MANILA, Philippines– “If something happens to any of our students, the (NTF-ELCAC), particularly Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade, Jr., shall be held responsible.”

In a strongly-worded statement on Wednesday, May 13, the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication (UP CMC) slammed efforts to red-tag its students “at a time when all government agencies should be focused on fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.” (READ: NTF-ELCAC 'black propaganda' vs Maria Ressa, ABS-CBN sparks outrage) 

NTF-ELCAC, in a now-deleted Facebook post, claimed that different media organizations and groups – including the Union of Journalists of the Philippines (UJP), a student organization under the college – are exploiting the ABS-CBN shutdown to uphold communist ideals. 

UP CMC clarified that UJP, along with other student organizations based in the college, are denouncing the closure of ABS-CBN and defending press freedom for the “simple reason that it is under siege.”

“The active involvement of UJP and other CMC-based student organizations in the campaign to renew ABS-CBN’s franchise reflects what they learned within and beyond the four walls of the classroom,” they said.

The college also highlighted how the vision it imparted to its students of a free and independent media was “hardly communist.

A far cry from what NTF-ELCAC has done, the UP CMC commended the involvement of its students in the call for the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN, especially as they face “bashing of mindless trolls” and “red-baiting [from] those who do not understand press freedom.”

“Let this be our final warning to the NTF-ECLAC and Parlade: We take red-baiting of our students seriously. An attack on our students is an attack on our college,” they asserted.

UP CMC added it has just cause to worry about the safety of red-tagged students at a time when “a person accused of being a communist could be arrested, detained, or killed.”

The college suggested how NTF-ECLAC should investigate the controversial “Wow China” program airing on government media since 2008, as well as government officials bowing down to the wishes of the Chinese government, if they’re on the lookout for “communist sympathizers.”

With a “political virus” on the loose, UP CMC asked its students to be careful and promised them that it will protect its students’ basic rights, especially their freedom of speech and expression as mandated by the 1987 Philippine Constitution.

“The dangers notwithstanding, we encourage our students to fight for the right to information and free speech!” they encouraged.– with a report from Francisco Mendoza/Rappler.com

ILOILO CITY, Philippines– With quarantine rules set to be relaxed in the region in the next few weeks, some 40 painters and sculptors in Iloilo City have pledged their artwork to an online auction that aims to provide free face masks to the Ilonggo public.

Led by “Ilonggo Artists against COVID-19,” the online auction hopes to help Iloilo City gear up for the “new normal” ahead of them by using the proceeds to buy materials and labor for the production of free face masks. (READ: Artivism gives face to Iloilo's vulnerable markets)

The initiative aims to produce at least 200,000 cloth masks for fellow Iloilo City locals in need.

Spearheaded by veteran Ilonggo artist Rock Drilon, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas and his daughter Raisa Treñas, the online art sale was launched on May 3. Back then, it had 37 artists and more than 70 artworks up for auction.

As of May 13, the endeavor has raised P1,323,800, already overshooting its original goal of P1 million.

The ongoing auction continues to add new artists and masterworks to its roster and catalog every day, with the growing support of the city’s tight-knit community of painters, sculptors, and other creators.

“Ang ila talento ginagamit gid nila para makabulig (We are thankful that our Ilonggo artists are using their talents to help),” Treñas said on a post on his official Facebook page.

“Let us help one another by buying art! You get to help your fellow Ilonggos and you will get beautiful artworks in return. Magbinuligay lang kita kay malampasan ta ni! Batò Iloilo! Kaya ta ni! (Let’s cooperate so we can get through this together! Fight Iloilo! We can do this!)” the city official continued.

Ilonggo Artists against COVID-19 is working hand in hand with “Uswag Sewers,” a collective of underprivileged seamstresses hired by the Iloilo City government to help revive their livelihood during the pandemic.

With the increasing scarcity of face masks in the region, the city government has employed these women to produce the cloth masks it intends to distribute for free to vulnerable Iloilo barangays.

Treñas aims to furnish all Ilonggos with at least two face masks each for their personal use. 

Early in April, the mayor signed an ordinance requiring all Ilonggos to wear face masks in public to minimize the potential spread of the coronavirus. 

Between April 25 and May 9, the Uswag Sewers have already produced at least 18,621 cloth face masks.

“Nakakatulong ito nang malaki sa local artists at nakakapagbigay ng trabaho sa mga Ilongga sewers (This is a big help to local artists and it can give a job to Ilongga sewers as well),” Drilon told Rappler.

“Because of the overwhelming success, padayon ang (we continue the) fundraising as more donations are coming from the artists. We are happy that the interest in collecting by generous Ilonggos everywhere remains unstoppable,” he added.

Most of the Ilonggo artists in the endeavor have chosen to submit art pieces reflective of our current times, including 2018 MADE (Metrobank Art and Design Excellence) awardee Roland Llanera who depicts dilapidated houses and the mundane in “Lack-down.” 

In his "Better days are coming" series, social realist and 2012 Philippine Art Awards (PhilArts) recipient Arel Zambarrano paints the malaise and isolation hidden behind face masks. 

Meanwhile, 2014 PhilArts awardee Jeanroll Ejar basks in a more hopeful scene, sculpting robust flowers and plants bursting from fervent hearts in “Sow.”

The artists that have joined the ongoing cause include Agos Payapa, Bal Cerbo, Cyra Cordova, Daryl Dalipe, El Dosado, Fernando Kabigting, and Vic Fario, among others.

You can check out this site for the full catalog of artworks available for sale.

As of May 13, Iloilo City has 16 confirmed coronavirus cases of novel coronavirus with 5 recoveries and 1 death, according to data from the Department of Health Western Visayas.

The city, along with Western Visayas, was classified by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases as a “low-risk” area, allowing it to ease into a modified general community quarantine by May 16. – Rappler.com

Rhick Lars Vladimer Albay is a Rappler Mover based in Iloilo. He reports mostly on the local cultural community and art scene.

MANILA, Philippines – They're here to share their expertise and be at the front lines of the country's battle against the coronavirus pandemic.

Several Filipino scientists formerly based abroad have been in the country via the Balik Scientist Program of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD).

The program, established in 1975, has flown home hundreds of Filipino scientists who work in other countries' laboratories, research, and educational facilities.

Here are 7 Balik Scientists who are among those responding to the country’s need for health experts during the coronavirus crisis. (READ: Braving a pandemic: Frontliners battle fear to confront the novel coronavirus)

Dr Edsel Salvaña

After serving as chief fellow at the Division of Infectious Diseases in University Hospitals of Cleveland, Salvaña decided to return to the Philippines in 2008 as a Balik Scientist.

Back then, the Philippines was witnessing an alarming rise in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases and deaths from the disease. Seeing that an HIV epidemic was imminent in the country, Salvaña became heavily involved in training doctors to treat HIV, and raising awareness about the matter.

Salvaña also led the formulation of local clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of opportunistic infections in HIV. DOST said he also established the first HIV fellowship in the country.

Twelve years later, Salvaña faces an outbreak of a much larger scale through the coronavirus crisis. (READ: In their own words: Frontliners on their fears, hopes during the pandemic)

“I don't think anything has prepared us for this. My knowledge of infectious diseases enabled me to project very clearly in my head what would happen if we did not act early. If our health system is overwhelmed, thousands could die,” he told the DOST.

In the fight against the coronavirus, Salvaña helps advise the Department of Health and the Inter-Agency Task Force as a member of the Technical Advisory Group. 

A multi-awarded and internationally recognized scientist, he is also a director at the University of the Philippines Manila, an Associate Professor at the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH), and Adjunct Faculty for Global Health at the University of Pittsburgh. 

Dr Joseph Adrian Buensalido

Buensalido is an expert in infectious diseases after doing clinical research on the mechanisms of action of antibacterials, antibiotic resistance, hepatitis, HIV, and infections of the spin, among others.

He graduated from the De La Salle University-Health Sciences campus and later became a fellow at the Wayne State University Detroit Medical Center in Michigan, USA.

He is now an Infectious Diseases and Internal Medicine Consultant at the Asian Hospital and Medical Center, Makati America Center, Manila Doctors Hospital. 

Buensalido told DOST that he decided to be on the front lines because he believed health care practitioners have a crucial role to play during this crisis. (READ: 'This is my sworn duty': In UK, Kenneth Lambatan heeded nurse's oath till the end)

“I cannot find the words to call it right now, but the situation calls for all healthcare practitioners to step up or else COVID-19 will ravage our world with fear, disease and death. It is our time, and we will stand up to this bully of a disease,” he said.

Reynaldo L. Garcia, PhD

Garcia is an expert in biomedical research, consulting and biotechnology enterprise. With his extensive experience in the field, he currently heads the multi-awarded Disease Molecular Biology and Epigenetics Laboratory.

Garcia had been a senior research scientist at Cancer Research UK’s Beatson Institute in Scotland, later on working on projects involving characterization of drug targets for pain and development of drug screening assays for disrupting cellular proliferation in cancer. 

After some 15 years in the laboratory, he went to business school and became a manager at the London Biotechnology network.

Upon his return to the Philippines, he got appointed as a full professor at the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of the Philippines Diliman, and concurrently as UP System Director of the Technology Transfer and Business Development Office.

He plays an important role in battling the coronavirus in the country as he leads the national databasing of laboratories with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to assist the Department of Health in testing potential coronavirus samples.

