· eubios journal of asian and international bioethics 30(6) (august 2020) 274 statement on...

Eubios Journal of Asian and International Bioethics

EJAIB Vol. 30 (6) August 2020

www.eubios.info ISSN 1173-2571 (Print) ISSN 2350-3106 (Online)

Official Journal of the Asian Bioethics Association (ABA) Copyright ©2020 Eubios Ethics Institute (All rights reserved, for commercial reproductions).

Contents pageStatementonindividualautonomyandsocialresponsibilitywithinapublichealthemergency–WeCopeCommittee 273AcalltoceasetheuseofwarmetaphorsintheCOVID-19pandemic–WeCopeCommittee 277StatementonstateandgovernanceinCOVID-19pandemic –WeCopeCommittee 279Moralleadershipduringthepandemic -ChristopherRyanMaboloc 284Moralityandpolitics:strengtheningpandemicpreparednessforpublichealthemergenciesinthePhilippines -AldrinF.Quintero 288ArethemeasuresforCOVID-19realistic,justified,oroverblown?Preparingthepathtothenewnormal -RandyA.Tudy 292Ahistoricalevaluationfromquarantinetocompartmentalmodel:fromOttomanEmpirein1830totheTurkishRepublicin2020andfromcholeratoCOVID-19 -SukranSevimli 295Thepossibilityofareneweddiscourseonpeace:expositionofrealitiesamidCOVID-19pandemic-AlFloresQuillope, 302AnewsocialworkapproachforSriLanka:Buddhistsocialwork-Rev.OmalpeSomananda 307TheimpactsofsocialdistancingduringCOVID-19pandemiconhumanhealth-evidencefromBangladesh -MdMasudParvesRana 312TheroleofnursingwithrespecttodisabilityandCOVID-19crisis-DhastagirSultanSheriff 318People’spersonalethicsandresponsibilitiesduringthepandemic:storiesandexperiencesofrecipientsofsocialameliorationprogram(SAP)ofDigosCity-RogelioP.Bayod,ErikkaJuneD.Forosuelo,MarianneEveS.Sanchez 320Ecologicalhealth:keytoeconomichealthandhumanwell-being -RogelioP.Bayod 323Deathswithoutgoodbyes:deprivationofdignifieddeathandobjectificationofdeadbodiesduringCOVID-19pandemicinthePhilippines-AlbertC.Albina 330FearsandHopesofIndigenousStudentsinSouthernMindanaoDuringCovid-19Pandemic -RogelioP.BayodandJennyP.Morante 334Coupleeducators’missionduringCOVID-19pandemic:ensuringameaningfulandrelevantlearningforstudentswhilestayingathome -ChristineMayD.BayodandRogelioP.Bayod 338Challenges,difficulties,andopportunitiesofnursesduringCOVID-19pandemic:anassessmentofdisasternursingcareexperience-AngelineAnastacio 344OrderinginformationEditorialaddress,andallcorrespondenceto:Prof.DarrylMacerEmail:[email protected]

Editorial: Learn together to Cope Aswe continue to live in the time and space of the

COVID-19pandemic,anumberofquestionscontinue tofaceusasindividualsandasnations.Thereareobviousdifferencesbetweencountriesintheirsuccessindealingwiththecrisis.WhileChinaseemstobebacktonormal,intheUSAandBraziltherearetensofthousandsofnewcaseseveryday.EventhehomecountryofEubiosEthicsInstitute has seen several new cases after a hundreddays of no cases. Three recent Statements from theWorld Emergency COVID19Pandemic Ethics (WeCope)Committee start this issue of the journal., exploring therelationships between individuals and communities,statesandgovernance,autonomyandresponsibility,andtheuseoftheWarMetaphor.Readerswhowouldliketocontribute to the ongoing subcommittees areencouragedtodoso.

Allbutoneoftheother15papersinthis issuestemfrom the series of International Public Health andBioethics Ambassadors (IPHA) Conferences that havebeen regularly held over the past few months. Theyprovide a chance for discourse and dialogue betweendisciplinesandculturesthatopenwindowsintodifferentlocalities and nations as they attempt to respondethicallytotheCOVID-19pandemic.

Some of the papers touch on broader aspects,whether it be social work in Sri Lanka, indigenousstudies, nursing or others. In her paper from TurkeySukran Sevimli provides some interesting comparisonsbetween the current pandemic and how the Ottomanempire dealtwith cholera in 1830. Pandemics are notsomethingespeciallynew,butwestillhavealongwaytogotofindtheoptimalwaytodealwiththem.

The Ninth International Public Health and BioethicsAmbassadors (IPHA9) Conference will be held 3-4September2020.Iinvitemanymorereaderstojoin.

Giventhenumberofpapersthatarebeingproducedand published, already by August this year we haveexceeded the number of regular pages for the wholeyear,andissuedsixcopiesofthejournalusuallydoublethe regular length. We still havemany more papers inPress,andwehopethatthisopendialogueonbioethicscansavelives.Forthosewhosubscribetothehardcopy,wehopesoonprintingandmailserviceswillberesumedtoenableustosendhardcopiestoreaders.Pleasekeepon submitting your papers, and joining the virtualconferences.-DarrylMacer

Eubios Journal of Asian and International Bioethics 30(6) (August 2020)

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Statement on individual autonomy and social responsibility within a public health emergency -WorldEmergencyCOVID19PandemicEthics(WeCope)Committee(18July2020)As an independent,multidisciplinary and cross-culturalcommittee, comprised of experts from cultures andnations across the world, we offer the followingrecommendations on the concepts of individualautonomyandsocialresponsibility inthecontextoftheCOVID-19pandemic.1Introduction Since the advent of modern Western bioethics,‘autonomy’, generally defined as capacity to makeinformeddecisionsinrelationtooneself,hasdevelopedas an axial ethical principle. Autonomy implies anobligationtorespect.Autonomysoonbecamehegemonicinsomecontextsandthusunderestimatesotherrelevantethical principles in our shared human existence, withgreatlosstoourcommonmorality.

One of the neglected ethical principles wasresponsibility, which is generally defined as theobligation to answer for one’s own actions andomissions. Specifically, social responsibility is theobligation to contribute to the welfare of a pluralistsociety.However, ‘responsibility’hasoftenbeenviewedfrom a narrow legal perspective, as ‘accountability’, asbeing the direct cause of an effect, acknowledgingauthorship, and being subject to the penalty stipulatedbylaw.‘Responsibility’hasabroader,moralmeaningasthecapacitytoanswerforwhathasbeendone,andalsoforwhat,whilehavingthepowertodoit,wasnotdoneandwhatoughttobe.Forthepurposeofthisstatement,“responsibility’ is a function ofmoral agency andnot alegalorpoliticalconstruct.

Individual‘autonomy’andsocial‘responsibility’havebeentoofrequentlyperceivedasopposedconceptsandrealities,asifbeingresponsiblewouldsomehowrestrainthe exercise of autonomy, or as if autonomousindividuals would somehow dismiss their socialresponsibility. This is what is still happening today, inthecontextofthepandemicinsomepartsoftheUnitedStates of America, for example, regarding the use ofmasks,withacurrentstrongmovementagainsttheirusein the name of individual autonomy, totally discardingthewholenotionofresponsibility.

However, this has not been the commonunderstandingof‘autonomy’and‘responsibility’outside

1The chair of this WeCope Subcommittee is Maria do CéuPatrãoNeves,PhD, Universidade dos Açores, Portugal (Email:[email protected]). The following made writtencontributions to this Statement:AldrinQuintero,DarrylMacer,Dhastagir Sultan Sheriff, Fabrino Atanásio, Hasan Erbay, KalaPerkins,LakshmiVyas,ManuelLozano,MarlonLofredo,MireilleD'Astous,RaffaeleMantegazza,RogelioP.Bayod,ŞükranSevimli,SumaJayachandranandNaderGhotbi.ThisStatementdrawsonideas and literature from many sources, and benefited fromotherpersons’commentsaswell.Selectedacademicreferencesareprovidedinbackgroundpapers.https://www.eubios.info/world_emergency_covid19_pandemic_ethics_committee

modernAnglo-Americanbioethics.Attheturnofthe20thcentury to the 21st century, as bioethics asserted itselfglobally, there was a broader reconceptualization ofautonomyandaparallelstrengtheningofitsrelationshipwith other ethical principles, namely that ofresponsibility,suchasisalreadystatedinarticle5oftheUniversal Declaration of Bioethics and Human Rights(2005):

“Autonomy and individual responsibility: Theautonomy of persons to make decisions, whiletaking responsibility for those decisions andrespecting the autonomy of others, is to berespected.”The awareness that autonomy requires a

proportional assumption of responsibility was thusgloballyrecognizedbyallcountries.

ThecurrentCOVID-19pandemichasconfrontedeachindividual with their own autonomous behavior andtheir own obligations towards society, aware that eachperson can affect the well-being of the community.Indeed, this pandemic, to which there is no proveneffective treatment and where the control of theinfection depends on individual behavior, has dictatedthe valorization of the community’s interest to thedetrimentof the individual’s,voluntarilyor legally,alsoencouraging to reframe the conceptsof ‘autonomy’ and‘responsibility’ and their relationship, within a globalcontextofpublichealthemergency.

1.Theconcepts:fromaclassicdefinitiontoaglobalunderstandingBroadly,‘autonomy’isthecapacityandtherighttomakechoicesbyyourselftowardsyourself;and‘responsibility’isthedutyandtheobligationtoacknowledgeagencyortobeaccountablefortheconsequences.Theindividualisthe direct cause of something (effect), by their owndecisions or actions, and thus becomes accountable forthe consequences. However, this is a legal, narrow,definition; the moral, broader definition is that therecognition that the exercise of autonomy is alwayscontextualized(andnotabstract)andthatresponsibilityalso falls on what was not done but what could andshouldhavebeendone.

Beyond the more general and formal definition of'autonomy' and ‘responsibility', developed by differentprofessionals and scholars, it is important to recognizethat the notions these concepts convey can also beexpressed by other words in different cultures. Incommunitieswheretheseconceptsarenotcommon,thesame idea may be present in other terms, and it isimportant to have this sensitivity to recognize thosetermsandhowwhentheyareculturallyembeddedalsoexpress the notions of 'autonomy' and ‘responsibility'.Theconceptsof ‘autonomy’and ‘responsibility’canandshouldalsoberecognizedindailypractice.

Recallingtheexampleoffacialmasks,itisknownthattheyhavelongbeencommoninseveralAsiancountriesbutwere lessusedoutsideAsia.Today, it is recognizedthatthewidespreaduseofmaskscreatestwobarrierstothe risk of infection and therefore their use is highly


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recommended from a public health point of view.2Inmanycountrieswheremaskswerenotavailable,peoplestarted to produced them, with cultural meaningfulcolors and drawings, using their own resources andcreativityforacommonpurpose.Abroadviewonautonomyandresponsibilityallows, inthe current pandemic situation and in the diversity ofgeo-cultural contexts in which it spreads, to engagepeople towardsa greaterawareness,bothofwhat theycanfreelydoandwhattheyneedresponsiblytodo.

Recommendation 1: The concepts of autonomyandofresponsibilityshouldbeconsideredintheirbroadmoralmeaning(andnotinanarrow legalmeaning), and in the cultural context tounderstand the different ways they can beexpressed and the specific meaning they canacquire. In the current pandemic individualautonomy must be balanced with socialresponsibility to control the spread of theinfection.

2. The context: from theoretical requirements toeverydaypracticeThedefinitionof‘autonomy’and‘responsibility’asmoralobligationstobeacknowledgedbytheselfandrespectedby others is not enough for their true and effectivecompliance. Formal principles require materialconditions tobe fulfilled.Thesematerial conditionscaninclude political (e.g. a dictatorship weakens both, theautonomy and responsibility of citizens who areexpectedtoobeygivenrules),economic(e.g.lowincomepeople have to be totally focused in their survival andare not really free to make choices beyond their mostbasic needs), social (e.g. within some cultural andreligious environments, people are constraint to followwhat is traditionally established for them), educational(low level of education and/or lack of a critical mindnarrow the range of choices and the awareness ofresponsibility) requirements. These different contextsinfluence the exercise of autonomy and responsibility.Also, urban, rural, or tribal communities have differentinternaldynamics.

‘Autonomy’isnotonlyaboutmakingdecisionsfreelyabout oneself, feeling empowered, and being self-confident;butalsobeingfreefromfearsthatlimitone’sdecision, such as violence or hunger. ‘Responsibility’ isnot just responding from one’s own decisions andactions; but also being cooperative with others,supportive at least among those close to you (a smile,listening,aprayer,aregesturesofkindnessavailabletoall).Bothattitudesadmitdifferentlevelsofperformance.

Inthecontextofapandemic,itisimportanttoadoptbehaviors that are expected from each person as acontribution to the common good, and, above all, tourgentlyprovidetheadequateandnecessarymeansforthe exercise of both autonomy and responsibility. SAR-CoV-2 can infect everyone, but not everyone is equallyexposed,nordoeseveryonehavethesameconditionstoprotect themselves. The pandemic has worsened

2StatementoftheWorldEmergencyCOVID19PandemicEthics(WeCope)Committee,WearingMasksandFaceCoversasSocialResponsibilityduringCOVID-19pandemic(23April2020)

inequalities, further compromising the autonomy andresponsibilityofthemostdisadvantaged,inthiscrisisasinthefuture.

Recommendation 2: The exercise of autonomyandofresponsibilityrequiresomebasicpolitical,economic,social,andeducationalconditionstobetrulyandeffectivelydeveloped.Otherwise,peoplecanneitherberecognizedasautonomous,norcanthey be held morally responsible. In the currentpandemic, basic conditions for the exercise ofautonomyandresponsibilityshouldbeassured.

3.Thebalances:fromasinglepatterntoadiversityofdynamicsThecurrentpandemichas revealedwhatwasalreadya(underground) reality, hidden by the banner ofhegemonic individualistic autonomy: individualautonomy is only ethically legitimate when exercisedresponsibly; likewise, responsibility can only beassumedifgroundedinautonomy.Individualautonomywithout responsibility lacks awareness and convertsfreedom into libertinism; social responsibility withoutautonomy can lead to violence and tyranny. Therefore,‘autonomy’ and ‘responsibility’ are complimentary,insofar as they reinforce each other, and alsointerdependent, insofarastheyneedeachothertobothdevelopfully.

Indeed,communitiesarenotbuiltbyasummationofsingleindividuals.Communitiesarestraightenednetsofrelationshipswhereeachpart,eachpersonevolvesanddefinesitselfbytherelationshipsitkeepswithdifferentpeople and institutions. The whole is greater than theparts,thecommunityisgreaterthantheindividuals.

The recognition of the other is the premise for self-recognition, and it is by participating in differentcollective works for the common good that individualsfulfillthemselves.Relationshipsredefinethepersons.

