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Coronavirus in
Philippines: The
COVID-19 risk, impact
and measures
Praveen Duddu | 31 March 2020 (Last Updated September 7th, 2020 13:22)

Philippines, one of the high-risk countries from the Wuhan

coronavirus outbreak, recorded the first death outside China.
The government has announced lock-down of Metro Manila,
followed by the entire Luzon island and is mulling over more
localised lock-downs. The Philippines government declared a
state of calamity in the country for six months on 17 March.

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The coronavirus pandemic is expected to impact Philippines’ tourism industry. Credit:
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i ih d i
 Countries with suspected coronavirus cases

When did coronavirus reach the

Philippines?
The rst case of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV, now COVID-
19) in the Philippines was con rmed on 30 January 2020, in a
38-year old woman who arrived from Wuhan. Two days later,
the Philippines recorded the rst death outside China on 01
February 2020.

The Philippines government declared a health emergency on

09 March, following a spike in new con rmed cases and local
transmission. The move will release funds to local
governments and healthcare of cials to handle any further
surge in cases.

The COVID-19 Code Alert system was revised upwards to Red

Sublevel 2 on 12 March.

Coronavirus: Philippines COVID-

19 cases and deaths
As of 31 March, the total Philippines coronavirus cases stand
at 1,546. One of the coronavirus-con rmed on 06 March was
con rmed to be a human-to-human transmission putting the
nation on a high alert. The man attended prayer in late
February, which increases the concerns of possible
transmission to other devotees who attended the same.

The country’s rst death was of a 44-year old Chinese

national, who was the relative of the rst patient diagnosed
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you
withto COVID-19.
continue use this site we The patient
will assume developed
that you severe
are happy with it. pneumonia. A
total of 78 deathsContinuehave Learnbeen
more reported in the country.
 Coronavirus-affected Filipinos
on Diamond Princess cruise ship
Seven passengers onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship
and more than half of the crew are from the Philippines,
among who 80 have been con rmed to have contracted the
virus.

The Philippines government repatriated 445 of its citizens

onboard the ship including ten recovered cases on 25
February. The evacuees have been placed under a two-week
quarantine at New Clark City in Capas.

A total of 70 con rmed cases were not allowed to board the

evacuation ight.

How risky is coronavirus to the

Philippines?
Due to its proximity to China, the Philippines is at a far
greater risk of witnessing increased cases of the novel
coronavirus infection compared to other countries.

The Philippines is also home to hundreds of workers from

China working in the Philippine Offshore Gambling Operation
( rms offering online gambling services). More than 230,000
migrant Filippinos often referred to as Overseas Filipino
Workers (OFW) are also working in China particularly Hong
Kong and Macau as household workers.
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A temporary ban was imposed on the workers from travelling
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to China or its special administrative regions after the
Continue Learn more
coronavirus outbreak on 2 February. The ban was lifted on
 18th February allowing OFWs to return to Hong Kong and
Macau.

Manila is among the top 30 global cities receiving airline

passengers from 18 high-risk cities in China, according to
WorldPop which ranked Philippines 14th among the 30 high-
risk countries.

Chinese nationals account for the majority of the tourist

population visiting the country as trade and cultural relations
have increased between the two countries in the recent past.

State of calamity declared

The Philippines government announced the entire country
will be placed under a state of calamity for a period of six
months. The declaration will enable national and local
governments to quickly access relief funds to curb the spread
of the disease.

A state of calamity was rst declared for Quezon city due to

coronavirus on 13 March.

Lock-down of affected areas

The Philippines government started announcing local lock-
downs (home quarantine) following the increase in global
coronavirus cases. The entire Luzon island is locked-down
affecting more than 50 million people. The lock-down
prohibits people from going outside their homes except for
getting basic necessities.

Metro Manila lock-down was announced on 12 March and will

continue
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to ensure that 14 April,
we give while
you the best similar
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our website. If you
continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
expected in Bohol and Cainta provinces. Davao City has
Continue Learn more
imposed travel restrictions.
 Quarantining (lock-down) will be imposed in the Philippines
barangays, municipalities/cities and provinces if at least two

COVID-19 coronavirus cases are recorded in two different

households in the respective locations.

What Metro Manila lock-down means for

residents and visitors
During the lock-down, domestic transportation of all modes
including land, air, and sea are suspended. Residents are not
allowed to leave their homes unless for emergencies. Large
gatherings, parties and concerts are banned.

Thousands of police of cers and military personnel have

been deployed to ensure that citizens comply with the lock-
down. Checkpoints have been placed at all entry points to
Manila to check people for temperatures with thermal
scanners.

Preventive measures by the

Philippines government
The Philippines government is taking several steps to control
the spread of the virus, including travel restrictions, closure
of schools and colleges, as well as training schools of the
Philippines National Police.

Educational institutes in the country are announced to be

closed from 09 March to 15 March, whereas in Metro Manila
the classes will be suspended until 12 April.

Stringent social distancing measures will be in place in the

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National Capital Region (NCR) for 30 days from 15 March.
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Continue Learn more
The government announced earlier on 2 February 2020 that
all persons except Filipino citizens and permanent resident
 all persons except Filipino citizens and permanent resident
visa holders were temporarily barred from entering the
country.

A temporary ban on Filipinos from travelling to China or its

special administrative region was also imposed. A mandatory
14-day quarantine for Filipinos returning to from China or its
special administrative region was announced.

Further, visa upon arrival for Chinese nationals has been

temporarily suspended.

