority and vulnerable sectors (i.e. food handlers, supermarket and
public market vendors, house helpers, pregnant women, and workers at salons,
factories and construction sites) (DJ Yap, 2020). Public figures like Angel Locsin also
initiated a fund raising for the mass testing which is supported by people in showbiz
industry and other private institutions (Escuadro, 2020).

According to DOH undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, “to achieve its goal
the DOH was maximizing the testing capacity of the certified laboratories, engaging
their private sector partners and using other means to test for SARS-CoV-2, the virus
that causes COVID-19, such as making use of the GeneXpert machines that are
available nationwide” (Kravchuk, 2020).

With regards to contact tracing, the DOH said that there is an issue regarding the
contact tracing efforts of the country due to its shortage of about 94,000 contact tracers
to achieve the ideal one contact tracer to 800 people (1:800) ratio, not to mention its
slow progress. However, they are now trying to address this problem by doing an
emergency hiring. They are planning to hire an additional 136,000 contact tracers to the
present 38,000 contact tracers (Esguerra, 2020). It is part of the recommendations of
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez to the Office of the President as premature
quarantine measures is already set to revive the economy (Esguerra, 2020).

In terms of budget concerns, the current administration loaned about $2.3 Billion
to fight for COVID-19. It is the cumulative total of Philippine loans from World Bank,
Asian Development Bank, and China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in
just a span of two weeks. The loan will be targeted to use to increase testing capacity,
provide cash assistance to vulnerable sectors including the agriculture, and as fund
conditional cash transfers and emergency aid to the poor (de Vera, 2020). It is expected
that the government would allocate enough funds for the mass testing and aggressive
contact tracing from this loan. This debt from different banking institutions serves as a
burden for Filipino people especially for future generations. Excluding those donations
from different private institutions and different sectors from the country it is expected
that the government should properly utilize this amount of money to address the
pandemic crisis and not to fund corrupt activities and self-interests.

Resources and Assets:

Building an additional accredited testing centers and licensed laboratories should

be made available to different LGUs especially those hotspot locations to efficiently
conduct mass testing. Hiring healthcare professionals should also be expedited to make
contact tracing possible. Mass production of locally made testing kits by UP-NIH should
also be prioritized because it is much cheaper than foreign made test kits. The target
30,000 to 50,000 or more rapid tests per day should already be on-going by the end of
June or start of August prior to the proposed opening of classes and one month after
the lifting of ECQ to hotspot areas. Procurement of laboratory equipment like Personal
Protective Equipment, testing kits, RT-PCR and GeneXpert machines. The emergency
funds loaned from various banking institutions (i.e ADB, World Bank, etc) should be
properly allocated into these resources to fight the ongoing crisis.
Possible Opposition/s:

Making this campaign possible would be difficult due to some constraints from
people opposing this initiative. The possible opponent of this campaign would be those
who are concern about the budgeting of this campaign. Despite being the decision
makers, the government itself and its subnational departments might oppose this
campaign because they might think that it would be a waste of money and budget for
the vaccine once available would be compromised. It is also a talk about how the
economy will survive if we invest in mass testing rather than the vaccine. While it is true
that it might bring the economy into a great recession proper allocation of funds and
transparency would possibly make this happen, but it is also another problem of the
government. Despite these things this advocacy will remain by lobbying them
researches and recommendations of the experts and scientists on the feasibility of
mass testing and aggressive contact tracing.

Action Plan:

Steps to strengthen the call for mass testing and contact tracing:

a. Gain support from the public by doing an online initiative through educating
them with the benefits of mass testing and contact tracing to contain the virus.
b. Collect online signatures from the supporters through online petition to inform
the decision makers about the people’s stand.
c. Compile narratives from people and policy recommendation from experts (i.e
researchers and scientists) that might help the decision makers to formulate
concrete plans in addressing the issue.
d. Partner with various media agencies and platforms to further the information
dissemination regarding the campaign.
e. Write letters to stakeholders, investors, private institutions, and multinational
companies that would help finance the mass testing and contact tracing
campaign.
 f. Lobby the recommendation to the decision makers and potential actors and
investor that would help the offshoot of mass testing and contact tracing.