Therefore,theresponsibleexerciseofautonomydoesnot diminish personal autonomy, but recognizes thateachhumanbeing is constituted inhis interactionwithhiscommunity.Therearemanygratifyingexamplessuchas volunteering, blood donations, food banks, animalshelter, helping old aged people, and supporting publiccauses like environmental protection, reducing childlabor,recyclingofwastes,andsoon.Inthecontextofthepandemic, there has been many moving examples ofpersonswhosacrifice themselves tohelpothers:healthprofessionals working far beyond their hours to takecare of the patients; young peoplewho satisfy some ofthebasicneedsofelderlyandotherswhoareconfined;or ordinary citizenswho distribute food for thosewhohavelosttheirjobs.

Recommendation3:Autonomyandresponsibilityshould not be viewed separately. They arecomplementary concepts, and interdependentrealities, so their respective exercise isreciprocallyenhanced.Thecurrentpandemichasconfirmed that true autonomy is alwaysresponsible and responsibility is only effectivewithconsiderationofautonomy.

4.Theinterdependencies:aresponsibleautonomyThe recognition that both individual autonomy andsocial responsibility towards the community are


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inalienable and mutually reinforcing ethicalrequirements, leads to the imperative of assumingresponsibleautonomyinallcircumstances,includingthemostdemandingasinexceptionalpandemicsituations.

In the context of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, thebalancebetweenautonomyandresponsibilitywasputtothe test from the beginning and at four main levels:isolationofpatients,quarantineforsuspects,populationlockdown and social distancing. Each of these differentlevelsimposedsomesortoflimitationtotheindividual’sfreedomofmovements,alwaysaccordingtotheneedsofthe wellbeing of the community, thus viewed as apersonal contribution to the common good. Thepandemic will eventually contribute to a greaterawareness of the human condition of community andalsoglobalinterdependenceandthustothedeepeningofoursenseofbelonginganddutytowardssociety.

Recommendation 4: The exercise of responsibleautonomy requires that each and every onerecognizestheimpactthatone’schoicescanhavein the community to which one belongs and towhich one has duties. The current pandemicstresses the importance of responsible autonomyfor everyone’s life and wellbeing, asinterdependentbeings.

5. The citizens’ obligations developing a sociallyresponsibleindividualautonomyEachperson is also a citizen benefiting from the goodssociety provides and contributing to common good.Therefore, each person before acting, should check ifhis/her decision were to be adopted by all, would itcontributetoapeacefulcoexistence.Indeed,moralityofindividual decisions and actions depend on thepossibility to become universal. This requirementapplies directly to the current pandemic and addresseseach of the following question: if my autonomousdecisions and actions ought to be followed by all myfellow’s citizens would my community be safer,healthier,andbetterthanbefore?Thisisaquestionthateachandeverypersonisabletoanswer;andiftheydoithonestly, and act accordingly, then we would mostcertainlybuildabetterworldforhumanity.

Different circumstances, such as the SARS-CoV-2pandemic,requiredifferentcontributions.Inthiscontextthere are key ethical principles and critical proceduresthatshouldbeobserved: - rejecting a narrow and limiting self-centeredattitude,acknowledgingthatnoonelivesalone;

- embracing an integrated vision of oneself, asbelonging toa community and coexistingwithotherpeople,aswellasbeinginhabitantsofasharedworldwithotherbeings;

-adoptingaglobalviewoftheworldinrecognitionofthe network of interdependencies in which we alllive;

- requiringhigh-qualitypublicconsultation,with thecapacity to identify misinformation, and promoteinterdisciplinaryapproaches;

- understanding that the current pandemic situationrequiresamorealtruistic,cooperativeandsolidarityattitude;

- recognizing that strengthening equality, that is,equal opportunities to all, is a moral challenge thatwillbenefiteachandeveryone.

Recommendation 5: Moral legitimacy ofindividualautonomousdecisionsdependsontheiruniversalpotentialtobeadoptedbyall.Therefore,they ought to be altruistic, cooperative, andhelping to strengthen solidarity and equality.These general requirements for moral behaviorbecome even more important in exceptionallyvulnerableanddemandingsituationssuchasthecurrentpandemic.

6. The states’ obligations promoting a sociallyresponsibleindividualautonomyStateshavethepowerandthedutytointerveneinorderto promote citizens’ social responsibility, whileprotecting their individual autonomy, namely throughtheestablishmentofnormstoprotectpublichealth,thesupervisionoftheircomplianceandthepenaltyfornon-compliance. Therefore, states should also balance thecitizens’ right toautonomy and thecitizens’ capacity tosocial responsibility when adopting public healthmeasures, respecting individual human rights,evaluating economic and social conditions of thepopulation to actively participate in public policies andalso to complywith public health rules, and enhancingsocial justice. Eachpolitical decision should thuscheck,previously to become a rule, if there had been anopportunity to listen to all citizens, would it bereasonabletoexpecttheiragreement.

In this context there are key ethical principles andcriticalproceduresthatshouldbeobserved:- respect for human rights (for the three firstgenerations of Human Rights) as the commonmoralityworldwide;

- accuracy, taking well-informed decisions, relying onthebestscientificknowledgeandevidence;

- proportionality when limiting, provisionally,individualrightsonbehalfofthecommongood;

- equity or fairness in distributing burdens andbenefits;

-truthfulnessonthepresentationoffactsanddoubts,probabilitiesandpredictions;

- transparencyover thedefinitionof criteriaand theirimplementation;

- open communication fostering a broaddialogue andenhancingapluralisticdebate;

-accountabilityforthedecisionstakenandtheactionsimplemented.

Recommendation 6: The moral legitimacy ofpolitical decisions depends on their consensualacceptance. Therefore, they ought to respecthuman rights, be accurate, proportionate, fair,truthful, transparent, inclusive, accountable.Thesegeneral requirements for an ethical publicpolicybecomeevenmoreimportantinexceptionalsituations as the current pandemic, where somehuman rights can be provisionally limited onbehalfofthecommongood.

7. The international community’s obligations toenhancegloballyresponsiblecooperation


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States have the responsibility to work together, tocooperate and act solitarily, mostly when facing globalproblems, as a pandemic. This pandemic affects allhumanbeings in theworld. Although every person canbe infected, the living conditions of any person maymakeotherssusceptible to infection, severeharms,andless likely to receivemedical care, and to benefit fromeconomic assistance, and less resourceful to overcomethe crisis, etc.Therefore, international solidarity, at themedical,economicandsociallevelscancontributetotheaccessofallpeopletoabasicpackageofemergencyhelp.Moreover,thehugeendeavortocreateavaccineagainstthe coronavirus and a safe and efficient treatment forCOVID-19canonlybeaccomplishedinareasonabletimeframethroughinternationalcooperation,atthescientificlevel.

Recommendation 7: Sovereign states have theobligation to cooperate with one another, at allpossible levels, to contribute to global justice. Inthecurrentpandemic,allstatesshouldcooperatetotheextentoftheircapabilities,infindingadrugorvaccineagainstCOVID-19,andthesetherapies,once discovered, should be accessible to all whoneedthem.

https://www.eubios.info/world_emergency_covid19_pandemic_ethics_committeeMembers, World Emergency COVID19 Pandemic Ethics(WeCope)Committee:

Dr.ThaliaArawi(Lebanon)Dr.MounaBenAzaiz(Tunisia)Dr.LianBighorse(SanCarlosApacheNation,USA)Dr.AndrewBosworth(Canada)Dr.RhyddhiChakraborty(India,UK)Mr.AnthonyMarkCutter(U.K.)Dr.MireilleD'Astous(Canada)Dr.AyoubAbuDayyeh(Jordan)Dr.NilzaMariaDiniz(Brazil)Dr.HasanErbay(Turkey)Prof.NaderGhotbi(Japan)Prof.AbhikGupta(India)Prof.SorajHongladarom(Thailand)Prof.MiwakoHosoda(Japan)Prof.DenaHsin-ChenHsin(Taiwan)Dr.AnowerHussain(Bangladesh)Prof.Bang-OokJun(RepublicofKorea)Prof.HassanKaya(SouthAfrica)Dr.SumairaKhowaja-Punjwani(Pakistan)Prof.JulianKinderlerer(SouthAfrica)Dr.LanaAl-ShareedaLeBlanc(Iraq)Prof.MarlonLofredo(thePhilippines)Dr.ManuelLozanoRodríguez(Spain)Prof.DarrylMacer(NewZealand)Prof.RaffaeleMantegazza(Italy)Dr.AzizaMenouni(Morocco)Dr.EndreyaMarieMcCabe(DelawareNation,USA)Prof.ErickValdésMeza(Chile,USA)Dr.RavichandranMoorthy(Malaysia)Prof.FiruzaNasyrova(Tajikistan)Dr.SumaParahakaran(Malaysia)Prof.MariadoCéuPatrãoNeves(Portugal)Prof.DeborahKalaPerkins(USA)Prof.OsamaRajkhan(SaudiArabia)Ms.CarmelaRoybal(TewaNation,USA)Prof.MariodossSelvanayagam(India)Prof.MihaelaSerbulea(Romania)Dr.JasdevRaiSingh(England)

Dr.RaquelR.Smith(USA)Prof.TakaoTakahashi(Japan)Dr.AnanyaTritipthumrongchok(Thailand)Dr.LakshmiVyas(UK)Prof.YanguangWang(China)Prof.JohnWeckert(Australia)Dr.AnkeWeisheit(Uganda)Inquiries to: Prof. Darryl Macer, Chair, WeCope Committee;Email:[email protected].+1-949-439-9307 A call to cease the use of war metaphors in the COVID-19 pandemic -WorldEmergencyCOVID19PandemicEthics(WeCope)Committee(14June2020)PreambleAs an independent,multidisciplinary and cross-culturalcommittee, comprised of experts from cultures andnationsacrosstheworld,weurgealltoreconsidertheirlanguage,stating:

Recommendation 1: In communications relatingto COVID-19 and coronavirus, any reference ormetaphor belonging to the semantic context ofwarmustbeavoided.

War is sweet for the inexperienced, saidErasmusofRotterdam. Using the metaphor of war to describe apandemic means underestimating war, taking it as achallenge or a fight, almost normal, and quite natural.Whatwearefacingisnotanenemywhohasaclearwillto destroy us; it is a virus, a natural organismwith nopersonal will, and if anything has enhanced itsdestructive action, it is years of unfortunate ecologicalmanagementby thehumans.There isno invasion fromanotherplanettothisworld.Everywhere,andespeciallythose with less resources, are paying the price of aglobalizationwithoutasoul,withoutrespectfornaturalresources and unfortunate ecological mismanagementbyhumanbeings.

Theuseofthewarmetaphorisextremelydangerousbecause it risks transforming preventive public healthprocedures into instruments of social control. Theemergencyofwarrequirestotalmobilizationagainstthehuman enemy, and not taking responsibility for thedamagethatcanbecausedtootherpeople,asinthecaseof thepandemic. There is no one to kill in a pandemic,buttherearemanytodefendagainstthepossibilityofaninfection. It is not a question of acting aggressivelyagainstanotherpersonorevendefendingyourselffromanotherperson,butofdefendingothersfromourselves.

Inwarfare, gasmasks are used to defendus from aweaponusedbyotherpeople,butmasksinapandemicare mainly used to protect others from our potentialbreathing out of infectious droplets. The situation isexactly theoppositeofwar: theuseof facemasks isanactoflovetowardsothers,notanactofdefenseagainstanenemy.Weare asked tokeepourdistancenot fromour enemies but fromour friends aiming to isolate thevirus.We are not building physical trenches but socialbarriersthatallowthewell-beingofothersandlimitthedamagethatwecoulddo.


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Recommendation2:Particularlywithregardtocommunicationsaimedatchildrenandadolescents,itisnecessarytodifferentiatethesituationcausedbythevirusfromthatofwar,withdetailedexamples.

Theuseofthewarmetaphorisespeciallydangerousineducation.Telling thekids thatweareatwarmeanspresentingwar as a natural response to an emergency,withanaggressionthatisnotappropriate.Childrenhavethe right to grow in a safe and healthy planet wheretherearesensiblewaysofupliftingoneanother’smoralefor managing a pandemic that do not terrorize theirlives.Thelanguageofthegovernmentandleadersmustgive inspiration to the youth and the next generationwithout using the pandemic to instill fear in people.Words affect people psychologically and emotively andhave psychological consequences. The virus has notattackedusoutofanevildeed;itistakingadvantageofthemistakesinhumanapproachtothenaturewithrapidglobalization on a fragile base. But war is nothingnatural;itistheworstofthechoicesthathumanbeingscan make and must never be used as a metaphor todefinewhat is insteadastrategyof resistanceagainstavirus that must find us united as brothers and sisters,withouteverusingthewordenemy.

Recommendation 3: It is necessary to avoid anyformof stigmatization towards thosewhodonotrespect the health rules, inviting them to changetheir behavior but without pointing to them asenemies.

Anyformofstigmadistractspublicopinionfromtherealgoaloffightingthenovelcoronavirusbutnotgroupsof humans whatever their behavior. Furthermore,stigmatization produces an effect of infantilization: oneisledtobelievethatthepopulationasawholeisunableto comply with the rules and that there are particulargroups that do not have this ability. This can lead todiscriminatory behavior, including ableism, ageism,classismuptoactualracism.Stigmatizationcancauseashift in the way one thinks and there are behavioralconsequences.

Recommendation 4: Safety and preventivemeasuresmustalwaysbepresentedasemergencymeasures against the virus and their durationmustbelimitedtotheperiodoftimenecessaryforthesafetyofthecommunity.

Michel Foucault’s analysis of the politicalmanagementofplagueandleprosyarepertinent.Thesediseases,spreadthroughoutEurope,wereusedforsocialcontrol purposes; it was the territory, in its physicalsubdivisionandtheregulationofspaces,thatconstitutedan instrument of control and became more and morepervasive.Wheninthe17thcenturyasphereofintimacytook form, almost immediately the political tactics forviolating it were created. In the current situation, it isnecessary to be cautious in the analysis; credibilityshould not be given to the conspiracy readings. It isnecessary tounderstand thatevery standardandeverycontrol device, put in place exclusively for healthreasons, may lend themselves to be used for otherreasons,unlesscitizensbecomedemocraticallyawareof

the situation and pay close attention to what mayhappen in the future. For instance, the automaticdownload and installation of tracking software forcontact-tracingwithoutanactiveopt-inoptionshouldbecriticallyevaluated.

Using a safety device such as a face mask, ormaintainingasafephysicaldistance,whenimplementedthroughunderstandingandawareness,isdifferentfrombeing subject to an imposed standard. Wearing a facemask so as not to harm someone else is a profoundlymoral act; it is not a question or paranoia of others aspossibledanger,butonthecontrary,ofattentingtoourownbehaviorinrespecttothewellbeingofothers.Thisshouldconstitutethetransitionfrompassivelyacceptednorms to internalized norms with the fulcrum on therelationship between the self and the other, during thepandemic.

Recommendation 5: Research should beconducted to find the most suitable language todefine the attitude of human beings towards thepandemic. One possible choice could be the termresistance.

In an emergency, each person should put in placepersonal and collective resistance strategies, so it is amatterofresistingthevirusfromamedicalpointofviewbutalsoofbehavinginsuchawayasnottoharmotherpersons.

