Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

INTRODUCTION

Rationale

Corona Virus disease 2019, a newly emerged respiratory disease caused

by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has recently

become pandemic. Most patients with Covid-19 exhibit mild to moderate

symptoms, but approximately 15% progress to severe pneumonia and about 5%

eventually develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), septic shock

and/or multiple organ failure (Cao, 2020).

It is a global pandemic that has change a lot of our lives from its beginning

in 2020 until today as people are still at risk to be infected from the virus. It is

believe that it started at the Wuhan China and spread rapidly to the rest of the

countries especially in the Philippines (Xu et al., 2020). The death trolls are rising

rapidly as well as the number of cases and the numbers of active cases are still

high. Many establishments are being closed that lead to the decline of the

country’s economy. The governments impose different levels of community

quarantine to ensure the safety of the people. Activities and other gatherings are

being cancelled to.

 The virus has not limited only to the business establishments but, it also

affects the education of the students as the schools temporarily stop their

operation for a couple of weeks for the strict compliance of government

protocols. But the schools transform to a new normal set up of classes which is

done through virtual classes and online submission of activities. Due to the

sudden increase of active cases here in the Province of Bohol, many institutions

and establishments including schools are affected and is necessary to strictly

follow the safety protocols imposed by the provincial government of Bohol.

As the only State University in the City of Tagbilaran, Bohol Island State

University – Main Campus is facing a hard time in this time of pandemic on what

are the things to do in providing students the quality of education they deserve. It

is to plan of better ways in delivering instructional materials to the students

through online platform as one of the best ways during this time.

Preparedness is better than anything else. It is better to have a continuity

plan that create policies and respond to various situations to ensure that an

institution or business organization is able to recover quickly after a crisis. Its

main goal is to protect people, property and assets. It also helps position the

institution or business organization to recover from unexpected interruptions

(Kelly, 2020). We should prepare ourselves to whatever may happen in the near

future. And we all knew that Covid-19 doesn’t have any exact date to when it will

be solve or to when the battle against Covid-19 will be finished. And it is

important for us and some institutions to have a concrete plan of actions on what

to do.

Literature Background

Safety must be a priority at all times. As these times that we are facing a

pandemic, safety measure and protocols must be observed. The safety of the

students as well as the teachers and staff must be the number one priority as we

are facing the COVID-19.

Covid-19 disease as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) is an

infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. The virus spreads

primarily through droplets of saliva or discharged from the nose when an infected

person coughs or sneezes. In just a short period of time the vast number of

people are being affected, it overwhelms countries that results in being unable to

provide health care, maintain the society of their community, or keeping the

function of the economy. This could cause the downfall of the world economy,

decline of stock markets, scarcity of supplies, worsening political instability, and

governments losing hundreds of billions of revenues (Miller, 2006).

With the appearance of the novel corona virus, our life has change also. The

said changes that we experience are either in a gradual or in a rapid change. As

the COVID-19 hit our lives, it completely disrupted our daily routines and it nearly

impacted the every aspect of our lives (LVMC, 2020)

 The fight for this disease is our joint responsibility. The government

proposed different safety protocols to mitigate the spread of the virus in

accordance to the World Health Organization (WHO), safety precautions

includes; cleaning your hands often, cough or sneeze in your bent elbow, avoid

touching your eyes, nose and mouth, limit social gatherings and crowded places,

avoid close contact to someone who is sick, always wear face mask and face

shield, clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs deals with the primary needs of

the people. Under the Basic Needs are the safety needs of every individual that

include safety and security. As this time that we are facing a global pandemic,

safety of every individual must be meet. As Bohol Island State University-Main

Campus impose some safety protocols to ensure the safety of the students and

the teachers. In dealing with every plan at this time of pandemic safety must be

considered and given some priority.

In relation to the safety, these are the following are the COVID task force

guidelines in Bohol Island State University; (1) Social distancing of 1 meter,

proper use of face mask, frequent hand washing and use of hand sanitizer (2)

Offices must have a protective barrier and person shall be limited to contactless

transaction (3) Work from home is advised for 60 years old and above and

person under taking therapies and treatment (4) COVID positive, first and second

generation contact are not advised to work for 14 days. Knowing the fact that
there is no certainty to when the pandemic ends, it is very important to create a

continuity plan for the future preparedness against the pandemic.

