By NG Seruela and Alec Go
President Rodrigo R. Duterte has initially declared the Philippines under State of Calamity for 6 months since March 16, 2020 under Proclamation 929. He has recently signed Proclamation 1021, extending the declaration effective September 13, 2020 to Sept. 12, 2021.
According to the President, another extension of the declaration is needed due to the increasing number of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and deaths in the country. The declaration will aid in the government’s response against COVID-19, “This will give time for the government and LGUs to marshal resources in fighting the pandemic.”
Under the State of Calamity, the national government is expected to control the pandemic with the help of local government units (LGUs). A fund of P1.5 B was appropriated to the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act that served as financial assistance to the LGUs. The local governments can also tap their Quick Response Fund which is 30% of their Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (LDRRMF).
However, as the Bayanihan 1 was signed into law, it “empowered the President to lift the 30% cap on the amount appropriated for the QRF, as provided for under RA No. 10121, during the existence of the state of national emergency due to COVID-19.” The LGUs have been urged to utilize their funds in the fight against COVID-19.
For the past 6 months of battling the virus, the LGUs were tasked to help their constituents by providing aid for households.
“Only the LGU’s assistance (Assistance received from City of Manila: Php1,000 and 3 bags of rice) during ECQ,” Jenny, a writer, shared.
However, some LGUs chose to give more to those who have less in life. Some constituents who are better off even opted to share their blessings to those in need,
“Nabigyan kami once ng ayuda (1 kilo na bigas, 2 sardines, 1 tuna, 3 noodles, biscuit.) pero di na naulit. Di na rin naman namin kailangan, binigay na lang din namin sa mas nangangailangan (We have been given aid once. Since we do not need it, we just gave it to those who really needed it),” a med school student, Alexis, disclosed.
As the pandemic changed the course of the lives of Filipinos, some have been fortunate enough to adapt to the “new normal”. The likes of Teacher Maria started working from home and conducted online transactions and interactions,
“Since we’re a family who spend their time cooped up inside our room on regular days, the pandemic did not really have a big impact lifestyle wise. Most of the change is internal. Being more thankful & valuing each moment. Being extra vigilant when it comes to health & cleanliness. Taking advantage of the time we have together.”
Jenny has also realized the advantages of the new set-up. “(I) have shifted to working from home which is actually better for me because I don’t have to commute through the hellish Metro Manila traffic anymore. I save time, money, and effort.”
However, majority of Filipinos have experienced difficulties in adapting to this lifestyle especially for a student like Alexis, “Ang impact talaga ng pandemya sa akin is sa studies ko. Di kasi ako sanay na nasa bahay lang at nakikinig ng lectures sa laptop/online. Hindi conducive for learning talaga ang environment (house). Mahirap din kasi ang course ko. Kailangan talaga ng practicals, dapat hands on. Siempre, samahan na rin ng walang social interaction. Isa sa mga pag-cope ko sa stress ay ‘yung kasama ang friends ko after school. (The pandemic has really affected my studies. I am not used to staying at home and listening to lectures online. The environment is really not conducive for learning. My course is hard. Practicals are really needed, it must be hands on. There is also no social interaction. One of my coping mechanisms against stress is hanging out with my friends after school).”
While others adjusted fairly well, the pandemic has gravely affected careers like that of Jenny who “lost my job due to cost-cutting measures on the part of the employer.”
“The pandemic affected me greatly. I was a field researcher before the pandemic but the employer decided to discontinue our contract. Our job needed face-to-face interviews but because of safety protocols, we weren’t allowed to conduct the research. I have been unemployed since then so I was emotionally and mentally tired. I was not allowed to find a new job because the people I live with are mostly Senior Citizens so I decided to stay at home for the meantime,” Tricia bared.
Aside from the issues of unemployment and learning from home, studies have also shown how mental health has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to an article by the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) has noticed “a significant increase in monthly hotline calls regarding depression, with numbers rising from 80 calls pre-lockdown to nearly 400.”
