Name: Yessamin Paredes

Section: Grade 12 Attentive

Research Topic: Behavioral Response During Crisis

Research Problem: Relationship Between Government Distrust and Disobedience to
COVID-19 Policy in Davao City

When citizens dismissed legal compliance, the legitimacy of the government has been
subject to doubt. In the annals of the Philippine Government, it appears fascinating that
a bulk number of inhabitants are law violators. Democracy has been a doubt to
unending events of favor and regrets distinctly at times when the country faces a crisis.
Citizenship does not simply account to a permanent membership within a state but also
the civil and political participation their role plays. Unfortunately, the current spread of
the Coronavirus did not exclude the country, and how Filipinos behave amidst the global
plight put the government in additional trouble. In general cases, disobedience occurs
often as a response to proposing demands. It does not appear due to greed but
principle, sometimes a minor rebellion, most of the time is to get involved with the
decision-making process. However, when it comes to government, the concept changes
into a much severe disobedience subjected to penalties and violations. One of the
greatest challenges facing Philippines today is the government's ability to ensure that
policies are implemented effectively at the local level.

Few studies have considered disobedience to authority strengthens democracy.

However, Moscovici 1976 & Nemeth 2003 suggested that disobedience and conformity
to its dominant majority unfortunately collapse a society (Passini & Davide, 2011).
China, along with Iran, Italy and South Korea have the massive record of COVID-19
spread, and the chief propagating country the disease originated (Shabu et al., 2020).
As one of the leading countries next to USA, Japan and Germany, China also has its
own violators despite the strict leveling of political guidelines and public control even on
the daily basis whether inside or outside the country (Silver, 2020;Hui, 2020). The
principle which is contrary to the current administration and the noncompliance of
citizens during crisis has been laid at once. According to the study conducted in Iraqi
Kurdistan Regions, another crucial factor in studying the entire epidemic is the
behavioral response of the people. Historical cases of disobedience such as the
ordering of the students of Jehovah’s Witnesses to offer hand salutation to the
American flag, which they refused to follow, created disunion between the religion and
the country (Markovits, 2005: Vol.114). Another study conducted in Massachusetts
Institute of Technology suggested the use of constructive compliance in addressing
policies particularly among people in rural China. Constructive compliance, as described
by Lily Tsai, an associate professor of political science on the same school, defined it as
the disobedient response to change government protocol. The professor found out that
noncompliant citizens are more likely took the authority’s legitimacy for granted. One of
her respondent said that Chinese government does not provide actual conditions as a
result to unreasonable legal compliance. In fact, seventy-one (71) percent of Chinese
respondents disagreed in conformity to local policies they found lack of stand (Dizikes,
2015). Furthermore, three Chinese activists were set behind bars after trying to incite
civil disobedience movement, considering the record of activists who were imprisoned
two years after President Jinping took office (Presse, 2016).

In the national scope encompasses the intriguing response of President Rodrigo to

those who refuse to comply with the quarantine health protocols in the Philippines. The
president ordered police authority to shoot violators but insisted as a hyperbole remark
by officials (Capatides, 2020). Two days after the public announcement, a man was
shot to death by a policeman due to quarantine disobedience of not wearing protective
gear, and for threatening village authorities with a scythe (Jazeera, 2020). Local
authorities across provinces have imposed restrictions, and despite the risk of the
disease, there were still some who refused to cooperate (Brunnersum, 2020). In
Cordillera, a total of 619 residents are put behind bars for disobeying enhanced
community quarantine measurements, including curfew hours, hoarding and overpricing
of medical supplies (Dionisio, 2020). Also in Tacloban City, 226 residents were arrested
for the same violations (Sabalza, 2020). Moreover, upon the opening of Manila Bay,
CNN reported the huge number of Filipinos who gather up and participate despite the
risk of coronavirus (CNN Philippines Staff, 2020). Filipinos, generally, are not
bullheaded. However, the new guidelines have become difficult for them to comply
(Crisostomo & Romero, 2020).

In Davao City, Mayor Sara Duterte threatened Dabawenyos not to taken responsibility if
in case infected due to quarantine disobedience (Fenequito, 2020).In a press briefing
live via Facebook, Roque said that the city has been strictly implementing quarantine
guidelines to control and prevent the transmission of COVID-19 despite recording the
highest confirmed cases in Mindanao region (Colina, 2020). Dabawenyos depend on
the interventions provided by LGUs to contain the spread of the disease. The lockdown
caused ramifications to citizen’s daily errand but still chose to obey health protocols.
Furthermore, living up to its tagline, “Basta Dabawenyo, DCplinado,” Davao City
residents proven themselves the complete compliance to quarantine policies imposed
by local leaders (Palicte, 2020).

It is important to identify the relationship between how citizens behave and the kind of
leaders they are governed with especially during crisis, from a more democratic and
self-instructed sight to a more government reliance view. As we will discuss in this
paper the concept of how citizens perceived government authority manifested their
behavioral response during crisis, expecting new policies to arise, including citizen’s
obedience, conformity and compliance. Moreover, the paper tries to impose the different
approach of geographical location, if it has an impact to their disobedience to legal
instructions. Exercising an effective public response to a pandemic requires
communication and trust. Social distancing and self-quarantine can rarely be enforced
entirely by coercion alone, particularly in democratic countries; the public must be
persuaded of the importance of obedience.

References:

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