Dr Raymon Francis Sarmiento

Dr Sarmiento is a Balik Scientist who specializes in clinical and public health informatics and health data science.

After graduating from the University of the Philippines College of Medicine in 2008, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in clinical informatics at the Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications, National Library of Medicine at the U.S. National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

He later went on to finish his Public Health Informatics Fellowship in the Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Now based in the Philippines, Sarmiento leads the Data Warehouse Team of FASSSTER, a project of the DOST-PCHRD’s that seeks to fight COVID-19. 

Feasibility Analysis of Syndromic Surveillance using Spatio-Temporal Epidemiological Modeler (FASSSTER) has been used to create predictive models and visualizing possible scenarios of outbreaks of dengue, typhoid fever, and Measles, at specified time periods. 

Dr. Sarmiento is also the Director of the National Telehealth Center of the UP National Institutes of Health.

Dr Doralyn Dalisay

A 2019 Outstanding Professional of the Year awardee in the field of Pharmacy by the Philippine Regulatory Commission, Dr Dalisay is assessing the capacities of the Western Visayas Medical Center’s facilities and technicians for compliance and accreditation by the Department of Health.

After returning to the Philippines as a Balik Scientist in June 2015, she established a research program on natural products drug discovery at the Center fo Chemical Biology and Biotechnology in University of San Agustin. Incidentally, she holds two US patents on the use of a marine natural product for fungal infections and cancer. 

Dr Jonel Saludes

Also assisting in the assessment of Western Visayas Medical Center facilities and technicians is Dr Saludes.

A professor of chemistry and associate vice president for research at the University of San Agustin, Saludes has been trained in various fields like magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, chromatography, and chemical biology, to name a few, from the University of California Davis and University of Colorado Boulder.

Dr Harvy Joy C. Liwanag 

Using his expertise to help fight the coronavirus, Dr Liwanag performs projections on health workforce requirements for the Department of Health.

He completed his PhD in Epidemiology at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute when he decided to become a medium-term Balik Scientist.

He is now the coordinator of the Training Center for Health Research Ethics and Good Clinical Practice at the University of the Philippines Manila-National Institutes of Health. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The World Health Organization described an "infodemic" or the unprecedented surge of information – be it truthful or false – that made it a major deterrent in combating the spread of the novel coronavirus. 

This is not surprising - that as the country deals with the pandemic, several studies have been made to uncover more about the virus.

Researches have emerged to answer basic questions like what possible treatment can be made; how probable is reinfection; what and when face masks should be worn; what degree can be considered safe in terms of physical distancing; and how does the virus spread among others. 

With the deluge of health information that seems to be developing by the day, how should the public engage with scientific studies helpful for its health and safety?

How do we prevent misinformation even as science continuously questions and challenges our understanding about the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)? 

MovePH, Rappler's civic engagement arm, in partnership with the Freidrich Naumann Foundation, will hold another session of the fact-checking webinar on Friday, May 22, to delve deeper into these specific challenges.

Clinical researcher Maria Elizabeth Mercado of the National Data Monitor, World Health Organization Solidarity Trial - Philippine Arm will be joining the discussion.

We have limited slots. Interested participants may visit this link to register. – Rappler.com

CAPIZ, Philippines –  Groups continued to urge the Commission of Higher Education (CHED)  to suspend online classes and implement mass promotion in schools on Saturday, May 16.

This came following the untitmely death of 20-year old Kriselyn Villance, who was a second year student of Capiz State University - Dumarao Campus. 

Villance was on her way home after searching for an internet connection to submit her class requirements. She was riding a motorcycle being driven by her father when they figured in an accident. While her father only obtained scratches, Villance died as she was rushed to be transferred to another hospital. 

Wake-up call for government

In a statement, National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) urged CHED to see the death of Kriselyn Villance as a wake-up call for the national government to push for an educational system that is ‘sensitive’ to the plight of the students amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Although what happened to Villance was an accident, NUSP pointed out that the government should not turn a blind eye and implement policies that would not compromise the welfare and safety of the students and families as the country grappled with the pandemic.

“Advisories and memoranda related to education amid this pandemic are nothing but empty rhetoric as long as public officials remain insensitive to longstanding demands for pro-student guidelines and directives,” NUSP continued. 

Inappropriate educational system?

This was echoed by Sandigan ng Mag-aaral para sa Sambayanan- Polytechnic University (SAMASA PUP) as it pointed out that Villance’s death is a manifestation of the current system that is not appropriate or favorable to students living in rural areas. 

“Hindi isinasaalang-alang ng pamahalaan at ng mga namumuno sa mga unibersidad ang pinansyal at mental na aspetong dala nito sa mga estudyante. Ipinapakita ng pamahalaan na wala itong pakialam sa kaligtasan ng mga estudyante at mas uunahin pa nito ang huwad na pagkatuto ng mga ito at ang kikitain ng mga namumuno sa mga unibersidad,” SAMASA PUP said. 

(The government and university leaders do not consider the impact that the pandemic brings to the financial and mental aspect of students. They have shown they don't care about the students' safety and would instead prioritize false learning and profit of the leaders at the university.)

“Maging hudyat sana ang ang nangyari para dinggin ng CHED ang malawak na panawagan ng mga kabataan para itigil na ang online classes at ipatupad na ang mass promotion,” Kabataan Partylist Cagayan Valley said in a statement. 

(May the incident urge CHED to hear the call of the youth to stop online classes and implement mass promotion.) 

Risks with requirements

With schools shifting to online classes on account of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Villance was not the only student to have gone to extremes in order to comply with academic requirements. 

“Students are exposed to unnecessary risks whenever we go out of our houses to access the internet and comply with school requirements during these difficult times,” NUSP added. 

Numerous posts on Facebook and Twitter have gone viral, where Filipino students are seen climbing trees or even mountains just to get a good internet signal for their classes. Such posts have been met with outrage by netizens and student groups alike, calling out educational institutions for prioritizing academic output over student welfare.

Earlier in March, students from the Philippines’ top 4 universities submitted a petition to CHED calling for the suspension of online classes and the mass promotion for every student in the country. 

In April, student government councils from various colleges and universities in the country held an online rally with the same demands. Both were done with the reasoning that not every student has access to internet and the devices to make online classes conducive for learning. (READ: #HAUyokoNa: Students urge Holy Angel University to suspend online classes)

“While we understand the need for learning to continue, the different circumstances of students across universities are not ideal and conducive for such,” said the students in their petition.

However, CHED ‌has not backed down on its statement that it would issue a memorandum to promote en masse all college students across the nation. Instead, the institution is now advocating “flexible learning”, which is said to be a combination of both digital and non-digital technology.

Earlier this week, the government coronavirus task force approved CHED’s resolution to open classes in colleges and universities based on their mode of teaching. In a press briefing, CHED Chairperson Prospero de Vera III also stated that colleges and universities should start classes in August.

Despite this, student groups such as NUSP are still rallying for the suspension of online classes. The death of Kriselyn Villance has only given them more reason to do so.

“An educational system that insists to meet rigid and pre-determined academic standards will surely compromise the safety and welfare of students,” stated NUSP. – Rappler.com

Dorothy Andrada is a Rappler mover from Roxas City, Capiz. She is currently based in Quezon City and is a college freshman at the Ateneo de Manila University.

MANILA, Philippines – In a disaster-prone country like the Philippines, how are local government units (LGUs) adapting to safeguard public health as they deal with the coronavirus pandemic? Specifically, how are LGUs implementing physical distancing in usually cramped evacuation centers? 

Quarantine restrictions were implemented in March in light of the pandemic. After about 2 months on lockdown, the government released guidelines governing areas to be put on modified community quarantine. (READ: DOCUMENT: Omnibus guidelines on modified ECQ, modified GCQ) 

But even as it grapples with a COVID-19 outbreak, the country is not spared from other calamities, particularly typhoons. The Philippines experiences an average of 20 tropical cyclones per year . (READ: LIST: PAGASA's names for tropical cyclones in 2020)

Typhoon Ambo (Vongfong), the first major weather disturbance of 2020, made landfall 6 times before it weakened into a severe tropical storm on Friday, May 15. 

Implementing protocols to ensure safety during a typhoon has become a challenge for both local agencies and residents. Strict health and quarantine measures must still be in place to prevent viral transmissions in evacuation centers. Making this challenge even more complex is the fact that some designated evacuation centers were earlier converted into COVID-19 health facilities.

In a lot of ways,  LGUs are creating new standards and measures to adapt to the changing times.

To help LGUs prepare better as the country gears up for the typhoon season during a pandemic, MovePH, Rappler's civic engagement arm, collated a number of typhoon response practices observed when Ambo hit the country. 

Physical barriers

In Naval town, province of Biliran, modular tents were positioned a few meters apart to ensure health and safety of the 227 residents or 55 families who took shelter at the municipal gymnasium. The gym was one of the 5 evacuation centers in the municipality. (READ: Social distancing 'per family' at Typhoon Ambo evacuation centers)

This practice was also seen in Sorsogon City. A day before Ambo made its first landfall, Sorsogon City Mayor Ester Hamor issued an order to transfer residents living in flood and landslide-prone areas to evacuation centers not being used as COVID-19 quarantine facilities.

At the evacuation centers, families must observe mandatory physical distancing (maximum of 2 families per room) and wear face masks. These areas must also be disinfected. 

