The Lifting of COVID-19 Restrictions in the Philippines by the Government

MOTION

The house believes that due to the decreasing to no counts of COVID-19 cases, the
government should lift the pandemic restrictions in the Philippines.

ARGUMENT PROPOSITIONS

1. Many Filipino citizens have already been vaccinated.

2. Many countries have already lifted their COVID-19 restrictions.
3. To restore the economic status of the country.

Submitted by:

Liam Jason Galban, A143

 I. Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on almost every aspect of daily
life, bringing much of the world to a halt. The virus which first emerged in late 2019 in
Wuhan, China, and has since grown to become a worldwide pandemic. This has
affected millions of people and causing widespread death, pain, and suffering. The
effects of COVID-19 have affected and touched almost every industry and sector, from
healthcare and education to the economy and the job market. The pandemic has
disrupted global supply chains and has led to widespread job losses and economic
hardship for individuals, families, and businesses. Furthermore, the pandemic has
brought unprecedented problems to healthcare systems worldwide and more especially
to poor countries, with hospitals and clinics straining to meet the demand for treatment
and care. The pandemic has also exposed pre-existing healthcare inequalities, like
mistreatment of underprivileged people and also capitalism. However, after quite some
time, there are also some positive developments in the aftermath of the pandemic. The
world has come together to accelerate the development and distribution of vaccines,
with many countries reaching herd immunity including our country. This has allowed for
a gradual reopening of businesses, tourism, and other activities, boosting the global
economy as a macro effect. The house believes that due to the decreasing to no counts
of COVID-19 cases, the government should lift the pandemic restrictions in the
Philippines.

II. Background

The restrictions and measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic vary depending on
the region and government policies. In the Philippines, the most common restrictions
during the pandemic includes social distancing, wearing of face masks, limiting the
number of people allowed to gather in public places, closing non-essential businesses,
and enforcing curfew hours.
The Philippines should lift the COVID-19 restrictions since there are already little to no
cases on a daily basis. Many Filipino citizens have already been vaccinated (Argument
1). According to The World Bank (2022), the Philippine government had administered
more than 153 million doses of vaccines, including more than 14.8 million booster doses
to frontline workers, senior citizens, and the immunocompromised. COVID-19 vaccines
have been highly effective in preventing serious illness, hospitalization, and death from
COVID-19. According to data from clinical trials and real-world studies, the vaccines
have been shown to be around 95% effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19
cases. It's important to note that the vaccines have been shown to be highly effective in
preventing severe disease, but they may not prevent all cases so even if someone has
been vaccinated, there is still a chance they could get infected and spread the virus to
others.

In addition, Kucheran (2023) stated that as of January 9, 2023, there are 155 countries
without travel restrictions or entry requirements. The country is not on the list as it still
has requirements to not be hold off and halt the entry to the country (Argument 2). The
decision to lift COVID-19 restrictions should be based on a comprehensive assessment
of the current situation. This includes the number of cases in which in the country’s
situation is low. Prolonging restrictions for too long can have negative economic and
social consequences. There should be a balance between controlling the spread of the
virus and allowing people to resume some level of normalcy, while keeping public health
and safety a top priority. It's also important to remember that lifting restrictions too
quickly could lead to a resurgence of cases which can affect the country negatively.

The country should lift the pandemic restrictions because we need to restore our
economic status (Argument 3). It is no doubt that the pandemic has greatly affected the
economic sector of the country. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA),
the country's gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by 9.5% in 2020, marking the
first time in more than two decades that the Philippine economy contracted on an
annual basis. The pandemic caused widespread job losses and a significant rise in
poverty, with many Filipinos losing their livelihoods and struggling to provide for
themselves and their families. The government may have implemented various
measures to support the economy, including cash transfers and subsidies for affected
sectors however this does not support them in a long-term scenario.

III. Conclusion

It's important to note that the lifting of restrictions does not mean that the COVID-19
pandemic is over. The governments may re-impose restrictions if the situation worsens.
Moreover, many experts still recommend that people continue to follow guidelines such
as wearing masks, practicing good hand hygiene, and getting vaccinated to those who
still are not and incomplete, even as restrictions are lifted, to help prevent future
outbreaks.
 IV. References

Statistica Research Department. (2023). Number of coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine

doses administered in the Philippines as of January 31, 2023. Statistica.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1236727/philippines-coronavirus-covid19-vaccine-
rollout/

The World Bank. (2022). Delivering COVID-19 Vaccines to the Last Mile in the
Philippines. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2022/10/10/delivering-covid-19-
vaccines-to-the-last-mile-in-the-
philippines#:~:text=To%20achieve%20the%20goal%20of,GIDA)%20had%20access%2
0to%20vaccines.

Kucheran, T. (2023). Countries Without Any Travel Restrictions Or Entry Requirements.

Traveloffpath. https://www.traveloffpath.com/countries-without-any-travel-restrictions-or-
entry-requirements/

CPBRD. (n.d). FF2021-10: 2020 PHILIPPINE ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE.

https://cpbrd.congress.gov.ph/2012-06-30-13-06-51/2012-06-30-13-36-50/1292-ff2021-
10-2020-philippine-economic-
performance#:~:text=The%20Philippine%20economy%2C%20as%20measured,of%206
.0%20percent%20in%202019.

Associated Press. (2022). Traffic jams back in Philippine capital as officials ease
pandemic restrictions. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/philippines-
lifts-pandemic-restrictions-rcna18073