COVID-19 in the Philippines: A Stagnant Struggle

One of the notable events that shocked not only the Philippines but as well as the whole
world is the emergence of COVID-19 which is now declared as a global health pandemic after
affecting lots of countries across various continents. It has affected not only the sector of public
health but even the sectors of education, government, and economy as well. As a response to
COVID-19, nations from all across the globe resorted to various solutions to help combat the
pandemic’s detrimental effects.
The Philippines is one of the countries in the world who adopted certain measures to
further prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the local scene. The Philippine government placed
the entire island of Luzon under lockdown and later on into an “Enhanced Community
Quarantine” (ECQ). Other cities and provinces outside of Luzon also imposed community
quarantines. Asides from the efforts of the government to provide essential goods to Filipinos,
other sectors such as the private sector and religious institutions stepped in as well to extend

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help. However, up until today, the country continues to lag behind its neighboring countries

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when it comes to mass testing, vaccination programs, and the revival of the national economy.

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COVID-19 cases continue to increase and millions of Filipino employees and businesses continue

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to lose their jobs and profits. It is absolutely no doubt that the Philippine economy which is the
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primary contributor for the country’s development is still nowhere close to being successfully
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revived.
In the context of the Philippines’ current state of development, the economy and main
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factors that are part of it continue to remain in poor conditions. For the business sector, a
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survey published by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) last February 2021 found out that
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businesses in the country continue to suffer huge economic losses especially micro, small, and
medium enterprises. Although most businesses have adopted to the new normal especially by
implementing maximum health protocols in their establishments (e.g. mandatory use of face
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masks and face shields and frequent sanitation), many still struggle to remain afloat as they
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experience “sharp drops in demand and revenue” (Shinozaki, S. and Rao, L.). In the field of
healthcare, hospitals and other health institutions remain clamoring for increased mass testing,
further implementation of health protocols, and faster arrival of COVID-19 vaccines which were
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initially expected last January 2021 as promised by the government. McCarthy (2021) mentions
in an article that not a single health worker in the Philippines has been vaccinated yet because
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of mismanagement and a lack of urgency from the government. The lack of herd immunity is
one of the reasons why COVID-19 cases in the country continue to increase day by day.
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Because COVID-19 cases keep increasing and there is still no vaccination being
conducted in the country, another sector that remains struggling is the education sector. Up
until today, the country manages to deal with the current remote learning set-up and blended
learning modes implemented by various schools and universities. Lawmakers have been
recently pushing for the pilot run of limited face to face classes in areas with zero or low
number of COVID-19 cases citing research studies from foreign nations who have successfully

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 implemented in-person classes since 2020. Most of them cited that students are more likely to
contract the virus via community transmission rather than in schools because such educational
institutions are strict when it comes to the implementation of mandatory health standards and
protocols. Nevertheless, President Duterte also rejected the proposal of limited face to face
classes in low risk areas until vaccines become readily available to the public. This is a very
alarming issue since online learning proves to be ineffective for most students and teachers and
experts are alarmed that this may cause huge detrimental effects to the long-term development
of learners and the country’s quality of education (Tadalan, 2021).
In addition, one of the major contributors to the Philippine economy is the collective
amount of money generated by the sector of tourism. As home to abundant world-famous
beaches, historical sites, and tourist hotspots, the country’s tourism sector greatly suffered
when the pandemic struck last year. The Philippines suffered an 84% decrease in foreign visits
last year because of the travel restrictions implemented by the government. In an effort to

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revive the economy especially by boosting tourism, the government already opened Boracay

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and other famous tourist destinations since the latter part of 2020 to help both ordinary citizens

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and businesses in the field of tourism be able to generate income again. This 2021, a lot of

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stakeholders believe that it is a crucial year for rebuilding Philippine tourism hence the tireless

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promotion of various tourist sites mainly led by the Department of Tourism (DoT). Compared to
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other sectors and industries, the country’s tourism has been slowly gaining positive progress as
lots of Filipino families and even foreigners travel again in hopes of releasing stress and other
unwanted emotions caused by the current pandemic. Although most tourist destinations
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experienced huge drops in terms of the number of visitors especially because some people find
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the travel requirements too complicated, many Filipinos are hopeful that the country’s tourism
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would attain a steady climb this year (Visaya, 2021).

Overall, it cannot be denied that the Philippines’ current state of development remains
stagnant and various industries still struggle mainly because of the incompetence and slow
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initiatives of the national government. From the delayed mass testing, lockdown measures, and
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vaccination programs, Filipinos continue to become the victims of not only the pandemic, but
including unemployment, hunger, and lack of access to basic services. Nevertheless, it is still the
duty and responsibility of every Filipino citizen to be vigilant and cooperative by adhering to the
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implemented health protocols while also having the courage to voice out the needs of the
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public in order to survive the COVID-19 pandemic together and emerge triumphant.
References:
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McCarthy, J. (2021, February 18). “The Philippines Has Vaccinated Zero Health-Care Workers So
Far”. NPR Organization. Retrieved from
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/02/18/969008730/the-philippines-
has-vaccinated-zero-health-care-workers-so-far.

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 Shinozaki, S. & Rao, L (2021). COVID-19 Impact on Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises
under the Lockdown: Evidence from a Rapid Survey in the Philippines. ADB Institute.
Retrieved from https://www.adb.org/publications/covid-19-impact-msme-under-
lockdown-evidence-rapid-survey-philippines.
Tadalan, C.A. (2021, February 1). “Coronavirus pandemic highlights failures of Philippine
education”. Business World Online. Retrieved from
https://www.bworldonline.com/coronavirus-pandemic-highlights-failures-of-philippine-
education/.
Visaya, M. (2021, February 3). “Stakeholders Begin Rebuilding PH Tourism Industry In 2021”.
Asian Journal. Retrieved from https://www.asianjournal.com/philippines/across-the-
islands/stakeholders-begin-rebuilding-ph-tourism-industry-in-2021/.

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