Although acquiring modular tents have been a good practice among some LGUs because of the personal space and safety it brings to evacuees, not all could afford this.

Procuring modular tents may take even longer as LGUs are cash strapped with the reallocation of funds due to the outbreak. 

Reducing capacity of evacuees

The need to observe physical distancing automatically meant LGUs had to reduce the capacity of evacuation centers to almost half. 

Residents in lakeside barangays Ipil, Ibayugan, Sta. Cruz, and Iraya were evacuated at various evacuation camps in Buhi town, Camarines Sur. The local government limited the number of evacuees to between 15 to 20 per room in its designated evacuation centers.

Given the necessity to manage the number of evacuees,  LGUs must now designate more evacuation centers as part of preparations ahead of the typhoon season. 

In Dingalan, Aurora, they addressed this by bringing at least 3,000 residents living in danger zone areas to schools and churches. This was because it turned its main evacuation center into a COVID-19 facility. 

Required use of face masks, visible signages 

Signs were also posted in the evacuation center to remind evacuees to wear face masks, wash their hands often and observe physical distancing. 

Games and stress debriefing were also initiated by daycare and municipal social workers to the children evacuees.  Health workers took charge of the nutritional needs for malnourished children and pregnant women. 

In Buhi, Camarines Sur, for example, government employees handed out face masks to the evacuees at the municipality's millenium center. The area was staging area where evacuees where registered per family before they were transported to their assigned evacuation centers. 

Although an ordinance was released requiring the use of face masks in their municipality, local officials found out that some evacuees were not wearing any surgical or improvised face mask. This moved them to start distributing the limited masks left. 

Designated rooms for the sick and elderly 

In an emergency meeting ahead of the typhoon, the provincial government of Albay said that they practiced physical distancing by limiting each evacuation room to a maximum of 4 families and required the wearing face masks during evacuation. They also set aside a separate room for sick individuals and senior citizens.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that the elderly and those with existing medical conditions were at a higher risk of getting severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Thus, extra care must be given to them to reduce susceptibility of acquiring the disease. – Rappler.com 

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Since a fire hit their community in Oppra in Barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City, last March, Cresencio Caballes Jr, 25, and his family have been living in a tent. 

They are the only family – among 160 families who lost their homes – not staying in a school shelter. 

Cebu City was locked down due to the novel coronavirus pandemic a week after the fire destroyed the neighborhood. Caballes, his mother, sister, and nephew chose to avoid the school shelter and pitch a tent instead to reduce the risk of catching the coronavirus.

"We have a young child with us, that's why we're here," Caballes said in Cebuano. 

It's not been comfortable for the family, especially during this dry season in the province and and temperatures have been in the high 30s.

“We feel uncomfortable because we sleep in the tent. I promise that I will pay you back after we finish our house. I hope you consider me,” Caballes said in his Facebook post, asking people to lend him money. 

Caballes, told Rappler over Messenger that he has a speech disability and works as a concierge at a condominium in Cebu City. He has been furloughed from work since the lockdown began.

The city provided meals for the families displaced by the fire only during the first week. Caballes and his family have been mostly left to fend for themselves after that.

Due to the coronavirus crisis, those out of work were entitled to P5,000 in financial assistance from the Department of Labor and Employment, and another P5,000 to P6,500 from the Department of Social Welfare and Development's assistance program.

The financial assistance Caballes' family received has helped with their subsistence, but he estimates that it would cost him approximately P50,000 to rebuild their home.

While Caballes initially asked to borrow money, Cebuanos who saw his story online have raised P5,000 for so far without conditions for repayment.

If you would like to assist Caballes' family, you can reach out to Jefferson Calopez Damolo at 0966-593-4514 for information on how to donate or send money via GCash.

Those who want to help the other fire victims of Oppra can contact Barangay Kalunasan directly. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – While the country battles the coronavirus pandemic, residents of a town in Eastern Samar found themselves striving to keep afloat as Typhoon Ambo flooded their homes and destroyed their livelihood.

For more than two days, several upstream and low-lying barangays in Oras, Eastern Samar became completely submerged following Typhoon Ambo’s landfall on Thursday, May 14. Floodwaters had reached as high as the second floor of the houses in the area.

Loss of livelihood

Bearing the brunt of the Philippines’ first typhoon of 2020, Oras suffered strong winds and torrential rain that uprooted coconut trees and pummeled houses. Oras Mayor Viviane Alvarez pegged the number of totally damaged houses at 1,000 to 2,000, with 15 barangays out of 42 submerged at the onset of the typhoon.

The typhoon even destroyed pump boats that had been supposedly stored safely in homes, swept away livestock and newly harvested crops, and inundated farmlands.

"Lahat ng inaasahan ng majority sa Oras ay nasira. High-value crops, mga banana namin, lahat sira.... We are really at a loss kung saan kami magstart in terms of the livelihood kasi sa laki ng damage ngayon, back to zero lahat ng ating mga farmers, even fisherfolk at that,” said Alvarez.

(All means of livelihood that a majority of Oras residents rely on got destroyed. Our high-value crops, all got destroyed.... We are really at a loss as to where we can start in terms of livelihood. With the severity of the damage now, our farmers and fisherfolk have gone back to zero.)

Damaged schools

Initially reserved as COVID-19 isolation facilities, schools in the town had been converted into evacuation centers due to the overwhelming numbers of evacuees. (READ: How local governments observed physical distancing in evacuation centers)

“‘Yung impact talaga nito is not only on the livelihood pati doon sa structures namin for education. I do not know how we can cope with this. At least medyo matagal-tagal pa 'yung klase. Pero DepEd, I do not know paano nila marerecover before the class starts by August,” Alvarez said.

(The impact here is not only on livelihood but also our structures for education. I do not know how we can cope with this. At least it’ll be a while before classes start. But I do not know how the Department of Education will recover before the class starts in August.)

Added burden

Days since the landfall, Oras is still reeling from the impact of Ambo. In an interview on Monday, May 18, Alvarez said several residents have gone home from evacuation centers to fix their partially damaged houses. 

Despite the need to maintain physical distancing during this time, others have been forced to live in cramped spaces with their relatives after their homes got destroyed. 

Alvarez said that those who lived in low-lying areas near the riverbank fled their homes carrying only their essentials. When they returned home, their houses were gone.

The municipal government is finalizing its rapid assessment on damage and has sought assistance from the  national government, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector to help rebuild Oras.

The local government used fallen coconut trees for coco  lumber to help build temporary shelter, and provided relief goods to households.

"We are doing what we can dito sa munisipyo ngayon (here in the municipality now). These are the only resources we have at this time. Kaya nga po umapila kami ng tulong sa mga puwedeng makatulong sa panahon ngayon (That’s why we are appealing for help during this time)," said Alvarez.

She said that the municipal government's disaster funds are nearly depleted and cannot adequately address the town's COVID-19 and disaster recovery efforts.

“We have to respond to both the challenges of the impact of Ambo and the continuing challenge of COVID-19.... Almost all of our funds are already exhausted kaya hirap na hirap ang mga LGUs ngayon na affected ng Ambo (that’s why LGUs affected by Ambo are struggling) to really find ways in answering the needs of our constituents,” added Alvarez.

Facing Ambo and the coronavirus outbreak

The aftermath of Ambo, on top of the heavy burden of containing the coronavirus pandemic, have taken a toll on the citizens and even local government officials in the area.

"After nung landfall, noong umikot ako, as in talaga 4 hours ako tulala after. I do not know where to start picking up the pieces but I have to [be] strong enough kasi kahit mga kapitan ko, umiiyak na 'pag lumalapit [sila sa akin]. ‘Yung tipong you have to be strong for others," shared Alvarez.

(After the landfall, when I went around the area, I was just in a state of shock for 4 hours. I do not know where to start picking up the pieces but I have to be strong enough because even my barangay captains cry when they come to me. It’s like I have to be strong for others.)

“Patong-patong na ang mga fears ng mga tao dito. Hindi mo na lang alam kung anong words ang sasabihin sa kanila to keep them afloat pero sige lang, kaya, laban pa rin (The people's fears have piled up. You don't know what words to tell them to keep them afloat but you have to forge on and keep fighting),” added Alvarez.

The Oras mayor lamented how the municipality had only found out that the areas was under Signal No. 3 at 5 am on the day of the landfall. This led to the imposition of a forcedevacuation only at around 7 am. Alvarez noted how some became complacent since they were unaware of the typhoon’s strength.

“Hindi naman po lahat dito may access sa internet. So pag hindi nila nakita ito sa news, hindi rin nila alam. Eh yung upstream barangays namin, wala naman internet doon so they only rely on television. Kung walang broadcast na may forecast na ganoon kalakas, 'yung mga tao talaga, hindi nila ini-expect na ganoon kalakas ang impact ng bagyo,” she said.

(Not everyone here has access to internet. So if they don’t see it in the news, they won’t know. The upstream barangays don’t have internet so they rely on television. If there’s no broadcast that contains a forecast that the typhoon could be strong, people won’t expect the gravity of its impact.)

Appeal for help

To help Oras bounce back, Alvarez is appealing for donations of the following items:

• Food assistance
• Materials for building shelter such as nails and hammers
• Hygiene kits 
• Disinfectants for drinking water
• Potable water
• Used clothing

They especially want to focus on immediately rebuilding houses since the municipal government hopes to discourage families living in the same home to avoid a possible transmission of the coronavirus.

