Marisol L.

Uy
PA 211 – Public Policy Formulation
Xavier University _ Ateneo de Cagayan

11. POLICY ANALYSIS: National and Local

Evaluate the National and Local Policy Process as sequential parts or stages:

3. Consideration of Policy Option (Formulation of Policy) -

the development of effective and acceptable courses of action for
3.addressing
Consideration
whatofhas
policy
beenoption
placed on the policy agenda

4. Decision-making - the process of making choices by identifying

a decision, gathering information, and assessing alternative
resolutions.

Policy Analysis on Republic Act 11469 known as the Bayanihan to Heal as One
Act in terms of Consideration of Policy Options (Policy Formulation) and
Decision-Making

In public administration, Public Policies are made to achieve a certain goal in

addressing problems and situations that are of major public interest. The policies being
promulgated by the government both in national and local focused on delivery of
services that promotes good governance and administration. In the policy making
process, there is no question that effective and efficient policy-making requires lots of
process. It requires public support wherein solutions can be consolidated. In the policy
making, the following sequence of steps or stages: 1. Identification of a problem
(Problem emergence) 2. Agenda Setting 3. Consideration of Policy 4. Decision-making
5. Implementation and 6. Evaluation.

In 2020, The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a

dramatic loss of human life worldwide and presents
an extraordinary challenge to public health, food
systems, and the labor force. The economic and
social disruption caused by the pandemic is
devastating. Many people are at risk of falling into
extreme poverty. With the life-threatening situation,
the World Health Organization had called all the
countries to take urgent and aggressive action to mitigate the spread of the virus. On 23
March 2020, the Philippine government had signed into law the Republic Act 11469
known as the Bayanihan to heal as One Act declaring a national health emergency
throughout the Philippines. The Philippine response to COVID-19 has been one of the
longest and strictest lockdowns in the world.

In the formulation of the Policy, the government

make use of adversarial approach wherein
different actors are involved and a use of
scientific evidence and data on the COVID-19
pandemic from World Health Organization
(WHO). Likewise, the corporatist style is
being utilized since well-known experts like
Doctors, health professionals, frontliner and
other personalities are invited to join the
Technical Working Group (TWG) representing
major forces in the society and government organizations. In the decision making, the
rational decision making model is used since the information can be gathered and
quantified and the decision is important and urgent. Both in National and Local, the
rational –comprehensive planning model in decision making was used in the
policy making. The said model is appropriate since the given goal is to mitigate the
spread of virus and it is urgent. Shown is the Philippine government’s COVID 19 policy
response:

1. Timeline of the government’s response

 December 31, 2019 – WHO was notified by its China office of a
potentially infectious pneumonia of unknown origin in Wuhan City
which became a global publiv health concern that necessitated
government public health policy response.
 January 1, 2020 – WHO instituted an IMST (Incident Management
Support Team) across the three levels of the organization.
 January 8, 2020 – WHO declares the increasing number of cases in
Wuhan could be due to coronavirus.
 January 11, 2020 – First death in China was reported.
 WHO notifications are relayed to its Southeast Asia regional office in
Manila and then to the Department of Health (DOH).
 January 28, 2020 – 22 persons in the country were under
investigation
 January 30, 2020 – a 38 year-old female Chinese national arriving
from Wuhan via Hong Kong was admitted to a government hospital
showing pneumonia symtoms. Same day, the WHO declared a
Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
 After the declaration of WHO, the first policy decision of the
Philippine government was to impose selective quarantine.
 March 7, 2020- first local transmission was reported by DOH that
raised the alert level to Red sublevel 1
 March 08, 2020 – upon the recommendation of the Health
Secretary, Pres Duterte issued Proclamation 922 declaring a state
of national emergency due to threat of COVID-19. Under this
proclamation, all agencies are required to render full assistance in
 the response to COVID -19. The secretary of health as the head of
Inter-agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-
EID) may call upon law enforcement agencies to assist in the
implementation of quarantine.
 Technical Working Group (TWG) was created through Resolution
No. 16 consisting of representatives from the government
departments and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

2. Declaration of a state of national emergency

 March 12, 2020 – Alert Code Red Sublevel 2 was declared by the
President. Strict quarantine and travel ban measures in the
community, municipal and provincial levels will be instituted under
this alert level.

3. Implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) and travel

restrictions

4. Social amelioration initiatives

 March 24, 2020 - Republic Act 11469 Bayanihan to Heal as One Act
(BAHO) was signed into law by President Duterte. It mandates
application of WHO recommendations to Philippine pandemic health
management and policy.
 Grant special powers to the executive department to
provide public and private hospitals with additional
support such as procurement of additional equipment
and to engage temporary human resources such as
additional doctors and staff.
 Directs hospitals and health care facilities to function
as COVID 19 hospitals or quarantine facilities, provide
prompt testing for patients, provides compensation
insurance for front line health workers.
 Provide social amelioration financial assistance to low
income household as well as enforce laws on
profiteering and price manipulation.
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REFERENCES:

https://polisci.upd.edu.ph/resources/bayanihan-primer/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/policy-process

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Policy_analysis

http://webhome.auburn.edu/~johnspm/gloss/rational-comprehensive.phtml

https://planningtank.com/planning-theory/rational-planning-model