Content producer, Gabriela, admitted that this pandemic has deteriorated her mental health. “Since nag-start ‘yung pandemic, mas dumalas yung panic attacks ko and depression, siguro dahil sa pag-o-overthink kung may “old normal” pa bang babalikan at dahil isolated sa friends and ibang family. Nag-escalate din ‘yung insomnia ko kakaisip about work kasi wala na talagang boundary between work and resting place mo. (Since the start of the pandemic, my panic attacks and depression became more frequent maybe because of my overthinking if there is still an “old normal” to return to and because I’m isolated from my friends and other relatives. My insomnia has also escalated, thinking about work because there is really no boundary between work and resting place.)”
The declaration of the State of Calamity due to the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that there are upsides and downsides in the lives of Filipinos and that the government has been doing its best to reach out to its citizens especially in times of crisis.
Industries not spared from losses under state of calamity
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported earlier in August that the country’s economy has fallen into recession with its gross domestic product (GDP) dropping to 16.5 percent, the lowest level of growth since 1981. Economic managers have attributed the decline to the strict lockdowns to prevent COVID-19 transmission.
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) stated in its report that as of March 19, it expects a “cumulative loss of PHP428.7 to PHP1,355.6 billion in gross value added (in current prices), equivalent to 2.1 to 6.6 percent of nominal GDP in 2020” due to the simultaneous unfavorable effects on the supply and the demand side.
Aside from economic losses, the PSA in its July 2020 Labor Force Survey disclosed the 10 percent unemployment rate of the country which is equivalent to 4.6 million individuals. This is higher by 2.1 million compared to July 2019 data, but is lower than the 17.7 percent data in April this year.
Data from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) show that as of September 14, Php 100 billion has been released to the DSWD for the social amelioration program (SAP) and Php 1.5 billion to the DOLE to assist displaced workers.
With the declaration of state of calamity for the whole country and strict community quarantines, some sectors were not exempted from the impact of economic downturn caused by the pandemic.
Due to the interrupted service in the tourism sector because of travel restrictions, the NEDA stated that estimated losses in the nationwide tourism industry is at Php 60,250,778,265, 15.2 percent of which is from Central Visayas, 14.3 percent from CALABARZON, and 11.4 percent from Bicol.
A May 2020 survey by the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) Philippines and the Department of Tourism (DOT) to 247 decision makers in the industry revealed that 78 percent of tourism-related businesses have “temporarily stopped offering a product/service due to the current restrictions.”
To address the matter, the newly signed Bayanihan to Recover as One Act has allocated Php 4 billion for the industry to aid in its recovery, including cash-for-work programs and separation assistance to displaced workers. The DOT reported on May 5 that 55,672 employees have received assistance under the Small Business Wage Subsidy Program. The government has also allowed the partial opening of tourism in areas under MGCQ.
A survey by the NEDA also showed that the agriculture sector lost a total of Php 18.63 million in rice farming, Php 5.6 million in rice farming, and Php 24.48 million in livestock and poultry raising. At least Php 94.3 million from unsold produce nationwide were lost, “with the biggest chunk coming from CALABARZON at PHP26.33 million (27.9% share), followed by Central Luzon with PHP 24.84 million (26.3% share).”
The Bayanihan 2 has already allotted Php 24 billion to the agriculture sector to support the projects of the agency on agri-fishery. A September 21 report of the NTF shows that DA has already established 2,040 “KADIWA ni Ani at Kita” facilities nationwide that has benefitted 23,294 farmers.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) has already assured in July that the country remains “food-secure” during the pandemic. “We are confident that based on mid-July estimates, our food supply situation and outlook is comfortable, despite the constricted movement in the early weeks of the community quarantine,” DA Sec. William Dar stated.
With the extension of the state of calamity until September 2021, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque explained that local government units can utilize their calamity funds to further strengthen strides to counter the pandemic and its effects.