Those who want to help may relay and coordinate their donations to the Oras municipal disaster risk reduction and management office by contacting Joann Salvatierra at 09278013110 and 09989508537.

They may also donate cash to the municpality's trust fund account:

Landbank Borongan
Account name:LGU ORAS -TEEP 
Account no. 1202-1078-65

– Rappler.com

I’m an Asian Canadian currently residing in Metro Manila. During this time of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), I have been volunteering with the Institute for Studies in Asian Church and Culture (ISACC), a research and training organization which, out of sheer compassion, decided to respond to the hunger of pockets of poor communities round about UP Village. These quickly expanded to other communities that might otherwise get missed because they are not in LGU or DSWD lists – near-poor in "no work, no pay" jobs, stranded students and lumads, street dwellers, migrants from Marawi, and others unreached by any government assistance. (READ: Thousands of Metro Manila’s poorest left out as deadly coronavirus spreads)

While it’s been meaningful to be able to provide relief for families in need, I’m more grateful for what these communities have been teaching me. One of these communities is Happyland.

One revelation I’ve had during this pandemic is how differently the rich and poor are impacted by the ECQ. Those in Manila with salaries, a stocked pantry, and good internet are challenged at most with adjusting to a new schedule of online meetings and finding creative ways to stay at home without going crazy. Meanwhile, the urban poor are worried about their next meal since they’ve been unable to work and have no savings. How do these same families stay inside their poorly ventilated dwellings in 40-degree weather? And what happens when unexpected fires and typhoons hit them? (READ: 'Walang-wala na': Poor Filipinos fear death from hunger more than coronavirus)

Abiding by ECQ protocol, like physical distancing, seems more about privilege rather than a measure designed to help protect peoples’ lives. How does one choose between risking exposure to the coronavirus, going hungry, or dying from heat stroke? The reality is that although much of the world is affected by the pandemic, the urban poor are the most severely impacted.

Just after a big fire in Barangay 105, otherwise known as Happyland, ISACC was contacted for urgent support. Our team responded as quickly as we could, packing food that would feed families for at least one week.

During our visit to Happyland, our team was escorted into the barangay with other volunteers from Tondo. Although it was already dark, the main walkway was filled with people buying snacks, chatting with friends, or sitting around. If you didn’t know any better, you wouldn’t think a community quarantine was happening there. The only reminder of ECQ was the presence of a uniformed barangay tanod who accompanied us the entire time and regularly reminded folks to practice physical distancing. The reality is that physical distancing is almost impossible to practice in these tightly packed communities.

I’ve visited urban poor areas before that evening in Manila, but never at night and never at Happyland. My poor visibility and unfamiliarity with the area meant that I was dependent on my companions. I relied on the faint light from their cellphones to catch glimpses of whether I was stepping into a pile of mud or a puddle they call burak. Most times I was unsure whether I was walking on solid ground, on unstable wooden planks, or beside the edge of a cliff. Moving through this barangay felt like a maze as we twisted and turned into different alleyways. 

Our first stop was a makeshift area in the middle of the barangay where those who lost their homes in the fire were staying. It was an area covered by tarps and where families were also segregated, only with tarps between them. The area was crowded, with many children wandering around. In order to reduce our movement in these crowded quarters, we interviewed recipients at the edge of the tented area and gathered some more data so as to have a more accurate profile of who really needed assistance.

To locate some who were already on our list, we traveled further into the barangay. We passed by several people staring at us from their homes and greeted others we crossed paths with along the way. We saw people scavenging, cooking, and playing. We walked by many families where, because their places had no walls or roofs, you could see them eating their dinner together and talking. Other families were sleeping on plywood with flimsy plastic sheets as their walls. Some of the dwellings we visited seemed to have no light at all. 

In the end, though my conversations with the people that night were brief, I appreciated being able to speak directly with residents of this community. It was important to see the real conditions of people who struggle just to survive the day, and to realize that life becomes even more challenging when they are then forced to deal with compounding factors like fires and a pandemic. Such groups end up suffering the most.

Yet what really struck me about visiting Happyland is that life there goes on. People are continuing with their daily activities in spite of the hardships they face. Some people we encountered even appeared happy and were laughing with us, even inviting us to share their meager meal. As a foreigner, this generosity and resilience has been a great wonder to me. 

Is this kind of response merely a coping mechanism? Or is it possible that people can be happy in spite of their difficult circumstances? Perhaps laughter is a visible manifestation of resiliency, a gift of the poor to us. Not a fire, a typhoon nor a global pandemic will stop them from finding a glimmer of light in the darkness. – Rappler.com 

Jasmine Kwong is a Christian advocate for the care of creation with a background in conservation biology and community development.

MANILA, Philippines– Accepting the responsibility of helping the University of the Philippines (UP) community in this time of crisis, Palma Hall opened its doors as an isolation area for suspected and probable coronavirus cases in the UP Diliman area. 

The opening comes with the approval of the Department of Health, after Palma Hall passed its second inspection on Wednesday, May 13. (READ: Para sa bayan: U.P lends expertise, resources in fight vs coronavirus)

Now dubbed the “Kanlungang Palma sa Panahon ng Pandemya (KaPPP),” the classroom building complex will be a temporary isolation unit for suspected coronavirus patients who exhibit mild symptoms and are unable to be quarantined at home while waiting for the results of their swab tests.

Initially envisioned to house 50 beds, Kanlungang Palma will now be accommodating 26 patients at most since only one person can be accommodated per room. Part of the UP Health Service have been deployed to manage the facility strictly following DOH guidelines.

To bolster the capacity of its facility and accommodate referrals who have not undergone testing, it has also set up a swabbing booth in coordination with the Philippine Genome Center, which will perform the RT-PCR test on the samples collected.

While the isolation area is designated for patients from the UPD community, those coming from nearby barangays may also be considered if they cannot be accommodated in other quarantine facilities within Quezon City.

Kanlungang Palma, however, will only admit patients between 18 and 60 years old who have no other existing illnesses such as uncontrolled hypertension, diabetes or immunosuppressed conditions. Pregnant patients and walks-in will not be accommodated as well.

Referring barangays or hospitals must first call the UP Health Service Emergency Room at at 8981-8500 local 111 for initial screening and instructions. Kanlungang Palma accepts admissions from Monday to Sunday, from 8am to 5pm.

The College of Social Sciences and Philosophy led the charge in establishing Kanlungang Palma as early as April 17, with the approval of the UPD COVID-19 Task Force. 

The facility was also made in coordination with Act as One PH, a group of UP alumni and supporters, who helped provide beds, washing machines, dedicated mobile phones and minor medical equipment among others for Kanlungang Palma

Using funds from Act as One PH and other UP supporters, Kanlungang Palma will be in operation until July. – Rappler.com

The death of a young woman named Katherine Bulatao a few weeks ago highlights the need for more work to enable women and girls to protect and enjoy their sexual and reproductive health and rights, as guaranteed under the Philippine Constitution, the Magna Carta for Women, and the Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women – among other laws governing our people, as well as ethical and moral principles that must be universally upheld and applied.

I graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Medicine in 1959 and practiced in several places in the Philippines, with most of my patients being women and children. From my over half a century of medical practice, I know that certain deaths and complications arising from pregnancy and childbirth could be avoided through simple, inexpensive, and effective methods. Some cases could also be prevented if health care providers have access to life-saving drugs, particularly misoprostol, and trained to perform manual vacuum aspiration which should be available in specified licensed clinics. Unplanned and forced  pregnancies could also be avoided if women and girls had access to the full range of modern contraceptives, which should include emergency contraceptives. 

Katherine gave birth at her home in Caloocan City. However, the midwife who attended to her delivery advised that Katherine be brought to a hospital because of her continued bleeding after the baby was born. She was refused admission and care by 6 hospitals. She was declared dead on arrival by the time she arrived at the seventh hospital. One hospital which refused Katherine’s admission was reported to have done so because it had no available blood supply for transfusion. I wonder if they even bothered to insert IV fluid instead or had done any other emergency measure to prevent further blood loss. The act of another hospital that refused to admit her after her husband could not pay the demanded amount of deposit is blatantly against the law.

Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) or profuse bleeding after childbirth is often due to a retained placenta. In some cases, an abdominal or uterine massage to help the uterus contract after childbirth could help expel the retained placenta and save the life of the mother. When I was a medical student being trained at the Philippine General Hospital, we would let the newborn infant suck from the mother's breast as another method to help initiate placental expulsion.

All hospitals, particularly in our geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas, should be able to use misoprostol or manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) to save women's lives. As many pregnant women still choose deliver at home, more so during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, it is important that the government is able to provide alternative methods which are both safe and effective for treating any pregnancy-related complications. (READ: Isolated and afraid: How the pandemic is changing pregnancy)

Katherine’s life may have been saved if those health facilities had access to misoprostol, an inexpensive life-saving drug which is on the World Health Organization’s Model List of Essential Medicines. Misoprostol has been found to be effective in the prevention and treatment of postpartum hemorrhage, particularly when oxytocin is not available. The drug has a long shelf life and, unlike oxytocin, does not even need refrigeration. A UP grad gynecologist told me, "It is sad that  misoprostol has been prohibited  in our country since 2002 despite the evidence that it can save lives." Ensuring the drug’s availability should be one of the reproductive health priorities of our government to reduce maternal deaths.