Psychosocial Counselling

In times of extreme experiences brought by COVID-19, it is likely that people feel

fearful and anxious (Sison & Lasco, 2020). More than the fear of having the disease
because it can easily spread from human to human, Filipinos also fear hunger and are
concerned about sustaining their daily lives amidst this crisis because majority have no
income and are not able to report to work because most working operations are affected
by this situation. Some Filipinos are also disappointed with the slow progress of
government’s action and lack of concrete plans to solve this pandemic crisis
immediately.

According to National Center for Mental Heal (NCMH), since the government-
imposed lockdowns due to COVID-19 outbreak, the number of Filipinos suffering from
mental health increased. Influx of individuals seeking mental health intervention flooded
the hospital’s 24/7 suicide and crisis helplines. They now receive 300-400 calls a day
from 60-80 call before the pandemic crisis. People are suffering mostly from depression
and anxiety that is probably because of the isolation that they are feeling brought by the
ECQ measure and the existence of the COVID-19 outbreak (Terrazola, 2020).

Apparently, the entire sectors are really affected by this crisis leading everyone to
feelings of anxiety and uncertainty. The least we can do to address this concern is to
provide psychosocial counselling using available resources to help people cope from
the emotional burden and mental stress that this pandemic is bring to people.

Resources and Assets:

Mental health professionals such as psychiatrists, psychologists,

psychometricians, and mental health advocates are the people needed to make this
advocacy possible. Their expertise and training in handling mental health concerns
would be very beneficial in dealing with people suffering from psychological distress
during this pandemic crisis. Those who are committed to do voluntary initiative in
support of the advocacy are the primary focus of this campaign due to the limited
resources in terms of fund. The use of social media platforms would be utilized since
many people are already using social media nowadays. For those who have no access
to internet, the free and accessible hotline of accredited institutions be it government or
NGO should be made available. Partnership with different telecommunication
companies should be done (i.e Smart, PLDT, Globe, Sun, TM, etc.) to lift the charge of
calls to helpline hotlines of designated mental health institutions. The use of social
media platforms (i.e Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.), gadgets like laptops and
mobile phones will be beneficial in organizing lectures, webinars, and even doing simple
calls to different helplines. The knowledge and experience of mental health
professionals will apparently benefit people suffering from mental health issues during
this social isolation brought by COVID-19 outbreak.

Potential Allies:

Different youth groups and academic organizations of universities catering

programs and discipline related to social and behavioral sciences could be potential
allies of this initiative. Their active youth engagements within their respective community
and universities would have a significant role in this campaign.

Oppositions:

If there would be a possible opposition about this initiative, it is the situation of

the people who have no resources to several options to seek professional help about
their psychological well-being. However, the people behind this campaign will make
sure that it will conduct certain measures to assess the accessibility of people who need
psychosocial intervention before, during, and after the implemented community
lockdown.
Action Plan

Organizing the following programs and campaigns would be a great help to

address this concern brought by this global health crisis:

a. Utilize the use of internet and social media sites by organizing free lectures
and webinars about handling stress, depression, anxiety, and other mental
health concerns related to COVID-19 pandemic. Offering free and accessible
hotlines to everyone who is seeking mental health advice and interventions
should be made available.
b. Create an advocacy group, page or website in social media that promotes an
awareness about mental health and provides psychological services that are
accessible to everyone.
c. Collaborate with different mental health institutions (NCMH, PAP, etc.),
mental health professionals (i.e. psychologists, psychiatrists,
psychometrician), and advocacy groups (DIWA Mental Health,
#MentalHealthPH, Silakbo PH, etc.) to offer a reliable and effective
intervention.
d. Submit letters to different telecommunications company to make calls for
helpline free and accessible to everyone who might need it.
e. Encourage industries, schools, LGUs, and different institutions to provide
psychosocial counselling to workers, students, and other vulnerable sectors.
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