Veryoftenwhenwespeakofindividualresponsibilitywe consider ourselves as isolated individuals, a kindofabstraction,ownerofrightsandduties.Thelinkbetweenresponsibilityandautonomy is sometimessoclose thatthe fulfillment of one’s duties seems to be indifferentfromtherelationshipwithothers,asin“Idomydutytobeabletoenjoymyrights”,thefocusison‘me’and‘my’dutiesandrights.

The coronavirus emergency has reversed thesituation; I wear a face mask so as not to harm otherpeople, and I keep socialdistances first of all because Icouldhurtothers.Theethicsoftheself,tobedefendedatallcosts,as if itwereacitybesiegedbytheenemy,hasbeenturnedupsidedownintheethicsof theother.Weask children to stay at home not because they areparticularly at risk, but especially to protect theirgrandparents; all this could be a reversal of therelationshipbetweenindividualandcommunity.Itisnotthecommunitythatimposesrulesontheindividual,whoperceives them as limitations, but it is the individualswho limit themselves because this is the only way tobelong to a community. I don't come first, and strictlyspeaking, nor does the other, but the relationshipbetween the self and the other is the foundation ofeverything.

It is the relational aspect of COVID-19 and itspreventive measures, which must be at the center ofethical reflection. The community is not made up ofwandering atoms, of peoplewho fear the other, but ofrelationships that redefine the subjectswithin them, intheirmicro- andmacro- relationshipswhich thenbuildthesocialtotality,inwhichtherecognitionoftheotheristhepremiseforself-recognitionoftheego.

Inter-connective metaphors should bringcohesiveness and encouragement during a pandemic.One should not experience loss of control or feel


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disempowered, nor should they feel that there is apossibility of non-compliancy from their perspective.Thepandemiccanbeaturningpointformanycitizenstodevelopnewwaysofthinking,toencouragecooperationtocontributepositivelytoeveryone’swell-beinginsteadof reinforcing the possibility of others being victimizedwhiledealingwithpreventivemeasures.Socialmeasuresshould foster a sense of encouragement and a greatersense of responsibility. The operational models anddynamicsfromasocialconsciousnessperspectiveshouldbe fostering and nurturing especially for preventivemeasuresforhealthandwell-being.Inquiriesto:Prof.DarrylMacer,Chair,WeCopeCommittee;Email:[email protected].+1-949-439-9307Prof.RaffaelleMantegazza(Italy),Chair,sub-committeeWeCope;Email:[email protected]

Members,WorldEmergencyCOVID19PandemicEthics(WeCope)Committee:https://www.eubios.info/world_emergency_covid19_pandemic_ethics_committeeDr.ThaliaArawi(Lebanon)Dr.MounaBenAzaiz(Tunisia)Dr.LianBighorse(SanCarlosApacheNation,USA)Dr.AndrewBosworth(Canada)Dr.RhyddhiChakraborty(India,UK)Mr.AnthonyMarkCutter(U.K.)Dr.MireilleD'Astous(Canada)Dr.AyoubAbuDayyeh(Jordan)Dr.NilzaMariaDiniz(Brazil)Dr.HasanErbay(Turkey)Prof.NaderGhotbi(Japan)Prof.AbhikGupta(India)Prof.SorajHongladarom(Thailand)Prof.MiwakoHosoda(Japan)Prof.DenaHsin-ChenHsin(Taiwan)Dr.AnowerHussain(Bangladesh)Prof.Bang-OokJun(RepublicofKorea)Prof.HassanKaya(SouthAfrica)Dr.SumairaKhowaja-Punjwani(Pakistan)Prof.JulianKinderlerer(SouthAfrica)Dr.LanaAl-ShareedaLeBlanc(Iraq)Prof.MarlonLofredo(thePhilippines)Dr.ManuelLozanoRodríguez(Spain)Prof.DarrylMacer(NewZealand)Prof.RaffaeleMantegazza(Italy)Dr.AzizaMenouni(Morocco)Dr.EndreyaMarieMcCabe(DelawareNation,USA)Prof.ErickValdésMeza(Chile,USA)Dr.RavichandranMoorthy(Malaysia)Prof.FiruzaNasyrova(Tajikistan)Dr.SumaParahakaran(Malaysia)Prof.MariadoCéuPatrãoNeves(Portugal)Prof.DeborahKalaPerkins(USA)Prof.OsamaRajkhan(SaudiArabia)Ms.CarmelaRoybal(TewaNation,USA)Prof.MariodossSelvanayagam(India)Prof.MihaelaSerbulea(Romania)Dr.JasdevRaiSingh(England)Dr.RaquelR.Smith(USA)Prof.TakaoTakahashi(Japan)Dr.AnanyaTritipthumrongchok(Thailand)Dr.LakshmiVyas(UK)Prof.YanguangWang(China)Prof.JohnWeckert(Australia)Dr.AnkeWeisheit(Uganda)References

Lawn, S., Delany, T., Pulvirenti, M., Smith, A., & McMillan, J.(2016). Examining the use ofmetaphors to understand theexperienceofcommunity treatmentorders forpatientsandmental health workers. BMC psychiatry, 16, 82.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-016-0791-z

World Emergency COVID19 Pandemic Ethics (WeCope)Committee (23April2020),Wearingmasksand facecoversas social responsibility during the COVID-19 pandemic,Eubios Journal of Asian and International Bioethics (EJAIB)30(5)(June2020),197-198.https://ww.eubios.info

World Emergency COVID19 Pandemic Ethics (WeCope)Committee (31 May 2020), Statement on ethical triageguidelines for COVID-19, Eubios Journal of Asian andInternational Bioethics (EJAIB) 30(5), 198-201.https://ww.eubios.info

Statement on state and governance in COVID-19 pandemic -WorldEmergencyCOVID19PandemicEthics(WeCope)Committee(18August2020)Asan independent,multidisciplinary,andcross-culturalcommittee, comprised of ethicists from cultures andnationsacrosstheworld, inthecontextofourpreviousstatements,weofferthefollowingrecommendationsonthe concepts of State and Governance in COVID-19pandemic.31.IntroductionThe pivotal role of government in global healthemergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic cannot bedownplayed. In fact, the government is the primaryresponder, strategic planner, policy maker, peace andorderkeeper,financier,provider,programimplementer,among others. Failure in government response to anypandemic can result to uncontrolled infection spread,deaths, economic collapse, social unrest, hunger,violence,andothercrisesthatmayleadtothecollapseofthe same government that has sworn to protect anddefenditspeoplefromharm.Looking back at the history of pandemics we can seegovernmentthatwereresilient,sharp,decisive,humane,caring and concerned, crisis prepared, excellent crisismanager, quick responder,with foresight, very good inmanagingpeople andpublic order andpeace, cohesive,systematic, reasonable, and respected as itwas able tocommandeducatedobedienceandcalm.However, the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed someproblems on resiliency, crisis preparedness, leadership,andmanagementofgovernmentsaroundtheworld. In

3The chair of this WeCope Subcommittee isMarlon Lofredo,Ph.D., St. Paul’s University Quezon City, the Philippines (Email:[email protected]) The members of the draftingsubcommittee includeMarlon Lofredo, Thalia Arawi, AndrewBosworth,RhyddhiChakraborty,MireilleD’Astous,NilzaMariaDiniz, Manuel Lozano Rodríguez,Darryl R.J. Macer, Maria doCéu PatrãoNeves, Suma Parahakaran, Osama Rajhkan, AnkeWeisheit,. ThisStatementdrawson ideasand literature frommany sources and benefited through comments from otherpersons as well.https://www.eubios.info/world_emergency_covid19_pandemic_ethics_committee


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particular, it exposed the growing disparity betweenstate and the people as seen in mass defiance of statepolicies and protocols in response to the pandemicaround the world. The pandemic did not only revealsomestrikingfailuresofleadershipandpolicymakinginsomestatesresulting inmoredeathsandhigh infectionrates,butalsoexcellence inmanagementbysomestateleaders.Wehaveseeninthenewshowgovernmentsaroundtheworld are responding to the challenges of Covid-19,some desperately, others steadily. Efforts ofgovernments to control the spread of the disease andprevent more deaths and harm to society and peoplecome invarietyofwaysandeffects: from impositionoflockdowns and community quarantines to the use ofmilitary and police forces in imposing discipline, peaceand order, and delivery of essential services; fromgranting emergency powers to chief executives tocreatingabruptlypreparedlaws,policies,andprotocols;from shutting down economic powerhouses torestrictingsomepeople’srights;fromeffortstoleavenoone behind to eventual marginalization of the socially,physically, ethnically, and economically vulnerable, etc.Some governments are showing success, others are indireneedofguidance,order,andevenoversight.2.StateasanInstitutionofEffectiveLeadershipandUnifiedActionThere is a great difference between power andleadership: themerepossessionofpowerorbeing in apositionofauthoritydoesnotmakeonealeader.Atthecore of leadership is the ability to enable a group ofpeople to achieve a goal that none of them couldaccomplishontheirown,whilepoliticalpowerissimplyrelatedtocontrol,authority,andinfluence.Stateleadersare expected to be effective and unitive, especially intime of national emergencies, so is the system ofgovernanceinaState.Governanceisthemanagementofpublic affairs by State and non-state associations. Stategovernmentisstateleadershipormanagementofpubliclife. Government’seffectivenessandunityareshownindifferent responsive, relevant, operative, efficient, andethicalways andmeansof responding to thepandemicand its effects. Any government, national, state,provincial,communityand/ortribal,and its leadersareexpectedtoleadthepeople,andgaintheircollaboration,to a unified action against COVID-19. It is in this lightthat we present the following principles andrecommendations.Recommendation 1: State policies and regulationspromulgatedforthepreventionandcontrolofCOVID-19 need to be just, compassionate and humane,science-based, and truly responsive, non-discriminatory and equitable. This time of globalhealth emergency is an opportunity, as well as achallenge,forgovernmentsaroundtheworldtoprovethemselves as resilient, cohesive, trustworthy,credible, and legitimate institutions capable ofcreating and implementing laws and policies thatbuildsresilient,cohesive,andtrustingcommunities.a) Policymakers should give credence to findings and

recommendationsofscienceandfrontlinerswhoaredirectly involved inactionstocontrol thevirusand

provide healthcare to the infected. In this way,policies and regulations will be more responsive,effective, and efficient as they are enlightened byresearchandsoundreasoningandjudgment.

b) Policiesshouldbeunifyingandinclusiveratherthandivisive and exclusive, and guarantee reasonable,acceptable, and temporary limitations to somerights, privileges, and freedoms of the citizens.Policies should also take account of the lessadvantaged members of the population, thedisplacedandrefugeeswhocannotfollowpandemiccontrolrequirementsforlackofavailableresources.Thiswill guarantee social obedience and trust thatnoonewillbeleftbehind.

c) Policymakingshouldinvolvenotonlythepoliticians,military and police officials, economic players, andkey government officials, but also experts andcommunity representatives in a collaborativeefforttocraftmoreresponsiveprotocolsthatareproactivead not reactive, caring and loving, rather thanpunitiveandmilitarized.

d) Policiesshouldstrikeabalancebetweenconflictinggoods,ifpossible.Inapandemic,itshouldneverbea choice between economy and public health, norbetweenpublicorderandpeaceandpublichealth.Ifreasonable balance cannot be achieved, publichealth should be the priority. A sick populace is asickeconomy,andanailingcountry.Whileensuringcommunitysecurityandorder is important,greaterattention and priority should be given toguaranteeingpublicsafetyandpublichealth.

e) Governments are also reminded to avoid toopunitive and vindictive enforcement of pandemicpoliciesandlaws.Itisbeneficialtogovernmentstoalways remember that laws andpolicies aremeanttopromotethegeneralwelfareofthepeopleandnotmaketheirsituationevenworse.

f) Government policies need to ensure that no one isleft behind. Essential services should reach all,especially themost vulnerablemembers of society,and that all frontliners are properly equipped,protected,andsupported.

Recommendation 2: An organized and collaborativemanagement systemwhere lineof command is clearworkingasahubofcredible,contrastableandformalinformation from which directives should be well-established. Such sources of information should bewell-advisedbyscientistsandhealthcareexperts.Therole of these experts should never be taken forgrantedbystateleadersandpolicy-makerssincetheyare the ones who have an understanding, albeitevolving, of the nature and dynamics of SARS-CoV-2anditsresultingCOVID-19.a) ItisrecommendedthatStateCOVID-19management

teams should adopt the collaborative whole-of-societyapproachthatinclusivelyengagesallsectorsof society to respond and find solutions to theproblems posed by the pandemic, especially whenresourcesarescarce.Governmentsneedtolistentoitspeopleandtheprivatesectorsincenoonehasamonopolyofsolutions.

b) Regular updates and progress reports fromgovernment and COVID-19 Management team


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officials should be done to assure the public ofgovernment support and concern, as well as topacify public panic and resolve confusions. Toensure thatStateupdatesandreportsarebasedonindependent science it is highly recommended thatexpertmembersoftheCOVID-19Managementteamdeliver the information to the public, unlessotherwise,itisdemandedbysituationthattheStateChiefExecutiveaddressesthenation.

c) Government should exploit all forms ofcommunication, including the social media, todisseminate information and guidelines, andfeedback on them, to ensure the public is well-educatedonthenature,transmission,andmorbidityof COVID-19, and guarantees public knowledge ofdisciplinaryprotocolstobefollowed.Awell-knownand recognized official source of information canquell the proliferation of fake news anddisinformation. At the same time, creation of avariety of independent fact-checking organizationscan enhance the veracity of information to ensurethat different perspectives on inescapable ethicalquestions are considered.Where there arepoliticaldifferences in the use of scientific information, andchoice of experts, this should be transparentlyacknowledged.

Recommendation 3: Establishment of effective andefficient COVID-19 control systems aimed at zeroinfection and death, and total containment or eveneliminationofthevirus.a) States are encouraged to establish a system of

effectivecontrolofCOVID-19which includes,but isnot limited to, mass testing, establishment of safequarantine and isolation facilities, wearing ofclinically recommended face masks, and/or facecoverings, 4 and physical distancing, localizedcommunityquarantines,andcontinuousinformationand education campaigns in mass media and allmedium of communications on proper hygiene,regular hand-washing, and other safety and healthpracticesandprotocols.

b) Social control policies should not ignore otheraspects of general welfare or wellbeing such aslivelihood, sustenance, education, economy,employment, and protection from domestic abuseand sexual offense. Effectively balancing thedemands of these social goods vis-à-vis thechallengesofthepandemiccancontributelargelytocontrollingorpreventingthespreadofthevirusandits corresponding social, psychological, andeconomiceffects.

c) Governments are encouraged to establish well-designed and operational public healthinfrastructures and institutions that are resilient,inclusive,non-discriminatory,andeffective(i.e.,canrespond quickly) in handling pandemics and otherhealth crisis; and, ensures that more than enoughsupply of necessary equipment and gadgets are

4Although some states still have a shortageof facemasks, ortheir price precludes universal access, face coverings arealmostuniversallyavailable.

available by stockpiling, in advance, essentialemergencyresources.

d) Governments are called to support research anddevelopment of vaccines and treatment, and suchactivityshouldbeapartandparcelof itspandemicmanagementsystem.

e) Scientistsneedtoaddressthefundamentalquestionof whether zero infection and death is actuallypossible,evenineconomicallycapablestates,ashasbeen illustrated by the reemergence of cases inquarantinedislandstates,suchasNewZealand.Werecommendthataglobalassessmentoftheevidenceshouldbetransparentlymadein2021,astheworldhas gained a year of epidemiological data from theattempts of all states in the world to face thepandemic.

f) Governmentsneedtofundindependentresearchtoassess all aspects of their attempts at control andmitigation of the COVID-19 pandemic, to establishworkable good practices for each state andcommunity.