MVA – a safe and effective alternative method to manage PPH – may also have saved Katherine's life. MVA can be done by trained midwives or nurses who would relieve our "frontline heroes" to focus on other life-threatening cases and serve where they are most needed now. MVA is an outpatient procedure that does not require general anesthesia. The procedure is not only cheaper than other procedures like dilation and curettage (commonly known as “raspa”), but it can also be completed within a few minutes by a trained provider. The late former Department of Health Secretary Dr. Alberto G. Romualdez had started training of health professionals on the use of MVA for incomplete abortion during his time. The need to continue this program has become more urgent.

All women and girls have a right to enjoy a healthy, productive, satisfying, and dignified life. During this lockdown, women and girls can become pregnant with or without their consent. If they get pregnant, they may experience spontaneous or threatened or incomplete abortion. They could go into labor under conditions not suitable to childbirth or without adequate resources to seek care from qualified health facilities and providers. To mitigate these risks during quarantine, women and girls should continue to have access to support mechanisms against violence and abuse, particularly domestic violence. They should also continue to have access to modern contraceptives including emergency contraceptives which actually are legal, without need for prescription so they can be protected from any forced pregnancy. (READ: [OPINION] We need to tackle the pregnancy crisis)                                                 

Katherine’s death should serve as a rallying point for strengthened commitment and government, as well as the private health care system's action for the realization of women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive health, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

I join other sexual and reproductive health advocates who have expressed their utmost concern and grief over the preventable suffering and death of Katherine. We strongly urge the government to ensure the availability and equitable access of essential sexual and reproductive health services during this crisis.  

I also call on everyone to participate in some way in marking the May 28 International Day of Action for Women’s Health. 

Let us remember that women's health always matters! – Rappler.com

Florence Tadiar is the Current President of PROCESS. She is the former Executive Director and President of Women's Health Care Foundation and Institute of Social Studies and Action. 

She is a retired faculty member of the UP College of Public Health.

LAGUNA, Philippines – When their public market became heavily crowded in the middle of a pandemic, the Sangguniang Kabataan of Barangay Dila, Bay in Laguna thought of bringing the goods online instead.

In a bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the municipality of Bay had put in place limited window hours and designated days when residents in specific barangays could go out and purchase essentials. This, however, led to long lines in public markets.

"We thought of a more millennial answer to this problem. After weeks of brainstorming with my SK council, together with our youth volunteers, we initiated a project for an online palengke," said Roy Padrid, the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairman of Brgy. Dila, Bay, Laguna.

Dubbed “Talipapa Online,” the online public market hopes to not only help locals avoid COVID-19 transmission, but it also aims to help jobless individuals, fisherfolk and farmers whose livelihoods were affected. (READ: In lockdown, communities find different ways to feed each other)

The SK especially wanted Talipapa Online to house all types of food supply from farmers, fisherfolk, and jobless individuals such as freelancers, artists, and event organizers within the region who are heavily affected by the pandemic.

Helping the community

Supplying Talipapa Online and delivering the orders are young individuals who have lost their jobs during the lockdown and who have volunteered to join the online platform to make ends meet.

Helping other locals in their area, these young individuals source Talipapa Online’s meat supply from a local slaughter house in Brgy Dila, with vegetables coming from local farmers in Tanauan City, Batangas. The fruits come from a vendor in the public market, while the fish are from local fishermen based in the lakeshore of Aplaya, San Antonio, Bay, Laguna.

Through Talipapa Online, they get to consolidate these goods in one platform for locals to browse, similar to what they see in a public market. (READ: While classes are on hold, students find ways to help affected communities)

By April 25, the SK was able to launch Talipapa Online for locals to use.

Hopes for access and sustainability

Those interested in buying from the SK’s Talipapa Online can answer their Google order form, chat their Facebook page, or text their number at +639215713506.

Due to the limited number of SK volunteers manning Talipapa Online, the online market can only accommodate deliveries two days a week.

Deliveries for every order can only be done on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with an order cut-off time of 4 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays. 

Padrid hopes that the SK will be able to deliver more throughout the week to help households who can’t afford to buy in big quantities.

"For me, a twice a week delivery set-up does not cater to all kinds of households in our municipality. We know that not everyone is capable of storing food that is good for 3 to 4 days long. We know that not all houses have a refrigerator to store food and not all are fortunate to buy food that will last for 2 or more days," he said.

The SK and its volunteers also plan to extend the project beyond the lockdown and reach more people in the municipality.

“We hope that most of Bayeños use this as an option to buy essential goods, so the project can stand on its own in the long run,” Padrid said. "Not all Bayeños are familiar with Talipapa Online. The reach of our publicity is not that wide [yet] since we are only using a barangay page and the target customer of Talipapa Online is municipal-wide.”

Even with all the hard work that goes into making the online market happen, Talipapa Online remains a non-profit project of the SK.

"At the end of the day, we are trying to help our community by doing one of the many ways to flatten the curve and more of just giving choices to our households to buy food," Padrid said. 

Youth involvement

Inspired by the hard work exhibited by the young volunteers manning Talipapa Online, Padrid urged the youth to lead or join similar efforts in their community to help.

"One concrete way is to be part of a youth volunteer team in their nearby community to help the Sangguniang Kabataan so they can be involved in innovative projects in fighting this pandemic," he said. "We shall put our efforts into action as we continue to help our community in our small ways to flatten the curve," Padrid said.

Talipapa Online is currently looking for volunteers who can help handle their social media page. To be a volunteer, simply message Serbisyong Pangbarangay Dila and wait for their reply. – Rappler.com

Mark Ernest Famatigan is a human ecology student and Rappler mover based in Los Baños, Laguna. He is the associate editor of the UPLB Perspective.

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MANILA, Philippines – Fat. Calling someone fat, especially in the Philippines, is an insult, a form of judgment. For many, to be fat means to be unattractive, undesirable, unhealthy, and lazy. 

But despite the stigma, more and more people have been coming out as advocates of loving their body, no matter its shape or size. Some even go so far as to say that "fat" isn’t a bad word anymore. Yes, call them fat! It’s okay!  

Still, body weight remains a contentious issue on the whole. In fact, thanks to the lockdown, the issue of weight gain has even come to the fore. (READ: How losing weight made me miserable)

In this episode of Ive Got An Opinion, Rappler’s podcast on ordinary people speaking up on extraordinary issues, we talk to Ginny Mata, a food writer and former plus-size model, on how she feels about the word "fat." And then some. – Rappler.com

If you want to be part of I've Got An Opinion, or if you want to send an opinion essay for consideration, email us at opinion@rappler.com. 

MANILA, Philippines – With its disaster funds already depleted by coronavirus preparations, Jipapad town in Eastern Samar found itself with no other recourse but to appeal for help as it tries to recover from the trail of destruction left by the Philippines' 1st typhoon in 2020.

Jipapad is among the hardest-hit areas after Typhoon Ambo struck Eastern Samar last week, with a total of 2,387 families in 13 of its villages affected by the typhoon.

A total of 618 houses were damaged by Ambo, according to a report from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on Tuesday, May 19.

Jipapad is now under state of calamity, along with 8 other towns in Eastern Samar.

In a video posted on the local government's Facebook page, Jipapad Mayor Benjamin Ver said Ambo was one of the strongest typhoons hit the town. He recalled how strong winds cut off electric and communication lines, and how floodwaters submerged houses, and soaked sacks of rice and medicines intended for relief operations. The bridge leading to the town had also collapsed.

Ver also lamented how the municipal government's preparations against COVID-19 had drained Jipapad's disaster funds and made it difficult for the local government to embark on recovery efforts.

"Practically an aton mga pondo han kanan disaster naubos na dara hinin na COVID-19 an preparasyon hini nga aton pag ato han pag pugong hini nga COVID-19 dinhi ha aton nasyon probinsya (Practically speaking, the disaster fund is already depleted due to the preparations made to prevent the spread of COVID-19 transmission in the municipality)." Ver stressed. 

Part of the disaster funds had been spent on building COVID-19 isolation facilities, which suffered heavy damage from Ambo. Medical supplies were damaged by the floodwaters as well.

The town initially designated school buildings as quarantine areas for suspected and probable COVID-19 cases.  (READ: How local governments observed physical distancing in evacuation centers)

Ver and  barangay officials have urged returning residents from different towns to avoid coming home for the moment, even after the government has relaxed quarantine measures. This is one of their precautionary measures as the town builds up its defenses against the coronavirus and recovers from Ambo's wrath.

“Nais din naming makiusap sa mga nais bumalik dito sa aming probinsya dahil sa programa ng ating national government na huwag na po muna kayong bumalik dito dahil mahirap ang kalagayan dito ngayon sa Jipapad. Mas magiging mahirap pa ang ating kalagayan kung ang COVID ay makapasok dito sa atin,” said Vicky Avestruz of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

(We want to appeal to those who would like to return to our province through the national government's Balik Probinsya program to discontinue their plan in the meantime because the situation now is difficult in Jipapad. It would be more difficult if COVID-19 will start to infect people here.) 

How to help

Jipapad's LGU Facebook page uploaded a series of videos from its local barangay officials appealing for help on behalf of affected families. They are in need of food, water, tents, construction materials, and hygiene kits, among other basic necessities.