Theories Legal Bases

Vested- interest theory Republic Act No. 11332

Deals with the bearing of a particular Section 7 States that the president of
attitude-object or a phenomenon in the Republic of the Philippines shall
its capacity to have significant declare a state of public health
personal consequences for a emergency in the event of the
particular individual pandemic.
(Crano,1982)
Joint Memorandum Circular No.
HIERARCHY OF NEEDS 2021-001
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs includes Guidelines on the gradual reopening
safety and security. of campuses of higher education
(Maslow, 1943) institution for limited face-to-face
classes during the covid-19 pandemic.
Resilience theory
The developable capacity to rebound Republic Act No. 10121 of 2010
or bounce back from adversity, Provides the legal basis for policies,
conflict, and failure or even positive plans and programs to deal with
events, progress, and increase disaster. The NDRRMP covers the
responsibility. four thematic areas
(Luthans, 2002)

Continuity Plan of Bohol Island State

University for COVID-19

4 Thematic Areas

Prevention
Respondents Preparedness
Profile Response
Recovery

Proposed Continuity Plan

 Figure 1.Theoretical and Conceptual Framework

Safety is one of our basic, evolutionary needs. Most of our decisions and

actions are basing on. The need for safety was acknowledged by Abraham

Maslow in his Hierarchy of Needs. It is environmental information that is used to

determine whether we are safe. We also see in the environment around us

different threats that might threaten us. Just like today there is the threat of being

infected from the COVID-19. At this time we must prioritize our safety at all times

following protocols and guidelines (Kominnos, 2020).

Continuity Plan or Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is a procedural guideline

to create plans that prevents, prepare, respond, manage and recover from any

disruptions. It is to ensure that the operation of a business and or schools will not

be interrupted, but instead it will operate continuously because of the set

guidelines for its prevention, preparation, respond, and manage and recovery

(Science Direct).

The rising number of active cases triggered every individual as they will be

infected with the virus. Many protocols and safety measures are created and are

ensure that it is strictly followed by the people to mitigate the spread of the virus.

The safety of every individual lies on our self – control and adherence to

the protocols set by the government. One must have its control and strictly
comply with the different safety measures and protocols set by the government

for the goodness of oneself and also for the common good.

Risk assessment considers the environment, the task the threat, resource

available such as equipment and feasibility of protective measures (WHO, 2020).

As many establishments still continue its operation amidst the threat of the

COVID-19, one must know the risk present in the area. It is important to identify

such risk so that it will be avoided. And in preparing some plans, risk must be first

recognize to finalize what actions should be done and what should not be done.

Schools and other Higher Education Institutions are affected. They have

set their different protocols in accordance to the National Interagency Task Force

(IATF) in response to the emerging disease. And every individual must be

prepared, because a single preparation might save us. (SeymourEMS, 2019)

stated that preparedness will lessen the impact on the lives of every individual,

prepare the organizations for extra activities and will be able to create a concrete

plan that will keep the population safe.

We are all affected. The pandemic has change a lot of things we used to

do. We must be prepared for the spontaneous evolution of new customs and

corporate cultural norms spurred by abruptly changed environment. The

pandemic has change the way we live our lives, many has change in our work, in

our study, etc. As we are facing these changes, one must be plan on how
overcome the changes. The plan must be effective and can sustain for a

prolonged period of time considering also the safety of the people (Cook, 2020)

Life is never perfect. As much as we wish things would ‘just go our way,’

difficulties are inevitable, and we all have to deal with them. Resilience Theory

argues that it’s not the nature of adversity that is most important but how we deal

with it (Positive Psychology).

According to (Luthans, 2002), Resilience Theory is a developable capacity

to rebound or bounce back from adversity, conflict, and failure or even positive

events, progress, and increase responsibility. It shows how resilient and strong

we are in dealing with various situations, especially in this time of pandemic. The

(American Psychological Association, 2014) defines resilience as ‘’the process of

adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or even significant

sources of stress.