Recommendation 4: Government should ensure thatallocated funds forCOVID-19 responseareefficientlyandethicallyspent.a) A just, transparent and non-discriminatory macro

and micro allocation and distribution of availableresources and funds is needed to ensure everyoneequitablybenefits.

b) Governments should assure the public that noresources, money or in kind, are lost in graft andcorruption, by making regular public transparencyreports as well as independent audits ongovernmentspending,borrowingandallocation. Inthisway,public trustandconfidence isguaranteed,andpeoplebecomemoreobedientandcooperativeingovernmentprogramsandpolicies.

c) The pandemic should not be used as an excuse orpretext forwanton exploitation of the easement ofallocation and release of funds policies to preventthe flow of valuable and scarce funds toinappropriate programs, overpriced facilities andsupplies,improperspending,andinsatiablepockets.

d) Mechanisms for accountability need to bestrengthened.

3. Adherence to Principles of Human Rights andDemocracyRespect and promotion of fundamental freedoms andhuman rights are the foundations of a free and caringnation.Theprotectionofthesehumanandsocialgoodsis essential to the State’s legitimacy and continuedexistence.It’sinherenttoasociallyresponsibleStatetoensurethatinallcircumstancesandsituations,thesearewellsafeguardedandadvanced.Recommendation 5: Human rights and fundamentalfreedoms are not be unwittingly and unnecessarycompromised by the State in its COVID-19management.a) Governments ought to ensure that while strict

measures to avert the further spread of COVID-19are enforced, human rights and fundamentalfreedomsarecarefullyupheld. Theenforcementofexcessively harsh and severe measures to control


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movementofpeoplehascausedblatantviolationofbasic human rights, like imposing immediatephysical punishment for violators, destruction ofproperty, warrantless arrest, illegal detention,curtailment of freedom of expression, etc., whosevictimsare thepoor andunderprivilegedwhile therich and powerful are dealt with mercy andcompassionandareexcusedofany liability. Whilecertain concessions as to limitations of somefreedom may be justified through quarantine andlockdowns to prevent further infection and death,the requirements of justice, fairness, equity,humanity, and dignity are not overlooked oraltogethersidelined.

b) Governments need to ensure that the practice ofpolice power does not infringe on constitutionalrightstolife,liberty,dueprocessoflaw,andprivacy.Ethical management of COVID-19 requires areasonable and justifiable balance between policepower and protection and promotion of generalwelfare, a crucial principle that every governmentshouldremember.

c) Constructive dialogue and open communicationbetween the government and the people can beestablished to discuss policies and protocols onCOVID-19 response and management sounderstanding and agreement on reasonablelimitations of certain rights and freedoms can bepeaceablyreached.

d) Governments are obliged to guarantee that lawenforcement agencies and deputized peace andorderpersonnelarewellinformedofthelimitationsset by human rights and fundamental freedoms toavoid abuses of power resulting to unnecessaryviolationsandlawsuits.

e) While contact tracing is very important in avertingfurtherspreadof thevirus, this shouldnotbeusedas a pretext to unwanted monitoring andsurveillancewith the intentionof illegitimately andcovertlygatheringintelligencedatathatcanbeusedagainst opposition, government critics, activist, andadvocacy groups. Amidst the global emergency,States are under obligation to ensure that thefundamental freedom and right to privacy besafeguarded and respected, unless otherwise, theexercise of such right becomes an active threat topublic health and safety. In relation to this,governments should be very careful not to violateinformedconsentandprivacyintheuseofwearabletechnologies or tracking devices. It is well forgovernments to keep in mind that the centralobjectiveofalleffortsagainstCOVID-19istostopitsspread and potency, and any policy or law thatdisrespectshumanrightsandfundamentalfreedomsareunreasonable, unethical, andablatant violationofhumandignity.

Recommendation 6: The principle of checks andbalancesisnottobesacrificed.a) While cooperation and solidarity among the

branches of government is extremely necessary toend the COVID-19 pandemic, checks and balancesshouldnotbesacrificed.TheExecutivedepartmentshouldnotbehandedgrandandlimitlesspowersby

Parliament or Congress in order to avoidauthoritarianism and implementation of draconianmeasures that may not necessarily be for thepreventionofCOVID-19pandemic,butareaimedtofurther their grip of power and personal or partyagenda.

b) Theseparationofpowersshouldbesafeguardedforthe benefit of the state, such as ensuring theindependence of the judiciary andmechanisms foroversightandaccountability.

Recommendation 7: Vigilance againstauthoritarianismandlegislativeexcess.a) Since public demonstration against what is

perceived to be unjust and unfair, excess anddeficiency, are limited or impossible duringpandemics because of lockdowns and strictquarantine rules (physical distancing), there arereportsofgovernmentssneakilypassinglegislationsthatfurthertheauthoritariananddictatorialpowersof abusive and power-hungry regimes. Besides, insome cases, Congressmen and Ministers ofParliamentcannotevenmeet faceto facetoengageindebates,soitiseasiertopasslegislationinatimeof pandemic where legislators merely watch anddebateviavideoconferencing.

b) Moreover, the pandemic has become a justificationfor the legislation of draconian laws that furtherlimit the freedom and rights of people. Special oremergencypowersgiven to theChiefExecutivearefurtherextended,sometimesgivingthePresidentorPrime Minister unlimited power to implementwhatevermeasurestheywanttoimposebeyondthelimitssetinthecountry’sfundamentallaw.

c) National emergencies are a good opportunity fortyrants and authoritarians to further their grip ofpower, so an independent and strong-willedlegislativeand judicialdepartmentarenecessary tocheck and balance the executive department topreventexcessesandabuses.

d) Legitimateprotests againstwhat isperceived tobean excess and deficiency in the State’s COVID-19managementshouldnotbeperceivedasathreat tothe government’s legitimacy and power, muchworse,likeinsomecountries,seenasaterroristactjeopardizing government efforts to stop thepandemic. Rather they are to be recognized asconstructivecriticismandessentialcontributionstothe improvement of government programs andplansagainstCOVID-19.

4.PreparednessTheexperiencesandlessonslearnedfromtheCOVID-19pandemicshouldencourageandinspiregovernmentstoestablishandinstitutionalizemoreresponsive,effective,and efficient emergency and crisis preparedness andmanagement guidelines and infrastructures. Suchemergency and crisis preparedness and managementblueprint shouldbe inspiredby sound science, credibleinformation,andethicsprinciples.Recommendation8: Whilewecanneverbeperfectlyprepared to respond to pandemics since they are ofdifferent natures and dynamics, governments canlearn from previous cases more adequately, to the


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utmostoftheircapacityandability,toprepareforthenext case by establishing a national framework foractionintimesofglobalhealthemergencies,thatcanbeactivatedanytimeanewoneoccurs.a) Governments are now obliged to institutionalize a

national health care emergency framework if theyhave none, or if they have, to revisit and revise itbased on the lessons learned from the COVID-19pandemic.

b) Thewhole-of-societyapproachtopreparednessandresponse is highly recommended, where firstresponseandmanagementbeginsinthecommunitylevel, with trained crisis managers and relevantresources.

c) Governments should invest in pandemic responseinfrastructuresandequipment since crises like thisare not uncommon anymore, including advancedvulnerabilityandriskassessments,andresearchanddevelopmentsupport.

d) Healthcareemergencylessonsshouldbeintegratedintheeducationsystemtoeducateyoungpeopleofthe nature and consequences of pandemics likeCOVID-19, but also to condition them of thenecessarydisciplineandprotocols.

e) Over and above all these, all state and governmentefforts to put in place effective heath emergencyframeworks and guidelines must lead to resilienceandsocialcohesion.

f) With regard to all these recommendations,international bodies, other States, and civil societyorganizations can play an important role wherenational systems lack financial resources andexpertise.

5. Continuity and Reinforcement of Economic andSocialSupportSystemsBalancing the demands of the economy with thedemandsofpublicsafetyandhealthisnotaneasytask.Ethical and sustainable socio-economic development iscriticaltoenhancementofthehealthofall.Governmentsneed to be able tomanage effectively and ethically thetensionbetweenhealthandeconomy,withprotectionofthepeopleastheprimarymotivation.Recommendation9:Statesneedtopromoteevidence-based policies to attempt to find an acceptablebalance between enhanced sustainable economicactivity and long-term gains in health, and thepotential risks of economic activity when physicaldistancingcannotbemaintained.a) Opening spaces where people cannot adequately

physicallydistancewheninfectionisstillveryhighisnot only risky but also irresponsible and unethical.Whilepeopleneed income to survive, theStatecancreate a mechanism of support to those whoseemployment was severely affected. Governmentscan solicit the assistance of private institutions toprovide ancillary support to their employees,especiallytheno-work-no-payones.5

b) In countries or areas where infection is low andbusinesses can safely open, suitable stimulus

5TheWeCope subcommitteeonEthicalValues andPrinciplesforaNewWorldOrderisreviewingdetailedoptions.

packages should be offered to small and mediumenterprisesseverelyaffectedbythepandemic.Suchpackages could include low interest rates andflexiblepaymentschemes, forexample,soasnot toburdentheestablishmentsevenmore.Ontheotherhand,businessesshouldn’tberescuedregardlessoftheirrelaunchchances.

c) Social support to the poor and underprivileged,refugees, senior citizens in need, the differentlyabled, and displacedworkers and unemployed, areseen insomegovernment’spandemicresponseandrecoveryprograms, inorderthatthose living intheperipheries of society are not left even furtherbehind.

d) Financialsupporttosocialentrepreneursshouldbeencouraged to assist displaced workers in startingtheirpersonalbusinessenterprises.

Recommendation 10. Governments need to ensureadequatefoodsecurity.a) Agriculture is an indispensable and integral part of

the economy and social development. In times ofpandemic and other similar disasters, especiallywhen international trade is difficult, sufficient foodsecurityisessentialtokeeppeoplealive.Agricultureis a strong and reliable support system for theeconomyandthesociety.

b) Financial and material support to the agriculturalsector is needed to increase production of foodsupply, including safe and unhinderedtransportation of products, supply of seeds andsustainable fertilizers, financial support such asloans with low interest rate and manageablepayment schemes, farming equipment andmachineries,andsoon.Farmersandfisherfolkneedto be provided protection and health services toensurecontinuoussupplyoffood.

c) Agricultural support systems in times of pandemicshould be included in the national or local actionplans against pandemics. Structures andoperationsystems that facilitate sustainable food productionduring pandemics or any national healthemergencies or disasters should become part andparcelofthenationalorlocaldisasterresponseandmanagementframework.

Recommendation 11: Governments shouldtransparently evaluate the impacts of all policies,bothpositiveandnegativeconsequencesondifferentpersons, institutionsand theenvironment, so lessonslearnedcanbesharedinternationally,toworkforallthe planet. Citizens should not expect perfectgovernments, but governments need to be able toadmitmistakesand learn lessons, so that thepeoplethattheyrepresentcanmakechoicesaboutthetypeofsocietythattheylivein.Members, World Emergency COVID19 Pandemic Ethics(WeCope)Committeehttps://www.eubios.info/world_emergency_covid19_pandemic_ethics_committeeDr.ThaliaArawi(Lebanon)Dr.MounaBenAzaiz(Tunisia)Dr.LianBighorse(SanCarlosApacheNation,USA)


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Dr.AndrewBosworth(Canada)Dr.RhyddhiChakraborty(India,UK)Mr.AnthonyMarkCutter(U.K.)Dr.MireilleD'Astous(Canada)Dr.AyoubAbuDayyeh(Jordan)Dr.NilzaMariaDiniz(Brazil)Dr.HasanErbay(Turkey)Prof.NaderGhotbi(Japan)Prof.AbhikGupta(India)Prof.SorajHongladarom(Thailand)Prof.MiwakoHosoda(Japan)Prof.DenaHsin-ChenHsin(Taiwan)Dr.AnowerHussain(Bangladesh)Prof.Bang-OokJun(RepublicofKorea)Prof.HassanKaya(SouthAfrica)Dr.SumairaKhowaja-Punjwani(Pakistan)Prof.JulianKinderlerer(SouthAfrica)Dr.LanaAl-ShareedaLeBlanc(Iraq)Prof.MarlonLofredo(thePhilippines)Dr.ManuelLozanoRodríguez(Spain)Prof.DarrylMacer(NewZealand)Prof.RaffaeleMantegazza(Italy)Dr.AzizaMenouni(Morocco)Dr.EndreyaMarieMcCabe(DelawareNation,USA)Prof.ErickValdésMeza(Chile,USA)Dr.RavichandranMoorthy(Malaysia)Prof.FiruzaNasyrova(Tajikistan)Dr.SumaParahakaran(Malaysia)Prof.MariadoCéuPatrãoNeves(Portugal)Prof.DeborahKalaPerkins(USA)Prof.OsamaRajkhan(SaudiArabia)Ms.CarmelaRoybal(TewaNation,USA)Prof.MariodossSelvanayagam(India)Prof.MihaelaSerbulea(Romania)Dr.JasdevRaiSingh(England)Dr.RaquelR.Smith(USA)Prof.TakaoTakahashi(Japan)Dr.AnanyaTritipthumrongchok(Thailand)Dr.LakshmiVyas(UK)Prof.YanguangWang(China)Prof.JohnWeckert(Australia)Dr.AnkeWeisheit(Uganda)Inquiries to: Prof. Darryl Macer, Chair, WeCope Committee;Email:[email protected].+1-949-439-9307 Moral leadership during the pandemic -ChristopherRyanMaboloc,PhDAteneodeDavaoUniversity,thePhilippinesEmail:[email protected]

Abstract TheCovid-19Pandemicmanifeststheimportantroleofmoralleadershipinmanagingacrisis.Inthelightofthebigdisruptionstobothpubliclifeandprivateenterprise,theneedforanethicsofvirtuebecomesapparent.Mostgovernmentsusually look into the consequences to theeconomy but disregard the meaningful role of moralcharacter inmaking sound judgment. This article is anattempt to look into local experiences and values incontrasttoinstitutionalapproachesintheWestwhenitcomes to the response to the Covid-19 public healthemergencyinthePhilippinesandelsewhere.