For those who would like to help Jipapad, Eastern Samar, the Jipapad municipal government endorsed the initiative Tindog Jipadpad Donation drive. Donations may be coursed through:

Jilliza May Rose Dado
Palawan Pawnshop or Cebuana Lhuiller
Call or text 09382756211 for more details 

Donors will be notified once donated items have been delivered to Jipapad for distribution. Oras, another Eastern Samar town affected by Typhoon Ambo, is appealing for donations as well. – Rappler.com 

CEBU, Philippines– At the onset of the Philippines’ coronavirus outbreak, a group of young leaders sought to engage the youth in strengthening Cebu’s health landscape.

Founded in June 2019, a group of youth volunteers and student leaders from Cebu named Visayan Youth Matters (VYM) rose to the challenge of staging an education campaign in a bid to raise awareness of public health practices in Visayas.

“We want to be inclusive and to build healthier communities. In this time of pandemic, we want to create inclusive public health engagements – to cater to those people whose needs are unaccounted for,” said VYM founder Cris Bael. 

With the rising number of coronavirus cases in the country, many concerns such as the lack of access to health information have been raised by health professionals and experts. 

False information about the coronavirus outbreak has become rampant on social media as well, making people more confused about what’s going on. (READ: Digital disinformation is as potent as a virus during a pandemic)

The VYM made it their mission to help local communities better understand the current health crisis by translating important information to local languages, especially after the outbreak hit close to home.

Cebu City has recently overtaken Quezon City after it recorded the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country.

“All government and non-government initiatives, all their engagements were providing PPE (personal protective equipment) and basic necessities. However, we want to make information more available, especially for those who don’t have access to information,” Bael added.

As early as March 12, the founders of VYM led the EdukAKSYON Kontra COVID-19 educational campaign in Cebu which paired the distribution of relief goods with brochures in the hopes of better containing the outbreak. (READ: While classes are on hold, students find ways to help affected communities)

The brochure written in Cebuano contains a concise description of COVID-19, and how it is transmitted. It also lists proper physical distancing and sanitation guidelines, locations of checkpoints in different municipalities, COVID-19 emergency hotlines and even myths surrounding the fast-spreading virus.

Together, we are #OneVisayas in fighting against COVID-19!#YouthAgainstCOVID19#YOUthCan#StrongerTogetherpic.twitter.com/OjvtNoLny8

— CPSS (@USCCPSS) April 17, 2020

Building a healthier landscape together

VYM has also collaborated with multiple organizations and businesses to bring these brochures to more people and raise awareness about how individuals can keep themselves safe from the coronavirus.

In Cebu, VYM worked with local youth organizations and Sangguniang Kabataan.

With the help of Sangguniang Kabataan of Barangay San Antonio, they were able to distribute EdukAKSYON Kontra COVID-19 brochures to approximately 200 households and 350 soaps to residents.

Sangguniang Kabataan of Barangay Tisa also distributed alcohol together with the laymanized brochure to those manning checkpoints in Sitio Lower and Upper Kadasig Phase 3, Sidlakan, Lapina Compound and Kalomboyan.

Just recently, Sangguniang Kabataan Brgy. Bakilid Mandaue helped provide 250 brochures to single parents, persons with disabilities, senior citizens, and members of the LGBTQ+ community in the area.

VYM has partnered with Angel’s Pharmacy and Generika Drugstore as well to further the dissemination of public health information to consumers and residents of Cebu City and Mandaue City, respectively.

Beyond Cebu

By March 21, the educational campaign expanded its reach to Eastern and Western Visayas with the combined effort of the Philippine Youth Development Network (PYDN), Youth for Livable Communities, along with other youth-led organizations who helped distribute the EdukAKSYON Kontra COVID-19 brochures.

To make the information easy to understand, the brochure was translated and made available in Hiligaynon, Cebuano, Kiniray-a and Waray dialects.

Since VYM started in March, their educational brochures have reached over 2,000 households in Central and Eastern Visayas through relief distribution initiatives by both government and non-governmental organizations.

Initiatives aimed for the youth

Aside from EdukAKSYON Kontra COVID-19, Visayan Youth Matters said there are other initiatives that the youth can join to help the community during this crisis.

Young House Heroes Initiative (YHHI) is calling for proposals from youth organizations and Sangguniang Kabataan in the Visayas that are interested in staging their own campaigns. Those qualified could receive up to P10,000 to implement a youth-led localized campaign related to holistic well-being of children and youth amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Proposals could range from online engagements that focus on responding to mental health needs of the youth to offline engagements such as art contests for the youth that display support for frontliners. 

YHHI hopes that these education campaigns will help address concerns regarding children’s well-being and promote awareness of available psychological services.

Individuals who wish to join YHHI need only to contact PYDN through their official Facebook page. Those interested in submitting their proposals for the P10,000-grant can download the guidelines and application form here.

For VYM, the coronavirus pandemic is a call to action for the future of the next generation.

“Instead of [being apathetic] or just staying at home and not doing anything about the situation, we must extend our hands to our people. This pandemic does not just show the fragility of the health system but also the social inequality present right now,” said Bael.

“Staying at home is not a burden for us to help other people but a challenge to think more innovatively in how we can help them,” he added.

To join VYM, interested applicants can visit their official Facebook page or apply here. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Crowded malls and packed offices. These are scenarios we want to avoid as the government eases varying quarantine measures nationwide. What can businesses do to control crowds in their spaces?

More than two months after lockdowns were enforced across the Philippines to combat the coronavirus pandemic, several businesses started to partially reopen.

In a bid to help the economy, manufacturers, non-leisure shops, and other select industries are now allowed to operate both under modified enhanced community quarantine and general community quarantine. (READ: Non-leisure mall shops, other workplaces can partially reopen under modified ECQ)

While they are allowed to partially reopen, businesses must ensure the safety of their customers and employees. (READ: Safety measures, rules as malls reopen on May 16)

One of the safety measures a business could employ during the pandemic is the application of crowd management principles. (READ: Remulla orders Cavite malls closed for failing to ensure physical distancing)

Martin Aguda Jr, an event management consultant, suggested several tips that businesses can follow to ensure crowd management and physical distancing during the coronavirus crisis.

Aguda said the implementation of crowd management should focus on three Es: engineering, education, and enforcement.

Here are some tips to avoid overcrowding in your establishments during the coronavirus pandemic:

• Reduce the number of people attending meetings or gatherings. Physical distancing is challenging to implement in large groups.

• Develop a queuing or an ingress plan to consider the "new normal" procedures such as thermal checks and hand sanitation, among other measures. Factors including additional space requirements for a spillover crowd, as well as facility configuration and waiting time, should also be kept in mind.

• Designate separate entrance and exit points to establish better control.

• Install visually appealing posters and signs to remind people of physical distancing rules.

• Use non-slip floor decals, paint, or tapes as visual cues to help people see how far apart they should be standing in a queue.

• Deploy physical barriers (stanchions, retractable barriers, cones) to aid crowd management at ingress points.

• Display a safe occupancy load poster at the entrance of every establishment or room, using the adjusted physical distancing occupancy load computation.

• Implement a one-out, one-in scheme to control people at entrances once the establishment reaches the physical distancing occupant capacity.

• Designate a one-way flow in heavy traffic areas, tight spaces, and bottlenecks such as hallways, stairwells, and toilets.

• Utilize technology. CCTV surveillance will help monitor the queuing lines and gathering of people. The use of a virtual queuing system will aid in physical distancing, preventing crowding and reducing physical touchpoints. 

– Rappler.com 

I sent an email to my students about their requirements for the semester. I was anxious at first, but even though this is an institutional directive, I felt like I had betrayed my own teaching philosophy. This new pedagogy of sending requirements and teaching online does not encourage the students to work hard or monitor their progress since it is all merely for academic completion.

Even in the institutional setting, the school forces its teachers to produce student activities for work-from-home settings in order to justify the salary they are still receiving. Since this global pandemic is reshaping our everyday life, it will further affirm and magnify the power of corporatization in education.

Being a teacher is not a career; it is a vocation

Whenever we talk about vocation, it is always attached to the divine call of religious life. During my short stint as a high school teacher in a prestigious all-girls school in Bacolod, I witnessed the students’ Career Day where they put on the uniform illustrating the career for which they aspire in the future. I was shocked to see one student wearing a teacher’s uniform, out of about a hundred students. She was the only one who wanted to be a teacher in the future. This is not new. (READ: [OPINION] Glorified but ignored: How to truly honor our teachers)

For affluent students, an education degree or career is not one of their top choices. Being a teacher is like marrying your work. It means you need a fervent desire and zealous mission to stay in an environment where you are overworked, less compensated, and viewed as a second-class professional. Crossing the Rubicon River in this time of pandemic to teach and to cater to the needs of children is a vocation, not a career.

The new wave of frontliners

In the absence of mass testing and the threat of the second wave of COVID-19, educational institutions will still resume classes in August. The work force of teachers will report to school to prepare their classrooms. This annual event of preparation is called "brigada eskwela," which will start on June 1, 2020.

Teachers will be risking their lives as they go back to work. Exposing themselves to different people while traveling to work puts them at higher risk of contracting COVID-19 because there could be asymptomatic carriers everywhere. A meager salary of P22,829 is not even enough to pay for the hospitalization of a teacher in case he or she becomes COVID-19 positive. This is especially detrimental to teachers aged 50-60 years old, who have to stretch their years of service until the mandatory retirement of 65 for the sake of paying off their multiple loan sharks.

