Ateneo de Zamboanga University

The Jesuit University in Western Mindanao

Since 1912
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL UNIT
English and Science Departments

Performance Task in ENG 121

Is the PH Government doing ‘enough to

combat COVID-19?
A Position Paper

Presented by

Yousuf Azhar Alamia

Grade 11 STEM Father Victor L. Badillo, SJ

Presented to

Ms. Jhehada Said

ENG 121 Instructor
 September 5, 2020
The Philippines ranks first in confirmed cases in South East Asia (SEA) as COVID-19 has
infected 234,570 Filipinos, with 69,112 active cases and 3,790 fatalities (DOH, 2020). Unlike other
countries with best practices, the Philippine government responded too late and inadequately with
no concrete programs for flattening the curve and raising the bar of the healthcare and economic
response system, causing a recession, a bloating unemployment rate, and increasing rates of
poverty.
The government claims to be the first one to enforce lockdowns and travel bans in SEA,
though data reveals Vietnam was the first country in the region to enforce such measures
(Macaraeg, 2020). From the beginning, there have been no travel bans as China might “question”
their decision (Peralta, 2020). Consequently, the government’s last resort was lockdowns that
added to the plethora of problems. The longest-running “quarantine” in this country has caused
16.7% Filipinos or 4.2 million families to starve (CNN, 2020). The police also conducted a house-to-
house inspection in Metro Manila that led to the killings of some suspected persons with COVID-19
(Pasley, 2020).
Though the administration later conducted contact tracing, it is still severely limited and is
constrained by backlogs. The government targeted the conduct of 30,000 tests per day in May,
though, figures show that less than 8,000 tests per day were done (Quintos, 2020)—with less than
only 2% of the populace tested as of August 6 (DOH, 2020). Due to the rising number of cases of
COVID-19, medical experts have been advising the government to hasten the contact tracing but
unfortunately, DOH just passed down the responsibility of contact tracing to most LGUs that ended
up to be a “shoddy, watered-down system” and, as WHO puts it in July, a “little weak” (Inquirer,
2020).
Instead of putting pandemic experts at the helm, the government relied on the security
sector to combat COVID-19. As the lockdown may have slowed down the spread of the contagion,
the capacity of the healthcare system has not been improved to accommodate the rising number of
positive cases, especially in GIDA—with 50% occupied ICU beds and lack of supplies (DOH, 2020).
Furthermore, the country has been in an economic recession as 7.3 million Filipinos have lost their
jobs (Lopez, 2020) and the country’s debt has shot up to USD 8.83 billion (CNN, 2020), with ₱165.5-
B funds of Bayanihan Act (Gotinga, 2020) that has no comprehensive economic recovery program.
While the government may have addressed this issue, it is clear that present efforts of
lockdowns, testing, and increasing militarization are still insufficient and inadequate to flatten the
curve. The government has no concrete plans to improve the healthcare system, as it gravely affects
the economy and public health, with the unemployment rate and debt rising. Ultimately, the
Filipinos deserve a clear plan and an effective health and economic response system to combat
COVID-19.
 REFERENCES
CNN Philippines [@cnnphilippines]. (2020). Dominguez: As of August 27, DOF has secured a
total of $8.83 billion in financing COVID-19 response efforts from our development
partners and commercial markets [Tweet]. Retrieved September 5, 2020, from
https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines/status/1301794735191805952?s=20.
CNN Philippines Staff. (2020). SWS survey reveals 4.2 million families suffered involuntary
hunger amid COVID-19 pandemic. Retrieved September 3, 2020, from
https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/5/22/sws-survey-four-million-families-
involuntary-hunger-covid-pandemic.html.
DOH COVID-19 BULLETIN # 175. (2020). Retrieved September 5, 2020, from
https://www.doh.gov.ph/node/24375.
DOH: Philippines Leads In Testing In Southeast Asia; Increasing Cases Attributed To Increased
Testing And Community Transmission. (2020). Retrieved September 4, 2020, from
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Gotinga, JC. (2020). Senate ratifies Bayanihan 2 bill with P165.5 billion for pandemic response.
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2-bill-billions-fund-pandemic-response.
Lopez, M. (2020). 7.3 million Filipinos jobless in April amid COVID-19 pandemic – PSA.
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Macaraeg, P. (2020). FALSE: Philippines first to impose lockdown in Asia – Duterte. Retrieved
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impose-coronavirus-lockdown-asia-duterte.
Neglecting contact tracing. (2020). Retrieved September 5, 2020, from
https://opinion.inquirer.net/133145/neglecting-contact-tracing.
Pasley, J. (2020). Philippines' police have arrested 76,000 people for breaching lockdown as
Duterte wages war on COVID-19 just like his war on drugs. Retrieved September 4,
 2020, from https://www.businessinsider.com/philippines-police-arrested-people-for-
breaching-lockdown-2020-7.
Peralta, J. (2020). Duterte not keen on banning travel to China amid coronavirus scare. Retrieved
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travel-ban.html.
Quintos, P. (2020). The Philippines’ COVID-19 Response: Symptoms of Deeper Malaise in the
Philippine Health System. Retrieved September 3, 2020, from
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