Introduction Commitment to justice is paramount in all aspects ofsocial and private life. This means that the greatestchallenge in the midst of a pandemic is the ethicalchallenge.Moral approaches toplanning,policymakingandimplementation,arenecessarytoimproveaccesstohealth care and guarantee public order and safety. Theproblem is that there appears to be a disproportionateburdenonthepoorestsectorofsocietywhenitcomestoemergencies. In the Philippines, this is a cause ofconcern. Critics say that some officials lack thecompetence in handling issues, especially those relatedto the socio-economic aspect of the pandemic. It iswithout argument that a scientific approach to impactmitigation is needed tomake any response to a publichealthemergencyeffective.EthicaltheoriesandtheirrelevanceEthicsisaguidetorightdecisionmaking.Humanactioncannot address important issueswhen it is not alignedwiththerightmoralprinciple.BrillantesandFernandez(2008, 7) think that it is not correct to see people ascustomers instead of citizens when it comes to publicadministration. Public officials are key actors and theirdecisionsaffectthelivesofpeopleinmanyways.Thereis a professional obligation on the part of health careexpertsandpublicofficials(InstituteofMedicine,2007).However,wemustalsounderstandthatthereareethicalapproaches to the issue of Covid-19 that governmentsaround the world must pay attention to (Macer, 2020,65).

Dutyethicsemphasizestheideaofamoralmandate.Public officials often refer to the law as basis for theiractions. In the Philippines, the legislature gave thePresidentenormouspowersbywayoftheBayanihanAct(RA,11469) thatallowedthechiefexecutive tore-alignfunds inthenationalbudgettoCovid-reliefefforts.Thisauthority meant almost a trillion pesos was madeavailable for social amelioration, purchase of personalprotective equipment (PPE), support to affectedindustriesandcompanies,andotherpandemicresponserelated expenses. More importantly, the President hasmade a pronouncement that therewill be no room forcorruption in the government’s disbursement of funds.Thisisconsistentwiththeideaofpublictrust.

Recent business practices are aware of egalitarianand justice issues (Boatright, 2005). For instance, largecorporations in the Philippines announced billions ofpesosofdonationsforreliefefforts,thebiggestofwhichcomes from SanMiguel Corporation, a companywhoseannualrevenueofalmostatrillionpesosconstitutes5%of the country’s annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP).Such an act ismore thanwhat the notion of corporatesocialresponsibility(CSR)isallabout.Theprivatesectorhas amoral role toplay inpursuing the social good. Inthe Philippines, suchmoral role is not apparent in themind of the public. People see corporations as profit-making enterprises. Indeed, the idea of a CSR does notresonatewiththegeneralpublicorinpoorcommunitieswho still rely on the programs initiated by barangayofficials in the area of basic services, which is actuallymandatedbylaw.

Elsewhere in the world, specifically in Westernsocieties, the emphasis has been on the impact to the


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economy. This consequentialist approach has enabledtheirgovernmentstoactswiftlyinordertomitigatetheill effectsof closedbusinessesanda recedingeconomy.Early estimates put the loss to Western economies atsixteen (16) trilliondollars. It appears too that affluentsocieties have every means to provide money tohouseholdsandtopayforunemploymentclaims.Butinorder to avoid further damage to the economy, the USfederal government allowed states to draw their ownguidelinesintermsofeasingrestrictionsandpermittingselectbusinessestoopen.

The Social Amelioration Program (SAP) is themostimportant government relief in the Philippines. Thegovernmenthastargetedeighteen(18)millionpeopleasbeneficiaries. The Department of Social Welfare andDevelopmentwastaskedbytheBayanihanActtobetheimplementingagency.TheLocalGovernmentUnitatthebarangay or community levelwas expected to assist inthe validation and disbursement. Barangay Daliao is aprime example. At first, therewas a lot of confusion atthe community level. Some sectors complained to localofficialsofbeingleftout.Butintheend,leadershipatthegrassroots levelprevailed.The important thingwas theconcern and compassion for the poor.One reflection isthatpoliticaldifferences among leaders, in this respect,mustbesetasideinordertoservethepublicbetter.

Figure1:BarangayDaliao,DavaoCity,Philippinesduringcommunityquarantine

Theethicsofvirtue:somethoughtsVirtue is the perfection of the human person. ForAristotle,virtueisaboutself-realization.Thebasicideaisthat human beings possess potentials that must berealized. Aristotle was clear in terms of makingdistinctions between intellectual and moral virtue. Hesaysthat“virtue,beingoftwokinds,theintellectualandmoral: man’s intellectual virtue owes its birth andgrowthtoteachingwhilemoralvirtuecomesaboutasaresultofhabit.”(NichomacheanEthics2:1)Thepracticeofthegoodiscalledphronesis.ForAristotle,moralvirtueis about the capacity to be excellent in doing things. Inexplainingtheaboveconcept,itisimportanttoknowtheimportance of ethical judgment. The Institute ofMedicine in theUS (2007) says; “Intheiranalysesofthemoralreasonsforformulatingapolicyortakinganaction,

ethicistsarenotlimitedtolookingattheethicalprinciplesthatwere includedexplicitly intheprocess;theycanalsopoint out values that were included implicitly in whatmightotherwiseseemtobepurelytechnicaldecisions.”

During the distribution of SAP assistance in thePhilippines, thereweremany instancesofpeoplebeingdenied of the relief. During interviews, peoplementionasreasonthefactthattheyhavenotbeenincludedinthelist.Whileitisofnousetoblamepeopleforthefiasco,abasicsenseof thegoodcouldhavehelpedlocalofficialsatthebarangaylevel.Thismeansexertingextraefforttoinvestigatethesituationofaconstituenttodetermineifthesameisqualified.Animportantaspecttothisclaimisthe need not only for the knowledge of guidelines butmoralcompetenceaswell.Ifandwhenlocalofficialssaythatpeoplehave to refer to theguidelines, thevalueofcaringforpeopleislostalongtheway.

RyanUrbano(2014)thinksthat“amonisticapproachto ethical decision making is not very helpful.” Thereason he cites is that public administration is acomplicated matter. For instance, Ghotbi (2019, 28)refutes Rawls since the latter only explained socialjusticeintermsofinstitutionalrelationsbetweenpeople.Infact,justiceintermsofpublicadministrationis“quitecomplex and difficult.” (Urbano, 2014). The matter ofsocialjusticeisnotonlyaboutdeterminingthecostsandbenefits of any public fundedprogram.As such, Ghotbi(2019, 29) thinks that there is a need to define themeaning of the virtue of justice. For this reason,democratic processes also require honesty and thetrustworthinessofpublicofficials.

The basic point is that if public officials are trulycommitted to the moral good, then their job does notstop in identifying beneficiaries. The idea of virtue inAristotle points to the importance of the institutionalgood. Justice cannot be limited to institutionalmechanisms or procedures. It is important thatguidelines “coincide with people’s general sense aboutthewaytheirlivesshouldbelived,thatguaranteepeopleanopportunity toparticipate, and that affirm topeoplethat they will be treated fairly and with respect.”(InstituteofMedicine2007).Anydecisiononthepartofthe government should be linked to the ability toflourish, one that is consistent with the individual’sdesiretoachievethehighestgoalofhumanlife.

Human empowerment is needed in the time of apandemic. People must have the relevant capabilitiesthatwillenablethemtomaketherightchoices.MarthaNussbaumsaysthatwehavegoodreasonstothinkthatuniversal values “are not just acceptable, but badlyneeded, if people really are to show respect for allcitizens in a pluralistic society.” (Nussbaum 2000, 60).Theideaofhumanflourishingisanchoredintheconceptofwhat “beinghuman” is about. Societiesmust respectthesubstantivewayinwhichhumanlifeislived.Inthissense,thedesiretoachievealifeinwhichoneisabletoexpressmostfullywhatitmeanstobehumanshouldbeguaranteedbythestateatalltimes.MoralleadershipinthepublicrealmInexaminingtheroleofmoralleadership,theoriespointto themoraldevelopmentof thehumanperson. In thisregard,ethicistsconsiderthecharacterofthepersonandhow the same is able to influence the decision-making


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processes.Butthebasicquestionremains–canvirtuebetaught? Itseemsthat thereare importantcompetenciesthat can be given in school – the ability to evaluate,analyze or make judgments on issues. However, theperspectiveofvalueappears tobeoutside the realmofformal learning. Indeed, persons are formed by theirupbringing at home, which develop them to becomeindividualswhoactethically. Intherealmofpublic life,however,thechallengesaredifferent.

The word crisis (Gr. Krisis) originally means“decision.’ This is important. It has been said that thecharacterofpeopleisformedduringcrisismoments.Weare troubled by actions that undermine our humanity.Strictlawsmaydeteranindividualfromdoinganythingwrongorindoingsomethingexcessive.Yet,itiswithoutargumentthatagoodpersonalwaysactswithasenseofsincerity because it is the highest principle when itcomes to public life. This is all linked to the notion ofmoral integrity. InthecontextofthePhilippines,suchaperson is one who is not tempted or influenced bymoney or power. A man of moral integrity is like thefoundation of an edifice. The strength of the structuredepends on its foundation. A man of virtue does noteasilycollapseinthemidstofadversity.

But how should a public servant act? What shouldguide his or her actions to be able to serve the publicwell?According to James Svara (2007, 109) the virtue-based approach would consider the question, “whatwouldapersonofcharacterdointhissituation?”Moralleadershipisimportantinthebureaucracy,especiallyinthe area of health care. Rogelio Bayod (2019) lamentsabout the health care problems in thePhilippines. Still,people have found ways to survive. While draconianmeasures are preferred by strong leaders, the idea ofsocial cohesionhasbeenmosthelpful in containing thelocal transmission of the virus (Arambala, 2020, 193).Thebasicpointhereisthattransparencyisimportant,aprinciplethatisbasedonthemoralvirtuesoftruthandhonesty.

A society that does not embrace moral virtue willcollapse.Publicaccountabilitycannotrelyona“stickandcarrot”approach.Itisnecessarythatpeopleareformedon thebasisof themoral good. Schools, in this respect,arecrucialintrainingyoungpeople.Yet,ifschoolsdonotact as centers of freedom then they would precluderather than expand human freedom. In fact, guidelinesare actually restrictive. The fact of the matter is thatthesearedrawnfromdiscussionsofpeopleinpositionsof authority. Given this, real democratic dialogue isabsent.Thepandemicrevealsthemanyinadequaciesofsocietal structures. The problem is systemic. The poor,for instance,donothaveaccess toonline learning. It isimportant, in this sense, that the voices of those in themargins are heard. An official who holds himselfaccountablewilllistenratherthaninsist.

People have been suffering too from the stigma ofsocial discrimination. The moral role of any publicofficial for that matter is to ensure that the poor andothermarginalizedsectorsareprotectedfromtheharmcaused by unjust structures and policies that favor thefew.Inthisway,thepreferentialoptionforthepoorthatistaughtbytheCatholicSocialTeachingcanbehelpful.Itis rooted not only in the desire to realize justice insocietybutalsointhecharacteroftheChristianfaithas

well.Thisfaithisgroundedintheideaofcharityfortheneighbor.The love for theneighborasanalternativetotheshort-sightedapproachofstrictrulesiscognizantofthevalueofhumanfreedomandtherespect forhumanlife. Instances of police abuse in India, for instance, inordertoimposealockdown,ismorallyunacceptable.

WesternmodelsofmoralityPublic attitude is vital in determining the future of anysociety.Realchangecannotbedoneovernight.Itentailsa lot of sacrifices. To end violence in society, it isimportant that individuals recognize what is morallywrong. If a leader in the modern world embraces theidea of political domination, then he disrespects thefreedoms of people. The use of physical force onindividualsortheactofsprayingdisinfectantsonhumanbeings is a grave violation of justice. From all angles,sucharedemeaningacts.Bothareaformofdisrespectofour humanity. In fact, Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagrahaemphasized the power of truth. A country cannot befounded on force or violence. The freedom of a nationcanonlyberootedintherespectforhumanity.

Howdoesonecreateasociety?IntheKantiansense,this can only be grounded in the idea of autonomy.People come into an agreement and determine forthemselves the kind of society they want. Hegel,however,wasmorecircumspectintermsofthenatureofthe state. Hegel saw the value of the community as adeterminant in terms of building a nation. Communalvalues like solidarity expresses the identities of people.This means that our public lives cannot rest solely onWestern-bred principles. But while this is the case,something universal cannot be dismissed. It isremarkable to think that the concept of human dignityremains intact in terms of institutional value andinfluence.

Butthepowerofsovereigntyappearstobeincontrolat the start of the pandemic. Nations are acting likefather figures in controlling their populations. Bordershavebeenclosedtoprotectpublicsafety.Bordercontrolasameasureisnotwrong.However,itwouldbehelpfulif right now countries will come up with a unitedresponse to the pandemic. Affluent nations should alsohelp poor countries. While racism is seen as anotherpathology that American society has to deal with atpresent, the problem of poverty appears to be thegreatestmaladythathasbedeviledmanycountriesintheSouth. Right now, rich nations can provide a commonfund that will not only fight the coronavirus but alsoenhanceandsustain the livesof thepoor tomaketheirsocietiesresilienttoanypublichealthemergency.

Thebasicpointhereistocallforthemoralleadershipofnations.CountriessuchasSouthKorea,NewZealand,andJapan,whichhavebeensuccessfulintheirapproachto the Covid-19 pandemic, should take that greatermoral role of convincing the global north to hold itselftruly responsible in helping the people in the globalsouth. The poor have suffered for decades and yet theaffluent societies in theworld have only given 0.7% ofthe equivalent of their annual GDPs to address globalpoverty(Singer,2001).Thismustchange.ThomasPogge(2007)hasindicatedthatglobalpovertyisduetounjuststructures.Still,thedevelopmentparadigmsintheThird


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World, including the Philippines, remain to beEurocentric(Mansueto,2020).

We cannot be overly optimistic. Unjust globalstructuresaredifficultifnotimpossibletochangegiventhesenseofsuperiorityofsomenationsandtherealityofculturalhegemony.Yet, in thisculturalwar,Filipinosarealsoknownfortheirresilientspirit.MillionsofpoorFilipinoshavesurvivedbyembracingindigenousvaluesandwaysof life. The term “Bayanihan” inRA11469 incontrasttothe“CARES”ActpassedbyUSCongressisnotjust amatter of nomenclature. The communal spirit ofsolidarityisallaboutpeoplerealizingthatbeyondmoralindividualism,wemustactmorallyforthegreatergoodofsociety.“Bayani-cracy”andgroupsolidarityThe Bayanihan Act passed by the Philippine CongresswouldnothaveanyrealimpactifLGUsdidnotactwithurgency. Barangay officials have provided the humanresourcestoreachouttothepoorestsectorsofsociety.Dramaticmomentshappenatthelocalcommunitylevel.From the perspective of the Philippine nationalgovernment, there are not enough funds to pay foruniversaltesting.TheDepartmentofHealthhasnotbeenquitehelpful,somereportssay,ininsuringthatOverseasFilipinosgettheirswabtestresultsimmediately.Inviewofthislapse,manyhavebeenunnecessarilyoverstayinginhotelssanstheirhealthcertificatesandtravelpermits.Is there a way out of this predicament? Perhaps, thenotionofsolidaritycanbeused in termsof fighting thepandemic.Bautista (2020), citing Jocano (1999)writes:“Thespiritofpakikipagkapwa(beingonewiththeother)pakikisama (being along with) and bayanihan(community spirit) binds them together to rise again.Pakikipagkapwa, and bayanihanare sacred values thatdefinewhotheFilipinosare.Pakikipagkapwais treatinganotherpersonasafellowhumanbeing.”