The mortality rate for COVID-19 is quite high for people aged 50 and above. This brings us to ask several questions. Does the institution care for our teachers? What if those teachers also become carriers of the virus to their students and family members? Will the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education be accountable for this? If they managed to provide hazard pay for police and medical personnel during this pandemic, why can they not provide the same for the teachers who are also frontliners?

Corporatization of schools 

Both private and public higher education in the Philippines are hostage to market-driven education. Under the regime of economic Darwinism, the institution coerces teachers to comply with requirements for the sake of salary and clearance. There is no dose of humanity in this system. For the sake of profit, they will squeeze every ounce of labor from the teachers. In the same manner, parents and administrators pressure teachers to produce lessons despite their technological handicaps, honoring the mantra of the “adapt or perish” mentality. (READ: [OPINION] Futures on the line: Why learning through screens won't work in the PH)

I understand the plight of this pandemic, and this is also where schools collect their funds. However, I do not understand why schools, as a bastion of democracy, turn into authoritarian machinery that dehumanizes its teachers. Take note that the administrators are also teachers. How come they do not give compassion to their fictive kin? For the sake of profit and to secure their positions, they look at their teachers as a mere commodity and repudiate their humanity. 

As education adopts neoliberal policies, it strips off its faculty members the right to question. The administrators’ lapdogs relentlessly attack those who question the former. They equate any critique of decision-making policy as tantamount to behavior “unbecoming of an educator.” Within the framework of neoliberalism, administrators become managers rather than leaders. They support hierarchical management and designate their tasks to the low-ranking faculty, and either grab the credit for success, or point their fingers in case of failure. This trend of neoliberal education treats teachers as cheap laborers. Capitalists exploit this force to raise their economic bottom-line while disregarding the rights of academic labor and reducing them as guardians of wisdom.

The irony of academia

Today, academia is no longer a citadel for democracy and promoting the rights of citizens. Academia has become a factory of passivity where teachers are passive and cannot exercise their rights. This, in turn, is why students who are critical of the system are shut down by their institution, who is supposed to be the guardian and promoter of social justice. People inside the academia are hostage to the said narrative. The “hostage-takers” sacrifice the dissenters by turning them into weapons to subjugate their kind – an application of Stockholm syndrome.

I am disappointed whenever I see faculty members with higher academic ranks or with PhD degrees coming from competitive schools. They are supposed to be the representative of their schools to continue the tradition of excellence. However, doctorate holders become beholden to administrative positions and they forget their cause and embrace hagiolatry in academia.

Sadly, those who suffer are the ones in the lowest positions. Higher education and primary education both demystify the purpose and promise of education. Teachers are the primary victims of this vicious system. Despite the massive flock of education graduates and the enticing benefits of being a public-school teacher, we can expect that there will be an exodus of educators after this pandemic because of the inhumane treatment they received – resulting in the murder of the vocation.

If we look at it closer, critical thinking is one of the 21st-century skills and teachers are cultivators of those skills. However, now, we are facing a different scenario. Critical teachers are shunned by the system, and it praises those who are acritical. This pandemic makes me reflect. Should not the school be for freedom and free initiative that honors social justice? Or are we now in a school of slavery and mechanical precision on track to a predetermined destruction? – Rappler.com

Sensei M. Adorador is in the faculty of the College of Education at Carlos Hilado Memorial State College, Negros Occidental. He is a member of the Congress of Teachers and Educators for Nationalism and Democracy (CONTEND).

MANILA, Philippines – Typhoon Ambo left a trail of destruction following its landfall in Eastern Samar on Friday, May 14 – a double whammy for areas in the middle of a battle against the coronavirus pandemic.

Ambo damaged 16,993 houses in Central Luzon and Eastern Visayas as of May 19, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council’s report.

It also affected 382,739 people in the Philippines, with the bulk coming from Eastern and Northern Samar.

The severity of the typhoon damage prompted 9 towns in Eastern Samar to declare a state of calamity.

With coronavirus preparations draining disaster funds, local government officials and groups have turned to the public to appeal for help to recover from the Philippines’ first typhoon of 2020.

Here’s how you can help badly-hit towns recover from Typhoon Ambo:

Eastern Samar

Eastern Samar Governor Ben Evardone described Typhoon Ambo as “Yolanda Jr" – referrring to Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) which whipped up storm surges that battered parts of Leyte and Samar and left a death toll of over 6,000.

In a Facebook video, Evardone sought help from national government agencies particularly to address basic needs such as food and shelter.

“Tulungan 'nyo po ang Eastern Samar. Kami po ay zero COVID-19 magpa-hanggang ngayon at amin pong kakayanin ito na hindi kami mapasok ng virus na ito pero kailangan po namin ang tulong ninyo. Nakikiusap po kami sa inyo; nakikiusap po ako sa inyo,” Evardone added.

(Please help Eastern Samar. We have zero cases of COVID-19 until now and we will strive to sustain this to the best of our ability but we need your help. We am appealing to you; I am appealing to you.)

The province has no recorded confirmed cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as of Wednesday, May 20. (READ: How local governments observed physical distancing in evacuation centers)

Those interested to help Eastern Samar towns affected by Ambo may contact the following, as listed on Governor Evardone's Facebook page:

• Ruel Cadiz - 09050393608
• Dina Alde - 09358004412
• Manila Liaison Office: Marichu Busa - 09175271696 and 09778217067

In-kind donations may be brought to the Capitol Gym Provincial Government of Eastern Samar in Borongan City.

Cash assistance may also be deposited to:

• Landbank
• Account name: Province of Eastern Samar CF/DRRM
• Account number: 1202-1137-84 
• Development Bank of the Philippines
• Account name: Province of Eastern Samar 
• Account number: 0000-1720-7204

People may contact Acting Provincial Treasurer Antonia Macawile at 09472214499 for any queries on cash donations.

San Policarpo, Eastern Samar

San Policarpo is among those hardest-hit from Ambo after the typhoon made landfall in the town.

To help affected vulnerable individuals and families in the town, Bulig Bugto Project is accepting donations of the following items:

• Food
• Hygiene kits
• Blankets, mattresses, beddings
• Mosquito nets
• Clothes

Those interested in giving cash donations may deposit to the following accounts:

Lankbank of the Philippines
Marco Paulo Pajares
0187125545

GCash
Marco Paulo Pajares
09166589220

PayMaya
Marco Paulo Pajares
09166589220

For queries and in-kind donations, donors may contact the Bulig Bugto Project through the following numbers. & e-mail addresses:

Smart: 09284947911
Globe: 09166589220
E-mail: buligbugtoproject2020@gmail.com

Jipapad, Eastern Samar

Jipapad, one of the Eastern Samar towns under a state of calamity, is in need of help.

Local barangay officials are appealing for help on behalf of affected families through a series of videos on the Facebook page of the Jipapad municipal government.

They are in need of food, water, tents, construction materials, and hygiene kits, among other basic necessities.

For those who would like to help, the Jipapad municipal government endorsed the initiative Tindog Jipadpad Donation drive. 

Donations may be coursed through:

Jilliza May Rose Dado
Palawan Pawnshop or Cebuana Lhuiller
Call or text 09382756211 for more details. 

Donors will be notified once donated items have been delivered to Jipapad for distribution.

Oras, Eastern Samar

Typhoon Ambo had trashed the means of livelihood of locals in Oras, Eastern Samar.

To help Oras bounce back, Mayor Viviane Alvarez is appealing for donations of the following items:

• Food assistance
• Materials for building shelter such as nails and hammers
• Hygiene kits
• Disinfectants for drinking water
• Potable water
• Used clothing

They especially want to focus on immediately rebuilding houses since the municipal government hopes to discourage families from living in the same home to avoid a possible transmission of the coronavirus.

Those who want to help may relay and coordinate their donations to the Oras municipal disaster risk reduction and management office by contacting Joann Salvatierra at 09278013110 and 09989508537.

They may also donate cash to the municipality's trust fund account:

Landbank Borongan
Account name: LGU ORAS -TEEP
Account No. 1202-1078-65

Lapinig, Northern Samar

Northern Samar Governor Edwin Ongchuan is appealing for any form of assistance for affected people in Lapinig.

Brand new or used tarpaulins are especially needed for temporary shelter.

Those interested to donate may contact Jenny Darish of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office at +63 945 710 2328.

– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – As the Philippines battled the coronavirus pandemic, Typhoon Ambo struck parts of the country, causing massive damage and displacing thousands of people.  (READ: #ReliefPH: Help badly-hit towns recover from Typhoon Ambo)

While the Philippines had survived earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and typhoons, these natural disasters did not happen alongside a pandemic. As shown by the experience of devastated communities in Eastern Samar,  more resources will be required for rehabilitation and recovery along with preventive measures for COVID-19.

To help frontline local government units (LGUs), civil society organizations such as the Center for Disaster Preparedness and Disaster Risk Reduction-Network with The Asia Foundation are drafting a “disaster preparedness amid COVID-19” guide, which gleans from government guidelines.

To validate the contents of the guide, the groups launched a crowdsourcing platform on Facebook called Agap Banta to facilitate online consultations and allow the public, non-governmental organizations, community networks, and national and local governments to provide feedback on doable actions. 

