Almira S.

Mendez 10-Dove

Building Back Together for Peace and Prosperity

The CoVid-19 pandemic wreaks havoc in our global community. It brought down
countries’ economies. We are all forced to participate in community quarantines to help alleviate
the negative effects of the pandemic. Neither the rich nor the poor had completely escaped the
effects of it.

It is true that every country had felt the effects of this pandemic. But, a difference
between poor and rich nations is very visible. First world countries seem to be very quick in
stopping the pandemic and recovering from it. How does it happen? Why is the Philippines
having a hard time providing solutions for the pandemic? What can we do to prevent this from
ever happening again?

Rich nations tend to be more durable in resisting a natural disaster like a health pandemic.
According to an online article published by an organization named 21 st century challenges, “The
government in richer countries have better access to resources that could help them resist natural
disasters”.

In comparison, the Philippines is not as able as them in fighting a pandemic. According

to the gsbColumbia.edu, “the Philippines is Asia’s rising tiger which means that their economy is
gradually rising upwards”. A growing economy needs something to eat in the form of financial
investments. Funds are focused on investing sustainable infrastructures for our sustainable
growth that we have shorted other sectors with funds.

As I mentioned earlier, the Philippines is focused on investing to its infrastructural

projects in the present. When the pandemic strikes, the government is forced to divert those
development and research funds to cash amelioration programs for the poor which halted the
planned development programs. It produces an economic domino effect in which will be felt for
years to come.

Disasters may be inevitable but we can always get ourselves prepared the next time it
happens. This could be achieved by developing Evidence-based laws and programs. Studying the
data brought to us by this pandemic could exploit the very root of the problem to the
government. As a result, they can approach this problem precisely using the details given by the
evidence-based approach.

Technology in communications and data gathering is ever evolving. As a youth of this country,
we are very able in utilizing the benefits of these modern day innovations in our society. I
therefore believe that with the help of science, and statistics, we cannot just build back but rather
improve several folds more the peace and prosperity of our country.