Western values point to autonomy and creatingopportunities for the people. Equality is a question ofentitlement.Human individuals shouldbeable toenjoythe goods in society and must not be prevented fromtheirfairshareofitswealth.Justiceisamatterofgivingjobs to people and equal pay, for instance. In thePhilippines, it is about the family and community. Thefatherisexpectedtoberesponsibleforthefutureofhischildren while the mother cares for their well-being.Children, in return, are expected help their parents. Attheendoftheday,itisnotaquestionofopportunityordebating about entitlements, rights, skills or talent.Rather, it is about helping each other (bayanihan). Theword “bayanihan” is derived from the term local term“bayani”whichmeans“hero.”Helpinganotherisbeingahero to that person. During this pandemic, frontlinehealth care workers emerged as the real heroes byputting their lives on the line in order to save humanlives. This is apparent in the response of medicalpersonnel to thepandemic locallyandelsewhere in theworld(MabolocandFerrer,2020).

Bautista(2012)hasattemptedtomergethisconceptwiththeideaofWesterndemocracybycallingit“bayani-cracy.” Againstmoral individualism, he says thatmoralstrength can only be founded in the bond of solidarity.Indeed, this is an aspect of moral leadership that isauthenticallyFilipinointermsofcontext.Itisaboutthat

sense of belongingness in which people fight for thecommongood.Thecommongoodisnotaboutindividualachievement. There is that traditional understanding inwhichpeoplerealizethevalueofothersinmakingthingshappen.Intheconceptof“bayanihan,”theimageisthatofacommunitycarryingthehouseofaneighbor.Thisissymbolicofthefactthatasindividuals,thereisalimittowhatwecando.However,ifweactasone,thingscanbedone to overcome our problems. In addressing thepandemic, the idea of “bayanihan” means that politicaldifferences must be put aside to realize the commongood.

Figure 2: Frontline Health workers performing swabtestinginthecommunity

InwhatwaycanWesterndemocracybeblendedwith

Oriental or even the Filipinowayof life?Historymightbeof help.After the SecondWorldWar, theAmericansledbyGen.DouglasMacArthuroccupiedJapanwiththeintentofchanging Japanesesociety.Thegeneralhadnoknowledgeabout Japaneseculture,buthe informed theUSgovernmentinWashingtonofthegreatrespectoftheJapanesepeople for their Emperor.While some sectorswanted Emperor Hirohito to be brought to CourtMarshall,MacArthur insistedthattherewillbebloodinthestreetsifthathappened.Instead,thegeneralallowedHirohitotorallytheJapanesepeopletohelprebuildthedevastated nation. He asked the people to share whatthey have and make the necessary sacrifice for thecountry.HirohitowasasymbolforJapanesenationalismduringthewar,butMacArthurusedthisinfluencetogetpublic support in reforming Japanese society, includingtheoverhaulofitselitisteconomicandpoliticalsystem.

The above experience of solidaritywas amerger ofWestern technocracy and Japanese ingenuity. Japanpossesses an industrial might so that it was able totransform its war economy for peaceful purposes.MacArthurcommissionedtheGovernmentSectionoftheoccupation to write a new constitution that also gavebasic freedoms to the Japanese people, including thefreedom of speech. What came next were massiveindustrial and labor union protests that also helpedshapelaborandeconomicpoliciesinthecountry.Groupsolidarity is crucial in this regard. At present, when itcomes to this pandemic, Macer (2020, 130) observesthatpeopleintheEastwentaheadwiththeneedtowearmasks whereas people in the West were previouslyadvisedthatitwasn’tnecessary.Butthebasicpointhereremains, group solidarity empowers the community toconfrontwhateverthreatenstheirwell-being.


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Conclusion This paper has provided a normative approach to theproblemofethicsinthetimeofapandemic.Butwhileitfirstly analyses the Western approaches to ethicalleadership, it also gave emphasis to local experiencesandgroupsolidarity thatarecrucial tohumansurvival.Progressandrecovery forWesternsocietiesdependonthenumberswefindintheeconomicdata.Forasocietysuch as the Philippines, people must rely on thecommunal spirit in order to survive. Still, people areaware thatmoral integrity is crucial.This explainswhytrust is an important element when it comes toaddressingpublicissues.Theunjustglobalstructuresinthe world demand that changes should take place, butfornow,societiessuchaswhatFilipinoshavemustrelyon local values, i.e., the “bayanihan” spirit, whichrequiresputtingtheinterestsofothersaboveselfinthepursuitofthecommongood.

Thepointof thepaper is thatmoral leadershipdoesnotsolelybelongtothetop.Itisalsonotonlyformedbyprinciples or universal concepts and values. It is alsoinformed by local history and personal sacrifices. Theavailableliteratureonleadershipoftensupportstheideathat crisis situations bring the best out of a person’scharacter. This paper intends to show that communalvaluesfromthegrassrootslevelalsoformleadersamongpeople so that they will act with a sense of urgency.Group solidarity and the concern for others areimportant considerations that help determine howjustice for everyone can be realized in society. Thepresent coronavirus pandemic, in this regard, is one ofthosegreatchallenges thatshouldbring thebestoutofevery community as people strive to overcome thisdifficultproblem.References Arambala, G. 2020. “Ozamiz Politics in the Time of Covid-19Pandemic.” In Eubios Journal of Asian and InternationalBioethics30(4):191-195.

Aristotle. 2002. Nichomachean Ethics. Oxford: OxfordUniversityPress.

Bautista, D. 2020. “The Covid-19 in the Lens of ComteanAltrusim.”SocialEthicsSocietyJournalofAppliedPhilosophy.Volume6,SpecialIssue.

Bautista,R.2012.“Bayanicracy”SocialEthicsSociety2ndAnnualConference.QueenofApostlesCollegeSeminary.TagumCity,Philippines.

Bayod,R. 2020. “Ethics of Care andPhilippinePolitics duringthe Covid-19 Outbreak.” Eubios Journal of Asian andInternationalBioethics30(3):69-75.

Boatright, J. 2005. Business Ethics. 4th edition. Singapore:Pearson.

Brillantes, A. and Fernandez, M. 2008. “Is there a PhilippinePublicAdministration?OrBetterStill,forwhomisPhilippinePublic Administration?” In Journal of Philippine PublicAdministration52:1-37.

Ghotbi, N. 2019. “Justice as aMoral Issue.” InPhilosophyandPracticeofBioethics, editedbyMacer,D., Takahashi, T., andGhotbi,N.Kumamoto,Japan:EubiosEthicsInstitute.

InstituteofMedicine.2007.“EthicalandLegalConsiderationinMitigating Pandemic Disease.” Workshop Summary.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK54167/.AccessedJune10,2020.

Jocano, F. 1999. Working with Filipinos: A Cross-CulturalEncounter.QuezonCity:PunladResearchHouse.

Maboloc,C.R.&Ferrer,C.A.2020.“TheCovid-19PandemicandSocial Inequality.” Eubios Journal ofAsianand InternationalBioethics30(5):234-37.

Macer, D. 2020. “Covid-19 must push Bioethics Journals toOpenAccess.” “EthicsofCareandPhilippinePoliticsduringthe Covid-19 Outbreak.” Eubios Journal of Asian andInternationalBioethics30(3):65.

Macer,D.2020.“WearingMasksintheCovid-19Pandemic,thePrecautionary Principle and the Relationships IndividualResponsibility and Group Solidarity.” In Eubios Journal ofAsianandInternationalBioethics30(4):129-132.

Mansueto,M.2020.“EnriqueDussel’sPhilosophyofLiberation:PhilosophicalReflectionsatthetimeoftheCOVID-19GlobalPandemic.” In Social Ethics Society Journal of AppliedPhilosophy6,SpecialIssueonCovid-19.

Nussbaum, M. 2000. Women and Human Development.Edinburg,Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress.

Pogge,T.2007.“Severepovertyasahumanrightsviolation.”InFreedomfromPovertyasaHumanRight, editedbyPogge,T.Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress.

Singer, P. 2001. OneWorld: The Ethics of Globalization. NewHaven:YaleUniversityPress.

Svara, J. 2007. The Ethics Primer for Public Administrators inGovernment and Nonprofit Organizations. Massachusetts:JonesandBartlett.

Urbano,R. 2014. “PublicAdministrationEthics. James Svara’sModel.”InJournalofHumanValues20(1):7-17.

Morality and politics: strengthening pandemic preparedness for public health emergencies in the Philippines -AldrinF.QuinteroNotreDameofMarbelUniversity,PhilippinesEmail:[email protected] Infectious diseases such as Ebola, severe acuterespiratory syndrome (SARS), avian influenza and themost recent COVID-19 continue to emerge, evolve, andkill significant numbers of people and frighten andthreaten many more. Infectious diseases entail someunique ethical features that are often encountered bypublic health officials. Public health measures used tocontrol themsometimes involve infringementofwidelyaccepted individual rights and liberties, infectiousdiseases raise difficult philosophical questions abouthowtostrikeandbalancebetweenthegoalofprotectingthe greater good of public health and the goal ofprotectingindividualrightsandliberties.

Thispapershould liketoadvancethreetheses: first,thatpoliticalthoughtdependsonethics;second,thatthekindofethicsthatprovidesitsfirmestbasisisanethicsthatemphasisislaidonimportanceofthesocietyratherthan centrality of the individual; and third, thatconformity to this ethicswouldmake a large impact inorder to strengthen the pandemic preparedness forPublicHealthEmergenciesinthePhilippines.Thispaperasserts the importance of strengthening mechanismsand policies to healthcare in the Philippines whichaddresses the burden of combating infectious diseasessuchasCOVID-19.Theprimaryfocusofthispaperisnotontheexistenceofinjusticeonanationalscalebutonitsimplicationsforthosewhohavepowertoactwithinthe


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legislative body, including governments researchcouncils,privatecompaniesandresearchers.Introduction The Philippines has little experience with modernpandemic preparedness. Evenwithout a pandemic, theshelters can be troubled by overcrowding, inadequatesanitation,andpoormedicalservices.AccordingtoAsianDevelopment Bank report in 2018, six out ten patientsdiewithouteverseeingadoctor.WhenFilipinosgetsick,they shoulder fifty six percent of total health expenses,out-of-pocket. As a result, every year, one millionpatients are driven to poverty because of catastrophichealth expenses. Although COVID-19 can infect anyoneregardlessofrace,socialclass,orbeliefsthepublicmustrealize that specific segments of the populationwill bemorevulnerabletothesocialandeconomicimpactofthecurrent pandemic. If the Philippine health care systemhadbeenmore robust andhad safeguards inplace, thecitizens would not be having so much burden to facenow.

A “public health emergency” is defined as anoccurrence or imminent threat of an illness or healthcondition, caused by bio terrorism, epidemic orpandemicdisease,oranovelandhighly fatal infectiousagentorbiologicaltoxin,thatposesasubstantialriskofasignificant number of human facilities or incidents orpermanent long-term disability (WHO/DCD, 2001). In2013, at the height of the Middle East RespiratorySyndrome (MERS-COV) outbreak, the Senate Bill No.1573 or the ‘Pandemic and All-Hazards PreparednessAct’wasfiled.Thebillcalledforthecreationofanationalhealth strategy in cases of pandemics and nationalemergencies. It seeks to “strengthen national responseand preparedness for public health emergencies”, suchas thosewhichresult fromnaturaldisastersandsevereweather,recentoutbreaksandpandemics,bioterrorism,mass casualties, chemical emergencies and radiationemergencies. Sadly, the bill was largely ignored at thesenate due to divisiveness, factions of different partiesandtheeliteconceptualizationandthepolicymaking.

Furthermore, Brillo (2010) analyzing political elitecontrolsthegovernmentanditspolicymakingapparatuslargely comes from thosewho can afford to be patron,thatisthosewhohavethewealthandthepositiontodofavorsforlargenumbersofordinarypeople.Thesehaveprofoundconsequencesonpolicies,astheheavyrelianceon vertical and horizontal dyadic relationships steerspolicymakingtowardsthepursuitofprovidingrewards(e.g., special privileges, monopolies, or unwarrantedexemptions), while offering little incentives to pursuecategorical programs. The legislative program becomesmore of a personal rather than ideological or party-basedprogram.Astheoverarchingintentionistosatisfyclientele demands, policy making becomes continuallymarredbyaccommodationsandconcessionswhichleadtoinconsistentoraimlesspolicies.

Preparednessreferstoactivitiesandmeasurestakeninadvancetoensureeffectiveresponsetotheimpactofhazards, including the issuance of timely and effectivewarnings and the temporary evacuation of people andpropertyfromthreatenedlocations.Italsoreferstopre-disaster activities, including an overall strategy, andinstitutionalandmanagementstructures,thataregeared

tohelpingat-riskcommunitiessafeguardtheirlivesandassetsbybeingalert tohazardsand takingappropriateaction in the face of an imminent threat or the actualonset of disaster (Senate Bill 1573). The bill was filedconsideringthattheMERS-COV,acoronavirusstrainthatwasdeadlierthanthe2002SARSoutbreak,couldcauseunimaginable chaos if it were to spread in thePhilippines.Itisproposedthatitscapacitytorespondtoa pandemic can be gauged based on how it handledSARS, particularly in terms of containing human-to-human transmission. Border control is particularlychallenging given porous borders, and the lack ofdiagnosticresourcesandbordercontrolpersonnel.Withonlyminimaleconomicgrowthoverthepastdecade,theeconomyisparticularlyvulnerabletoeconomicdisasterssuch as the collapse of the agricultural, industrial andtourism industry. The government does not have thecapacity to adequately compensate for such vast lossesoflivelihood.

Fr. Nono Alfonso, SJ (PDI, 2018) in his commentaryentitled“moralityinpolitics”,aptlydescribesthepoliticsinthePhilippinesasbestillustratedinRudyardKipling’s“The Ballad of East and West”. He writes, “Oh, East isEast,andWestisWest,andneverthetwainshallmeet!”.In analysis, on one side, Filipino politics have thegovernment and its ‘diehard supporters,’ and on theother, the so called ‘destabilizers,’ made up theopposition party and sectors of the church, media andcivilsociety.Anditappearsthatawedgehasbeenplacedbetweenthecamps,andthisdividehasgottenworsebytheday.Indeed,withsomuchtoxicityintheair,canthetwainevermeet?Almonte(2007:119)stressedthat“thePhilippine society most urgent need is to raise thepolitical capacity of the Philippine State, to set it freefromthedominanceofvestedinterestgroupsandenableit to act, unequivocally, on behalf of the common goodandthenational interest.”Here,politicalcapacityrefersto the legitimacy and effectiveness of state institutions,andinsuringtheautonomyoftheseadministrativeelite,that is insulating it from the importuning ofparticularisticgroups.MoralityandpoliticsMorality is always complex. It encompasses humanrights, but is also cognizant of cultural norms andstandards. Americans, for example, are very sensitiveabout autonomy and freedom, and will fight for these.Butothercultures,likeintheEast,alsovaluecommunityand spirituality. According to Jonathan Haidt (2013),specialist in moral and political psychology, “therighteousmind,islikeatonguewithsixtastereceptors.”Inreality,however,humansdealwithpoliticalandmoralissues simplistically when there is always a lot toconsider. The drug problem in the Philippines, forinstance, is not so much a peace and order issue as ahealthandeconomicproblem.Again, there is aneed tobeopentotheotherandtohisworldviewifmenaretosolvetheirmoralandpoliticalproblemsasanation.