These are some of the ways mentioned to help local governments prepare for disasters during the coronavirus outbreak:

1. Scenario-building and revisiting contingency plans towards better risk assessment

• LGUs should review their disaster scenarios with pandemic surveillance data such as those that capture which communities will be highly affected, and what their current needs and available resources are
• Update database with disaggregated data (e.g, gender, age, disability) and vulnerable groups for better planning
• Review cluster responsibilities of the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (LDRRMC) and train disaster volunteers and personnel on contract tracing

2. Improving early warning system and evacuation

• Ensure that early warning systems (EWS) include multi-hazards risk assessment
• Continue providing timely SMS alerts and public address on disaster and health advisory from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, and Department of Health 
• Improve public outreach like emergency hotlines and help desks, with preemptive evacuation alerts, physical distancing and hygiene reminders
• Use local language and understandable signages pointing to safe areas
• Encourage family disaster preparedness, such as prepping emergency bag essentials

3. Organizing volunteers and disaster responders

• Establish remote coordination mechanisms to train disaster volunteers and disseminate guidelines, such as online tabletop exercises, recorded or live disaster drills, and virtual walkthroughs inside evacuation centers
• When recruiting emergency responders, LGUs and NGOs can tap existing community-based organizations and structures and provide them with adequate medical protection gear, such as personal protective equipment (PPE) and face masks or shields

4. Ensuring LGU fund sufficiency and working with other partners

• The COVID-19 response has strained LGUs’ resources particularly the local DRRM Funds. LGUs should assess sufficiency of funding to ensure gaps are filled from supplemental budgets. Updated annual local DRRM Investment program can help with projections.
• Other financial solutions include fund-raising and partnerships with LGUs, civil society organizations, private sector, and businesses on logistics and supply chains and early recovery actions. Joint undertakings may include sharing of resources, facilities and expertise. 

5. Managing logistics

• The goal for emergency logistics and supply chain management – including procurement, warehousing, transportation and communications – is to ensure unrestricted movement of goods and supplies, especially food, medicines, PPE, medical equipment and construction materials for relief and recovery
• To avoid supply gaps, real-time inventory, reliable forecasts, and emergency procurement may be necessary

6. Checking of facilities

• Conduct risk mapping and assessment of facilities being used as quarantine centers,  hospitals, DOH-accredited laboratories, and evacuation centers
• Ensure availability of back-up power supply, such as solar gensets, test kits. and ventilators in hospitals
• Carefully plan transport of patients in quarantine centers and hospitals located in disaster-prone areas
• Install markings for safe distancing

7. Physical distancing in evacuation centers

• Consider reassigning and communicating to families their designated evacuation centers and other alternatives such as emergency shelters, foster homes, and lodging houses, with markings for tents or beds
• Ensure the availability of essential facilities including medical clinics; stand-by vehicles for medical assistance; nursing room; water, sanitation and hygiene stations; and waste disposal
• Arrange for contactless distribution of food and non-food aid, regular disinfection of common areas, and routine temperature checks
• Provide face masks and vitamins to evacuees. (READ: How local governments observed physical distancing in evacuation centers)

With the country in a period of uncertainty amid complex disaster risks, we need to have a new way of doing and thinking.  

LGUs and NGOs can strengthen family and community preparedness by getting families prepared and involved. 

Organizations including Agap Banta can facilitate conversations with various stakeholders such as Department of the Interior and Local Government and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to support LGUs to update their  strategies towards greater community resilience.  

While the Philippines faces compounded threats, proactive disaster risk management starting with preparedness could be the country’s best ally. – Rappler.com

The authors are part of the Disaster Risk Reduction Team of the Coalitions for Change (CfC) program. CfC is supported by The Australian Embassy and The Asia Foundation Partnership in the Philippines. The views expressed in this write-up however should not be construed as of those the Australian Government or The Asia Foundation.

An urban poor leader discusses life under COVID-19

COVID-19 has changed the way we live. In our urban poor community, we face uncertainty every day of our lives. The new demands placed on us by the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) have made life even more precarious. Our monitoring shows that the barangay has 7 confirmed cases (as of May 14). Although we have been informed that probable and suspected COVID-19 cases were transferred to the barangay’s quarantine facility for closer monitoring or placed under strict home quarantine, we are uneasy and need more information. Severe movement restrictions have stopped us from working and earning. Practicing social distancing in our crowded homes and streets or washing hands thoroughly when water is scarce make compliance nearly impossible. (READ: [ANALYSIS] We need safe, clean water during the coronavirus pandemic)

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic came to Doña Imelda, we poorer residents living for decades in this middle-class subdivision’s park space faced many problems. Eviction was a constant threat. In 2003, government informed us that its flood control projects required those families on the 10-meter Pasig River easement to leave. Alarmed, our late and very dynamic President Ka Jose Morales invited Community Organizers Multiversity (COM) to help us. That led to the formation of our People’s Organization (PO), ULAP Doña Imelda (Ugnayang Lakas ng mga Apektadong Pamilya sa Baybayin ng Ilog Pasig at mga Tributaries, Doña Imelda). We lobbied instead for a 3-meter easement and in 2004 our counterproposal was granted. Through our alternative People’s Plan, we organized our members to legitimize the land claims of the entire community. 

As the current president of ULAP Doña Imelda, I am leading the community response to the social impact of COVID-19. Quarantine restrictions make food and supplies really hard to access. Many here are hungry. I make my living as a padyak (pedicab) driver and street vendor. In more than 34 years here, I have proudly witnessed how through the help of COM community organizers, we have pulled through disasters and achieved some successes in struggles over land claims and related demands. ULAP’s priority now is organizing the community to handle COVID-19 problems.

Fortunately, the bayanihan spirit thrives here. Families are used to helping one another especially during crises. They received food donations and financial aid in periodic waves from the barangay, the city government, the parish, COM, and VP Leni’s office. Special care was extended to families directly affected by COVID-19. Senior citizens benefited from an organization connected to a local university. However, from the local commercial establishments and the residents of the middle-class subdivision surrounding us, there has been no word of organized initiatives to help our affected families.  

People need reliable sources of information for systematic dissemination of COVID-19-related facts. The barangay updates us about the status of confirmed cases in our community. If we are fully informed about cases, we can encourage people to take the necessary steps for protection. The barangay should have a bulletin board with reliable, complete, and updated information. Otherwise, the spread of rumors and unverified information creates confusion, even fear. Mass testing has not yet begun. Those who were tested still await feedback from the barangay. Educational programs on contagion management from the Barangay Health Emergency Response Team (BHERT) have yet to come to our area. For the latest news on COVID-19, we have to rely on social media and television. (READ: [OPINION] Why we fear: Risk, society, and the coronavirus)

ULAP members proactively monitored distribution of financial aid from government agencies. Qualified recipients of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) were identified in two ways. On one hand, 24 families were interviewed and given forms by the Quezon City Social Services Development Department. On another, 42 families were identified and endorsed by our purok leaders to the barangay. Aid was distributed in batches. It took a while before all identified families benefited. Other families who did not receive forms for the emergency subsidy program reported the issue to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).  Evidence speaks for itself, says CO Ivy. We have community data showing all qualified families for these programs; a number of them in Doña Imelda have not yet benefited. If we fail to monitor and report distribution-related issues, we are not fulfilling our duty. The government has announced a second wave distribution of cash. Until that happens, the truly deserving members of the community are left to hope and suffer.

The government’s lack of preparedness and poor management are a form of negligence. Nobody, not even our organization was, prepared for the ECQ. Hard times loom ahead.

The researcher’s perspective – John Joseph Posadas

Uncertainties regarding national timelines on lifting the ECQ place Kuya Ricky and his community in very difficult circumstances. Anxiety is growing over how long they can rely on outside food and medicine donations. The risk of his own family’s and others suffering from hunger heightens his fears. 

Kuya Ricky knows that his livelihood depends on passengers and buyers living and working in the area. Understanding that link, he focuses on the situation of his riders and the larger community. “If I can make a living from pedaling my sidecar and peddling goods, I will have money to take home. But what if my riders have no fare to pay me?” 

The ECQ has eliminated opportunities to work legally, but what if he tries risky diskarte (livelihood tactics)? If he peddles his padyak into an area where only motorized vehicles are allowed or sells his goods at a forbidden street corner because that is where the customers are, the ire of the authorities will descend upon him. Result? A bribe or the confiscation of his padyak and goods, or a few nights in jail. 

Laws have been developed around the formal economy that do not fit the informal economy and automatically turn those who deviate from the law into “violators.” As Kuya Ricky remarks, “Pag mahirap ka, madali ka lang. Ikukulong ka nila agad. Ang hirap maging mahirap. Di namin nakikita na meron kaming justice sa kanila (gobyerno) ngayon.” (It’s easy for authorities to send the poor to jail. It’s hard to be poor. We don’t see any evidence of justice for the poor from government.) Before ordering people who live on day-to-day earnings to stay at home for an extended period, the government should have stockpiled food and other basic necessities for them in sufficient amounts beforehand. Otherwise, it is not the virus that will kill them, but hunger. – Rappler.com

Ricky Calinaya is the current President of  ULAP Doña Imelda and an officer of the Pedicab Drivers Association of Doña Imelda, Quezon City. 

Ivyrose Igup is the community organizer from Community Organizers Multiversity engaged with  Doña Imelda for almost 5 years.

John Joseph Posadas  is an Assistant Professor of Public Health Nursing at the UP College of Nursing. He wrote the stories via cellphone interviews in Filipino of R. Calinaya and I. Igup as part of the UP Diliman Engaged Anthropology course under Prof. Mary Racelis. His two co-authors reviewed this article and approved its dissemination to a wider public.