As individuals, we must put into our own mindset how we will response to

all the disasters and situations that might come along our way. It is because we

don’t know what will happen in the future. What challenges and various situations

we will be facing. And that, being resilient must be on top of our mind and be

ready and strong to fight what situations we will be facing it’s either a disaster, a

pandemic, etc.

Another theory that dealt in the study is the Vested Interest Theory

(Crano, 1983). It deals with the bearing of a particular attitude-object or a

phenomenon in its capacity to have significant personal consequences for a

particular individual. As to the way (Miller, 2012) cited the works of Crano (1983),

emphasized that individuals will likely tend to act or anticipate for something if it

is hedonically relevant to them. This came to be known as the Vested-Interest

Theory.

This study emphasizes legal basis on which it is anchored as stated in the

Section 7 of Republic Act No. 11332 provides that the President of the Republic

of the Philippines shall declare a state of public health emergency in the event of

a pandemic of national and/or international concern which threatens national

security in order to mobilize governmental and non-governmental agencies to

respond the threat.

In accordance with the above mentioned Republic Act, Rodrigo Roa

Duterte, president of the Republic of the Philippines imposes different quarantine

level and protocols to protect the people from the unseen enemy. Quarantine

measures includes; Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), Modified

Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ), General Community Quarantine

(GCQ) and the Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ). And these

quarantine specifications lasted for many months with different guidelines

according to quarantine level.

Another act that regulates is the Republic Act No. 10121 series of 2010 in

which National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan fulfills the

requirements set by the Republic Act. The NDRRMP covers the four thematic

areas namely (1) prevention and mitigation, (2) preparedness, (3) response, (4)
rehabilitation and recovery, which corresponds to the structure of the National

Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

a) Prevention and mitigation refers to the lessening or limitation of the

adverse impacts of hazards and related disasters. It expresses the

concept and intention to completely avoid the potential negative

happenings through action taken in advance.

b) Preparedness refers to the knowledge and capacity developed by

governments, professional response and recovery organization,

communities and individuals to effectively anticipate response to and

recover from, the impacts of likely, imminent or current hazards event

or condition.

c) Response refers to the provision of emergency services and public

assistance during or immediately after a disaster in order to save lives,

reduces health impacts, ensure public safety and meet the basic

subsistence needs of the people affected.

d) Rehabilitation and recovery refers to the measures that ensure the

ability of affected communities/areas to restore their normal level of

functioning by rebuilding livelihood and damaged infrastructures and

increasing the communities’ organizational capacity (Section 3,

Republic Act No. 10121, 2010).

Developing a plan requires teamwork. The greater the input, the better the

product, although there will always be a trade-off in terms of time and complexity.
Planning is most effective when it is a participatory process involving all the

actors who will be required to work together in the event of an emergency.

THE PROBLEM

Statement of the Problem

The main thrust of the study is to create and proposed a continuity plan for

Covid-19 in Bohol Island State University-Main Campus.

Specifically, it seeks to answer the following questions:

1. What are the respondent’s profile in terms of:

1.1. Name

1.2. Age

1.3. Position

2. What is the school’s level of implementation in response to the Covid-19 in

terms of:

2.1. Prevention

2.2. Preparedness

2.3. Response

2.4. Recovery

3. Is there significant difference on the level of implementation of the four

thematic areas of Bohol Island State University-Main Campus in response

to Covid-19?
 4. What continuity plan can be proposed to the Bohol Island State University-

Main Campus?

Statement of the Null Hypothesis:

There is no significant difference on the level of implementation of the four

thematic areas of Bohol Island State University-Main Campus in response to

Covid-19.

Significance of the Study

The researchers believe that the study will be beneficial to following

individuals:

Students- The study will provide the students on what are the actions of the

schools towards the COVID-19 and different information about the concrete

plans.

Administrators- This study will be a great help for the administrators of Bohol

Island State University- Main Campus as the researchers will be imposing plans

of continuity that is beneficial for the schools continuous quest for providing

quality education for the students.

Researchers- The result of the study is essential for the researchers as the

answers of their research. This is also essential for them as one of the authors of

the study conducted.