Morality binds and blinds. Men are genetically“groupish,”accordingtoHaidt(2013).Darwinproposedthat the fittest survived, but in human evolutionaryhistory, man needed to belong to a group in order tosurviveandthrive.Thathasbeenthefunctionofhumansgroupidentities;butthedownsideisthatthiscanblind


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himtoothergroups.Thiscanbeobserved for instance,howthePhilippinepoliticshasreducedthemtowarringtribes once again. Haidt (2013)writes: “Morality bindsand blinds. It binds us into ideological teams that fighteachotherasthoughthefateoftheworlddependedonoursidewinningeachbattle.Itblindsustothefactthateach team is composed of good people who havesomething important to say.” The way out is ratherobvious: torecognize thatmenbelongtoonebiggroupthat is humanity. Men are groupish, but why notrecognize everyone, each group, as part of that biggergroup to which they all belong? Haidt (2013) writes:“Menmayspendmostof theirwakinghoursadvancingtheir interests, but they all have the capacity totranscend self-interest and become simply part of awhole. It’snot justacapacity; it’s theportal tomanyoflife’smostcherishedexperiences.”

PoliticsdependonethicsDoes politics depend on ethics? Indeed, this paperasserts thatallpoliticalproblemsare in theendethicalproblems.Thepoliticalproblemsrefertoboththedaytodayproblems facedby the legislator, and theproblemsof political theory, of how government itself is to beorganizedorjustified.Politicsinbothsensedependsonethics. According to Blanshard (1966): “any questionabout what a government should do is a politicalquestion.All suchquestions, arenearly all, are ethical.”For instance, in healthcare, should old people who,through improvidence or ill fortune, lack themeans totakecareoftheirhealth,besuppliedwiththismeansbysociety?Surely, it isamoralquestion.Anyquestionisamoral question whose decision depends on a choicebetween values. A non-moral question becomes moralthemomenttheinstantvaluesareintroduced.

Political theory as well as political practice ends inethics. Edmund Burke says, “the principles of truepoliticsarethoseofmoralityenlarged;andIneithernowdo, norwill ever admit of any other.” If what is Burkesays is true, it is important to the person working inpolitics that his ethics should be sound. Sir David Rosshas accustomed the person to thinking that the greatquestionsofethicsaretwo,“Whatisright?AndWhatisgood?”. However, Ross is a notable legalist who holdsthat there are certain rules of promise-keeping, truthtelling, and so on, which lay obligations on a personwhich at times are even stronger than the claim of thegreatestgood.

The taskofpolitics is tostudy,as itssubjectmatter,massesof individualswroughtintosocialorganizations,massesthroughandthroughmovedbyvalue-judgments.Thesubjectmatterofpoliticsisthen,asocietyofethicalbeings. Hence itmay be argued, politicsmust considerthe ethical nature of man. Morals must be taken intoaccountbystatesman.Thetaskhoweverofstatesman,itmaybeobjected,isnottofithumanbeingstogetherlikepiecesofwoodina jig-sawpuzzle,sothateach,despitehis personal preferences, ideals and prejudices,accommodates himself under law to each. The politicallifeinvolvesactionandmovement.Thestatesmanhastodeal not with wooden blocks, but with human beingswith purposes and policies. He must decide on suchpolicieshimself.Thewholepoliticalarenaisoneaction,and of choice between alternative plans that promotes

thecommongood.When governments start adopting strict measures,

this leads to curtailment of rights and they are alwaysquestioned, irrespective of their political wisdom.Communitarianism works on the premises that one’splace in the economy, standing in the political order,reputationamongfellowsandholdings:allofthesecomefrom other men and women (Walzer, 1983). Theemphasisislaidonimportanceofthesocietyratherthancentrality of the individual. It strives to weighparticularism against universalism and argues that thesearchforacommonpointofunityforeveryoneleadstomisunderstanding and misleading distributive justice.Michael Sandel expressed “the common good is abouthow we live together in the community. It’s about theethical ideals we strive together, the benefits andburdens we share, the sacrifices we make for oneanother.It’saboutthelessonswelearnfromoneanotherabouthowtoliveagoodanddecentlife”.Promoting the common good of the people is thegreatestgoodCommunitarians argue that freedom of choice, evenunderfairconditionscanbeabasisforajustsocietyandrightscannotbeprioritizedoverthecommongood.AnyinstitutionalizedbodyengagedinthewaragainstCOVID19 with a broad representation of the stakeholders(doctors, nurses, practitioners, administrators, patientsand people in general)when functionswell, like SouthKorea,itprovidesatypicalaswellasabeautifulexampleofcommunitariandemocracy(Raghuvanshi,2020).Theywork together to constitute an optimum society (safeenvironment, proper functioning hospitals, maintainedsupply of essential services, etc.) envisioned by themembers of the particular community. When viewedthrough a communitarian lens, any conflict resolutionwith respect to solutions for any infectious disease canbe best arrived by envisaging the betterment of thecommunity.

Thecommunitarianapproach isbasedonthenotionthat everyone derives their identity from the broadercommunity. Individual rights count, but notmore thancommunity norms (Authers, 2020). These notions gobacktotheGreeks,butinmoderntimes,thephilosophyiswidelyconnectedtothesociologistAmitaiEtzioniandphilosopher Michael Sandel. Sandel argues that justicecannot be determined in a vacuum or behind a veil ofignorance, butmust be rooted in society.He sets out atheoryofjusticebasedonthecommongood.

China practiced another kind of communitarianismaftertheCOVID19firstappearedinWuhan.Thepeopleof that city were told to lock themselves in, and oftenforciblyquarantined,forthegoodofthecommunityandthe state, largely identified with the long-justifiedobedience to a hierarchical and authoritarian butbenevolentstate.Thenotionofsocialsolidarityremainsstrong showed in the spectacular disciplinewithwhichChina and other Asian nations dealt with the problem(Authers, 2020). The coronavirusmakes it all too clearthat pursuing one’s own self-interest is not enough.Whileeveryonehasthe legalrighttopurchaseasmuchhand sanitizer as they can find, if that is all they thinkabout,thewelfareofothersandsocietyitselfareatrisk.Everyoneneed to challenge the idea that people is just


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pursuing their own happiness as individuals. Whenpeople live in society, they depend on each other.Therefore,theyhaveobligationstoeachother.

ThePhilippineHealthcareSystemhasbeenverysickfordecades.Andithasnotbeenreceivingenoughfundsandattentiontomakeitwell.TheDepartmentofHealthtasked to serveapopulationofoverahundredmillion,hasnot received sufficientbudget increase tobeatparwith the good health care systems in theworld.WhenthefirstlocaltransmissionoftheviruswasconfirmedinthefirstweekofMarch2020,thegovernment’sresponsein the beginning was chaotic-there was no identifiablecommand center to specifically deal the crisis. Vagueorders and pronouncements were given by the palace,only to be interpreted in different ways by differentofficials.Alltheseexposedtheiremptypronouncementsof readiness and their complacency. While all thesethings are taking the spotlight, along with the dailyupdates of COVID-19 victims, the root cause of all thischaos and unorganized response, which is governmentcomplacency,isbeingerasedfromthepicture.

In dealing with coronavirus crisis, compounded bystrict rules on social mobility, the ways to organize,assert and extend solidarity may be done through theuse of technology. Using communications technology,people can exchange knowledge and wisdom onboosting immune systems and health care methods toensurethehealthoftheelderly,thepregnantandallthatare at risk. The Indigenous Peoples, as well as thecommunitypeople,arerichwithknowledgeandwisdominthisfield.

Atthecommunitylevel,peoplecaninitiatecontrolledexchanges and sharing of resources such as sanitationmaterials,food,medicine,waterandevenshelterforthehomeless. Organized communities are also much morecapableofsurvivingthecurrentpandemic.StrengtheningthepandemicpreparednessforpublichealthemergenciesinthePhilippinesThePhilippines,likemanydevelopingcountries,isbeingdealtaparticularlybrutalblowbowbythecoronavirus.Socialdistancing is impossible in crampedurbanareas.ForFilipinoslivingpaychecktopaycheck,theabruptlossof work is devastating families. The real work of thegovernment must be done pre, during and post-pandemic,tostrengthenconstitutionalprocedures,rulesand norms to address this current pandemic. The realworkofthegovernmentmusttobedonepre,duringandpost-pandemic, tostrengthenconstitutionalprocedures,rulesandnormstoaddressthiscurrentpandemic.Thispaper asserts the importance of strengtheningmechanismsandpoliciestohealthcareinthePhilippineswhich addresses the burden of combating infectiousdiseasessuchasCOVID-19.This led for theproposal torevisit, amend and ratify the pending Senate Bill No.1573 also known as ‘Pandemic and All-HazardsPreparedness Act’ that was ignored by the legislativebodyway back 2013. The chief aim of the governmentmust be focused on general welfare and overallimprovementinstandardsoflivingofthepeople.

In the first two weeks since the declaration of alockdown on March 15, 2000, confusion and lack ofcoordination among various government agencies andlocal government units resulted in contradicting

statements, orders, and advisories (Limos,2020).UnderSenateBillNo.153,theDepartmentofHealthwillcreatea pandemic strategy, mandate to undergo evaluation,organizing and training to improve the country’spreparedness prior to a health emergency’s existenceandwillbe the leadagency thatwill issuedirectives totheDepartmentoftheInteriorandLocalGovernmentorDILG,thePhilippineRedCross,andtheNationalDisasterRiskReductionandManagementCouncilorNDRRMC.

TheSecretaryofHealthwillbeableto“spearheadthecreation of a national health strategy to address publichealth emergencies,” which includes “plans foroptimizing a coordinated and flexible approach to themedical surge capacity of hospitals, other health carefacilities, critical care and trauma care, and emergencymedical systems.” If necessary, health professionalswouldalsovolunteer to fight thecurrentproblem.Thisbillwouldhavemade such a big differencehad it beenapproved,especiallytotheDOH,whichishavinggettingattackedonsocialmediafortryingtorecruitvolunteers.Thebillalsocallsforthecreationofanemergencyfundeveryfiscalyearforpandemicsandotheremergencies.Ifthiswere in effect today, thepresidentwouldnothaveneeded to realign and reallocate budgets or unspentmoney that has already been earmarked for variousgovernmentagencies.

The role of political parties in making democracywork is well-discoursed and, at least in theory, is alsowell-accepted. Worldwide, however, there is growingdissatisfactiontowardspartiesandpartypolitics.Thisismore apparent in countries where democracy is weakandpartiesserveotherun-democraticpurposes.Partiesare supposed to serve the purpose of interestaggregation, leadership formation and candidate-selection.

However, in some countries like the Philippines,parties have largely been a mechanism to facilitatepatronage and personality-oriented politics. In thePhilippines, much of the studies on political partiesdiscusshowthe lackof functioningpoliticalpartiesandunderdeveloped or mal-developed party systemweakensdemocraticpractice.Studiesonpoliticalpartieshave established the negative impact of wrongly-developed and underperforming political parties ondemocratization(Aceron,2011).

In another study, Brillo (2012), examining thelegislation of the foreign investment law, analyzed thebureaucrat-politician’sdynamicsinitspolicymaking.Hearguedthatcontrarytotheweakstatethesisadifferentset of dynamics exist between the bureaucrats andpoliticians. He noted that the bureaucrats were active,autonomous, and dominant in policy making, as theybasically determined the inputs of the discussions, thecritical content of the proposal, and most importantly,the policy outcome. On the other hand, the politicianswerepassiveandreactive in the lawmakingprocess,asthey deferred to the wisdom of bureaucrats and theirparticipation was largely confined to fine tuning—adjustmentsorrefinementsintheformofstipulationsorexceptions to suit and placate supporters, constituents,alliesorfavoredinterests.

A small voice among scholars has questioned thesoundness and adequacy of the weak state-elitistframework. They have pointed out that its clichéd


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explanationisoutofsyncwiththecontemporarypolicymaking experiences. By implication, the weak state-elitist view is deemed overuse and, by taking a broadperspective,istoogeneraltobeofmuchanalyticaluseinpolicy making analysis (Atkinson and Coleman, 1989;Howlett and Ramesh, 1995; Mikamo, 1997). Thesescholars suggested that pluralism better characterizespresent-day Philippine policy making since there isincreasing fragmentation among political actors inlegislating policies. Here, the actors are seen asautonomous with distinct interests, resources, andpower which give rise to divergent positions acrosspolicyissuesovertime.Thus,inthelightofthechangingnatureofpolicymakinginthePhilippines,thesestudiesimply the need to reassess the dominant weak state-elitistframework.

Aceron (2001) would observe that "because of itsweaknesses, the party system has failed to offermeaningfulpolicychoices—andsotoprovidefororderlychange." In the same vein, Hutchcroft and Rocamora(2003)notethat"Philippine-styledemocracyprovidesaconvenientsystembywhichpowercanberotatedatthetopwithouteffectiveparticipationofthosebelow.”OtherPhilippine literature on political parties focus onexplainingmal-development and under-performance ofpoliticalparties(Timberman,1991;Lande,1965;Aceronetal.,2009)andpointtoseveralreasonsforthelackofdevelopment or mal-development of political parties,namely:(1)thelegal-institutionalenvironmentwhichisnotconducivetothedevelopmentofdemocraticandfull-fledgedpoliticalparties;(2)theweaklinkageofpoliticalparties to citizens; (3) the failure to pass legislativemeasures to reform political parties; and (4) theprevailingpoliticalcultureofpatronageandpersonality-based.

There is indeed, a need to reinvigorate the call forscrappingofLawswhichcontributedtothesufferingsofthemasspopulaceinthemidstofthepandemic,suchasthePandemicandAll-HazardsPreparednessAct.Itcallsforcontinuedandwidersocialprotectionandrelieftoallhealth workers, of any categorization, as well as alleconomicallyvulnerablesectorsofthesociety.Conclusion Astheworldisholdingitsbreathoverthespreadofthenewcoronavirus,COVID-19,andgovernmentsaretakingor preparing drastic measures that will necessarilysacrifice individual rights and freedoms for the generalgood.It’satestofmedicalcapacityandpoliticalwill.TheneedtoamendandratifythependingSenateBillNo.153will benefit the greatest number of people as aconsequence,producethegreatestgood.Thecontinuingchallenge over the years has been implementation ofreforms.All reformsshouldmove inconsonancewithacommonvisionofservingthewelfareofthepeopleandrestoring trust in government. Power is supposed toemanate fromthepeople.ThePeopleelect leaderswhoin turn govern representatives of the people. Publicofficeisconsideredapublictrust;hence,therearewaysthroughwhichpublicofficialsaremadeaccountable fortheirdecisionsandactions.