An adviser to the President of Philippines as advised that the

government should move to a barangay-based quarantine
system after the lock-down on Luzon ends to save the
economy. He noted that employees involved in production
will not be required to carry passes or IDs and security
checkpoints should be removed to enable cargo to move
freely.

Travel ban to South Korea

The Philippines government issued a temporary ban on 26
February on all citizens from travelling to South Korea, as the
country reported a spike in the number of con rmed cases.

Further, people from the affected regions of South Korea

including Gyeongbuk, Daegu and Cheongdo have been
banned from entering into the country.

Coronavirus in the Philippines:

Measures at airports
The Philippines Government announced travel restrictions to
and
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spread. It also banned the entry of passengers from the three
Continue Learn more
countries.
 Airlines cancelled ights from the Philippines to China
resulting in stranding.

Face masks shortage – importing from India

and Thailand
The Philippines witnessed a surge in demand for face masks
as fears over the coronavirus infection increased, despite
assurance from the government that there is no need to wear
face masks yet.

The government reiterated that healthcare workers and

patients with symptoms of the disease should be given
priority for masks.

The Philippines International Trading Corporation (PITC),

meanwhile, identi ed two face mask suppliers from India and
Thailand to meet the demand for face masks.

The suppliers are expected to take more than 30 days to

supply the masks. The India-based supplier is expected to
supply one million units, while the exact number of face
masks that the Thailand-based supplier can supply is yet to
be determined.

The masks will be imported either by the DoH or the PITC.

Coronavirus outbreak: Impact on

the Philippines

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 Snapshot: Philippines Economy and Trade

Metric Value

Population 106.65 million (2018)

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) $330.9bn (2018)

Trade in Services 19.7%

Trade Balance Deficit ($3.3bn)

Biggest Importer China (22.9% in November 2019)

Table: Pharmaceutical-Technology.com • Get the data • Created with Datawrapper

Impact on the economy

Philippines witnessed a slower economic growth in the rst
half of 2019, compared to 2018. The country saw a sustained
economic growth of 6.3% between 2010 and 2018, while the
growth slowed down to 5.5% in H2 2019. The World Bank
estimates Philippines to witness full-year 2019 economic
growth of 5.8%.

The ongoing coronavirus impact is expected to result in a

subdued growth for the economy in 2020.

China is Philippines’ top trading partner accounting for 18.8%

of total trade, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority
(PSA). In November 2019, 22.9% of Philippines’ exports were
to China, the biggest importer for the country.

Philippines imports account for approximately 20% of goods

from China followed by Korea and Japan at 10% each.

The
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 Ruben Carlo Asuncion, chief economist for Union Bank of the
Philippines, noted that the coronavirus outbreak could cost

the Philippine economy $600m or 0.8% of economic growth

if it lasts for six months, as quoted by CNN Philippines.

Fiscal measures to contain the coronavirus

impact
With more than 400 economic zones under lock-down,
approximately 700 factories have been shut down displacing
hundreds of workers. The Philippines government is a
stimulus package of approximately 200 billion pesos
($3.93bn) to protect the citizens and businesses from the
impact of the coronavirus outbreak. The funds are expected
to drawn from non-budgetary sources.

The central bank announced its decision to reduce interest

rate on reverse repurchase (RRP) facility by 25 basis points to
3.75% on 06 February 2020. The interest rate on overnight
lending and deposit facilities was also cut to 4.25% and
3.25%, respectively.

The interest rate on RRP was further reduced by 50 basis

points to 3.25% on 17 March.

The projected gross domestic growth rate of 6.5%-7.5% for

2020, however, has not been revised.

The Philippines has announced that it will direct P200bn

($20bn) in emergency subsidies to 18 million poor
households. Families will be provided P5,000 ($99) to P8,000
($110) for two months based on the minimum daily wage rates
in their respective regions.
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Theto Bangko
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Research has approved
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 P300bn ($6m) bond repurchase
deal to provide the government with funds to ght the
 p g g
COVID-19 pandemic.

The Asian Development Bank provided $3m in aid to the

country and is also planning to provide another assistance
package.

Impact on tourism
Tourism industry is a major contributor, accounting for 12.7%
of the Philippine economy in 2018, according to data from the
Philippines Statistics Authority. More than seven million
foreign tourists visited the country during the rst ten
months of 2019.

Chinese tourists account for majority of Philippines’ tourist

population. During the rst ten months of 2019, a total of 1.49
million Chinese tourists visited the Philippines, according to
the Department of Tourism (DOT). Philippine tourism
of cials expected to attract four million Chinese tourists by
2022, before the outbreak happened.

The tourism industry, however, is expected to witness a

major impact as the country closed its borders with China
and other countries due to the coronavirus infection,
Philippine Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez noted.

Dominguez added that the exact economic impact of the

outbreak is too early to be estimated but remained optimistic
that the country can sustain its economic growth.

Impact on businesses
Airline operators have impacted by the coronavirus due to
grounding
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provide assistance in the form of handouts, emergency credit
Continue Learn more
lines and the exemption from navigation and airport fees.
 Mining operations of two mining companies in the Surigao
del Norte province, which is home to majority of the

country’s nickel mines, will be suspended from 01 April 1 to

prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The Philippines is an alternative source of nickle for China,

which sources the ore from Indonesia. Following the ban of
export of unprocessed ore imposed by Indonesia, the
Philippines serves as the main supplier.

The two mining companies, Nickel Asia Corp and Global

Ferronickel Holdings, account for majority of the country’s
nickel ore output. The suspension is expected to impact the
scheduled ore shipments of the companies.

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