Future Researchers- This study will be helpful and may serve as references for

the future researchers who will conduct a study related to ours.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

RESEARCH DESIGN

ENVIRONMENT AND PARTICIPANTS

The study will be conducted in Bohol Island State University-Main

Campus. The participants will be the teachers and students. The researchers

choose the environment mentioned above because it is very accessible and at

the same time it is where the researchers study. A total of 50 teachers and 250

students.

INSTRUMENTS

The researchers of the study will use modified questionnaires in gathering

the data information. The questionnaires consist of the four thematic areas of

DRRM. (1) Prevention and Mitigation, (2) Preparedness, (3) Response, (4)

Rehabilitation and Recovery. It is about knowing the level of implementation in

response to Covid-19. The ranges of the questionnaires are ranging from (1)

Very Poor, (2) Poor, (3) Fair, (4) Good, and (5) Very Good.

DATA GATHERING PROCEDURES

The researchers will send letters to the Campus Director to ask for

permission to conduct the study and to the School Registrar Office to know how

many students are enrolled in Bohol Island State University-Main Campus. The

researchers will make a questionnaire and submit it to the adviser for checking

and verification before reproducing copies for the actual survey.

STATISTICAL TREATMENT

To determine the

Compute weighted mean was use to describe the level of implementation on the

four areas in response to the COVID 19. The weighted mean will be described

using the following scale:

4.20 – 5.00 Very Good

3.40 – 4.19 Good
2.60 – 3.39 Fair
1.80 – 2.59 Poor
1.00 – 1.79 Very Poor
 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Continuity Plan. The consistent plans over a period of time. It is a continuous

implementation of plans for the preparation of the future unfortunate happenings

especially the Covid-19.

Covid-19. A newly emerged respiratory disease caused by severe acute

respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Mitigation. It is an action of reducing the severity and seriousness of unexpected

occurrence. It includes the activities that prevent a fortuitous event. Quarantine

procedures are one of the ways in mitigating the spread of the virus during the

pandemic.

Pandemic. An outbreak over a wide geographic area and prevalent over a whole

proportion of population.

Preparedness. A state in which individuals and groups of community have

develop plans, allocated resources and established procedures for an efficient

and effective implementations for the purpose of savings lives and preventing

further damages.

Prevention. It is a concept to completely avoid potential adverse impacts

through actions taken in advance.

Recovery. These are actions and decisions taken after a pandemic or a disaster

with the view of returning and improving the new normal living condition.

Response. It is the act of executing the preparedness plan into actions. It

includes procedures taken to saves lives and prevents further damages or

emergency situation.

Safety Protocols. It is a system of rules that explained and governed the correct

conduct and procedures to be followed in a various situations.

REFERENCE LIST

Cao, X. (2020) COVID-19: Immunopathology and its implication for therapy,

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41557-020-0308%20/l%20auth-1

Xu, Z. et al. (2020) Pathological findings of COVID-19 associated with acute

respiratory distress syndrome
https://www.thelancet.com/journlas/lanres/article/PIIS2213-2600(20)30076-X/fulltext

Kelly, M. (2020) The Importance of a Business Continuity Plan,

https://www.google.com/amp/s/home.akitabox.com/blog/importance-of-
business-continuity-plan%3fhs_amp=true

World Health Organization (WHO),

https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus#tab=tab_1

World Health Organization (WHO), COVID-19 transmission and protective

measures,
https://www.who.int/westernpacific/emergencies/covid19/information/trans
mission-protective-measures

SeymourEMS (2019), The Importance of Emergency Preparedness

https://www.seymourems.org/the -importance-of-emergency-
preparedness

Positive Psychology, Resilience Theory: What Research Articles in Psychology

Teach Us,
https://positivepsychology.com/resilience-theory/

American Psychology Association (APA), (2012), Building your Resilience,

http://www.apa.org/topics/resilience
Luthans (2002), Resilience Theory: What Research Articles in Psychology Teach
Us,
https://positivepsychology.com/resilience-theory/

Cook, C. (2020) Elements of Business Continuity Plan in the Time of Pandemic

https://www.renovodata.com/blog/2020/04/24/elements-business-
continuity-plan-during-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic

WHO, (2020) Coronavirus disease (Covid-19): Health and Safety in the

Workplace
https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/coronavirus-disease-covid-19-
health-and-safety-in-the-workplace

Miller, (2006) downfall