Thevirusisasharedchallenge.Sotooisthecomingof global slump. Practicality and the demand forsolidarity for thewelfareof thepeople justifygenerous

help. It is a practical challenge that must be met withwell-informeddecisions.But it isalsoapoliticalandanethical challenge. That the notion of social solidarityremainsstrongshowedinthespectaculardisciplinewithwhich China and other Asian nations dealt with theproblem.Withoutvisible solidarity ina crisis forwhichnobody bears blame, the Philippine society will bemorally,maybeconsequentially,dead.References Aceron, Joy. (2011). Stability and Performance of PoliticalPartiesinSoutheastAsiaPhilippines,Party-Less No More?(EmergingPracticesofPartyPoliticsinthePhilippines). At:http://www.researchgate.net/publication/31538803

Alfonso, N. SJ. (2018). Morality in Politics. Philipine DailyInquirer.January4.At:http://www.opinion.inquirer.net

Asian Development Bank. (2018). Governance: PromotingSoundDevelopmentManagement.Manila,Philippines:ADB.

Atkinson, Michael and William Coleman. 1989. Strong StatesandWeakStates:Sectoral Policy Networks in AdvancedCapitalistEconomies.BritishJournalofPolitical Science,19(1)47-67.

Authers, J. (2020). How Coronavirus is shaking up themoraluniverse.TheEconomicTimes. At:https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/how-coronavirus-is-shaking-up-the-moruniverse/articleshow/74888344.cms

Blanshard,B.(1966).MoralityandPolitics.DeGeorge,R.(Ed.)EthicsandSociety:Original Essays on Contemporary MoralProblems(pp.1-23).AnchorBooksDoubleday&Company.

Brillo, Bing Baltazar. 2010. The Politics of the Anti-DumpingLawofthePhilippines.UPLBJournal,8(1)17-29.

Catlin, G. F. G. (1927). The Monist 37(3). Oxford UniversityPressCornellUniversityhttps://jstor.org/terms

Haidt, J. (2013). The Righteous Mind: Why Good People AreDividedbyPoliticsandReligion.Paperback.

Hutchroft, P.D. & Rocamora, J. (2003). Strong Demands andWeakInstitutions:TheOrigins and Evolution of theDemocraticDeficitinthePhilippines.JournalofEastAsianStudies3,259-292.http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu.

Lande, Carl. 1965.Leaders,FactionsandParties:TheStructureofPhilippinePolitics.NewHaven, CT: Yale UniversitySoutheastAsianStudies.

Limos, M. A. (2020, March 30). Santiogao Filed a PandemicPreparednessBill.ItWasIgnored. At:https://www.esquiremag.ph/politics/news/miriam-santiago-pandemic-bill-a000293-20200330.

Walzer,M.1983.SpheresofJustice,3-4(1stEd.).Wright, W. K. (1916). ‘Review of Hastings Rashdall, IsConscienceanEmotion?’,PhilosophicalReview,25,81.

Are the measures for COVID-19 realistic, justified, or overblown? Preparing the path to the new normal -RandyA.Tudy,Ph.D.CorJesuCollege,PhilippinesEmail:[email protected] Different countries have differentmeasures against theCOVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, reactions fromcountry to country also vary. After more than twomonths, people are getting impatient and agitated forpersonal reasons, including physical, psychological, andeconomic reasons. In this paper, I will argue on the


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merits and demerits of the measures implemented bydifferentcountries,whetherthesearerealistic, justified,or overblown. First, I discuss the similarities andcontradictions of how different countries implementedmitigating measures. Second, I focus on the responsesandreactionsofpeopleonthegovernment'spoliciesandguidelines.Third,Iwillargueifthemeasuresundertakenbyeachgovernmentaddresses theneedsofpeopleandsociety in general. The implication for immediate andfutureactionsisalsodiscussedasaroadmaptothenewnormal.Introduction Countries around the world reacted as to how to dealwith the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Philippines, forinstance, President Roa Duterte imposed communityquarantine,insteadofcallingitalockdown,onMarch15,2020. Within each country, provinces and cities alsoresponded accordingly, depending on their situation.Particularly in Digos City, which is located in thesouthernpart of thePhilippines, declareda communityquarantine lastMarch 16, 2020. OnMarch 28, the firstpositivecaseforthecitywasrecorded.OnApril8,2020,the city elevated the quarantine level to enhancedcommunity quarantine (ECQ), which included thesuspension of all public transport services and theclosure of establishments, except those related to food,medicines, communication, and communication andothervitalservices.But,onMay29,theDigosCityHealthOffice reported seven new cases. They were allemployees of a provincial hospital located in the cityproper. The following day the city mayor held a pressconference.WhilemanyexpectedthemayortoreturntoECQ, it did not happen. According to the mayor, noquarantine can prevent the spread of the virus. Heexplainedthatthecitycouldnotbecrippledforlong.Itisnotgoodeconomically.He,however,askedthepeopletoaccept the new normal. It is living with COVID-19without necessarily getting infected by discipliningthemselvesandfollowingtheminimumhealthstandardssuch as wearing masks, washing of hand, and socialdistancing. Three days after, the city relaxed thequarantine protocols from General CommunityQuarantine (GCQ) to Modified General CommunityQuarantine(MGCQ).

The response of themayor elicited questions aboutthe implementation of the ECQ in the city. Was itappropriate? The same question was raised in othercities and countries around the world. Some peopleregarded the government's measures as anti-poor oranti-business. For the past months, businesses wereclosed. Losses piled up. People lost livelihood andincome. Was the response to COVID-19 realistic,justified,oroverblown?Countiesdifferintheirresponseto the pandemic. The US, for example, was a bitcomplacent at the beginning. Europe was hesitant atfirst.InAsia,Japandidnotimposealockdown.However,Vietnamwasadifferentcase.Inthispaper,Iargueonthemerits and demerits of the measures implemented bydifferentcountries,whetherthesearerealistic, justified,or overblown. This paper contributes to the debate ontheproperorappropriateresponsetoapandemic.

Similarities and contradictions on COVID-19responseCOVID-19pandemiccaughtmanybysurprise.However,responses vary from country to country. For example,Italy,France,andSpainimplementedalmostacompletelockdown (Cohen & Kupferschmidt, 2020), althoughsome say it was quite late for Italy. While Germanyclosed its schools, Sweden allowed children to be inschool.Generally,Europestartedwithhesitationuntilitbegan seriously implementing strategies like socialdistancing,testing,andlockdownsastheCOVID-19casesexploded(Bénassy-Quéré&diMauro,2020).

Other countries like China had a stricterimplementationbyputtingalmosttheentirepopulationat home (Cohen & Kupferschmidt, 2020). Vietnamimplemented an early lockdown using emergencycontrolmeasures (Ha et al., 2020). Singaporewas alsolauded for its highly pro-active measures (Tay et al.,2020). Other countries also implemented lockdownssuch as India (Pulla, 2020) and in some Europeancountries.ThePhilippinesplacedtheentirecountryintogeneral community quarantine as it received a risingnumberofpositivecases.

The Philippines recorded its first COVID-19 positivecase on January 30, 2020. The following day, thepresident ordered a travel ban for those coming fromHubeiandotherplacesinChinawherethespreadoftheviruswasrecorded.However,asearlyas January6, theDepartmentofHealth(DOH)requiredastrictscreeningof incoming travelers from abroad. On January 20, theDOH created the NCov Task Force. It released thefollowingdaythehealthadvisoriesandguidelinesonthepreparednessandresponse.OnJanuary28,themembersof the Inter-Agency Task Force for theManagement ofEmergingInfectiousDisease(IATF-EID)wasformalized.AtravelbanwasimposedforthosecomingfromHubei,China.Asthecasesincreased,PresidentRodrigoDuterteorderedthestrictcommunityquarantineintheNationalCapitalRegion(NCR).Allclassesandworkinthisregionweresuspended.OnMarch16,thepresidentdeclaredaState of Calamity through Proclamation number 929.Then, he signed the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act onMarch 24, 2020 (GOVPH, 2020). This Act allows thepresidenttorelocate,realign,andreprogramabudgetofaroundUS$5.35billionfromthenationalbudgetof2020tomitigatetheeffectsofCOVID-19pandemic.People’sresponsesandreactionsGovernments take charge in addressing the threat ofCOVID-19pandemic.While fearofcontractingthevirusemerged as themost significant predictors for people'spositive behavior change, such as social distancing andhandhygiene(Harper,Satchell,Fido,&Latzman,2020),agoodnumberrespondedfavorablytothegovernment’sprotocols and guidelines. People stayed at home. Thebusiest cities in the world like Tokyo and New Yorkappeared like a ghost town. However, other peopleresponded negatively to the government's emergencymeasures.IntheUS,forexample,therewereprotestsbysome citizens against an imposed quarantine. Whilepeople in somepartsof theworld remained isolated intheirhomes,otherswereonthebeachlikeinCalifornia,where thousandsofpeople trooped to thebeach.Many


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arecomplainingaboutthecurtailmentoftheirfreedom.Theyneededtogetoutofhomeisolation.

Economists and business people complained aboutthe huge effect of quarantine or lockdown on theeconomy.InthePhilippines,thesecretaryoftheNationalEconomic Development Authority (NEDA) resignedsighting differences in principles with other cabinetsecretaries.Theformerwasreportedtohavesupporteda modified enhance community quarantine, which wasnotfavorablewithothergovernmentofficials(deVera&Yap,2020).Businessmencalledfortherelaxationofthequarantine,allowingthereturnof theirbusinesses.Thesamescenarioswerehappeningaroundtheglobe.Therewere already businesses that declared bankruptcy.Toughtimeswerehappening,andtheendwasnowheretobepredicted.

Asthequarantinetook longer,peoplestartedto feelthe inconveniences, includinghunger.Thosewhoreliedon rations from the Philippine government claimed tohavenotreceivedatall,orthosefortunatetoreceivestillfelt it was not enough. There were even complaintsagainst the corruption of the government'smoney andresources thatdidnot reach the intendedbeneficiaries.Evendoctorswereatoddswith thegovernment.TherewerereportsaboutHealthcareProfessionals(HCP)whoventedtheirangerinthegovernmentbecauseofalackofprotective equipment (Khan, 2020). Somedoctors suedtheir government like in Pakistan (Reuters, 2020),France(Torres&Valentin,2020),Zimbabwe(Chingono,2020),andothercountries.Someweregetting irritatedwhile others remained optimistic, but patience wasdwindlingfast.Governments’ActionsAs previously discussed, there were similarities andcontradictions on how people and governments actedagainstthepandemic.Moreover, itwouldbeinterestingtopointout someof the responsesdeemeduniqueandworth appreciating. For example, Japan, which did notimpose lockdowns, ended its state emergency on May25, 2020,with only 850 deaths (Normile, 2020). Japanurgeditscitizenstoavoidthe3Cs-closedspaces,crowds,and close-contact settings. Japanese people, known fortheir discipline, were able to contain the spread of thevirusdespitenotfullyfollowingthelockdownmeasuresothercountriesdid.SouthKorea,anotherAsiancountry,was credited for its effective strategy against thepandemic. One particular strategy South Koreaimplementedwas theprovisionofpublicphoneboothstests (Inn, 2020; Morales-Navaez & Dincer, 2020).Singapore was one of the first countries that actedswiftly by having an enhanced preparedness when itimmediatelylaunchedanaggressivecontacttracingofitsfirst positive case. Quarantinemeasures were imposedon those with contact with positive cases, traveladvisories, and restrictions for those going and comingfromChina(Wong,Leo,&Tan,2020).

All thegovernments intheworldhadbeentryingtoslow down the spread of the virus and expecting toeventuallyeradicateit.Hence,socialdistancing,washingofhands,andmakingpeoplehealthybecamenecessities.However,extrememeasuressuchas lockdownscreateda lot of inconveniences and affectedpeople's livelihoodandcrippledtheeconomy.Sincedifferentcountrieshave

differentapproaches,thequestionsremainregardingtherightness, justification, and appropriateness of suchactions, particularly on imposing lockdowns orquarantine. The example is the case of Digos City thatimposed general and later enhanced communityquarantine. When the recorded cases suddenlyincreased, the city did not remain in enhancedcommunity quarantine status but instead proceeded inrelaxing the protocols into modified communityquarantine.Establishmentswerefinallyallowedtoopen.Public transportations and border restrictions werelifted.Amassgatheringofpeoplewasallowed.However,all these changes required the minimum healthstandardssuchassocialdistancingandwearingmasks.RoadmaptothenewnormalLearning from the governments’ similar andcontradictingstrategies,thenextphaseofaddressingthepandemic relies on howwe apply the lessons from thepast three months. Does lockdown or communityquarantine remain the best strategy? The answer isnegative. People and governments realize that theprevious actionswere necessary for the beginning, butprolonging such measures is disadvantageous for bothhealth and economic reasons. The US government hadbeenpushedtothelimitstobalancepeople’srightsandpublichealthinanationalandglobalemergency(Gostin,Hodge, &Wiley, 2020). It was also a struggle in otherparts of the world. The new normal is not just aboutrights. It is about what is right at the moment. Peopleand governments should realize that the new normal,beforetheavailabilityofthevaccine,demandsdisciplineandcommitment.

Forthefollowingdaysandmonths,thesearecrucialtimes.Wewillbe living in thenewnormal. It isnot thetimeforcriticismsofpastmistakes.Itisthetimetoapplylessonsof thepast and to focuson thepresentand thefuture.Observance of theminimumhealth standards isthe key to keep going. It is the only way for all tocontinue living and surviving. Otherwise, the economywill fall, and chaos will escalate. People will die notbecause of the virus but of hunger and psychologicalstress. The World Health Organization has publishedguidelinesonhowtoprotectoneselffromthespreadofthe virus. It also provides guidelines on the safe use ofalcohol-basedsanitizer,suggeststravelprecautions,andpublishesothertechnicalguidance.Conclusion Despitethelessonsofthepastpandemics,theCOVID-19caught individuals and governments by surprise. Itsmagnitude and the speed of the contamination wereunprecedented. There were similarities andcontradictions on how the government responded. Thereactionsofpeoplevaryfrombeingsupportivetobeingantagonistic.However,wealsoseethebestpracticesofothercountries,whichcanserveasmodelsforothers.Atfirst glance, the measure, specifically quarantine orlockdown, is realistic and justifiable, especially whenpeopleneedtobedisciplinedandeducated.Itisnotalsooverblown because it was necessary for countries likethe Philippines. However, prolonging it causes moreharm to people's lives and the economy in general.Lessonsarelearned.Itistimetomove.But,thechallenge


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istoprepareandtolivethenewnormalbyfollowingtheminimum health standards. People should move withprecautions.Theeconomymustberevitalized.Thepathto the newnormal is livingwith the pandemicwithoutnecessarilygettinginfected.References Bénassy-Ouéré, A., Marimon, R., & Pisani-Ferry, J. (2020). 13COVID-19:Europeneedsacatastrophereliefplan.EuropeintheTimeofCovid-19,103.

Chingono,N. (2020).DoctorssueZimbabwegovernmentoverlack of Covid-19 protective equipment. The Guardian.https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/apr/09/doctors-sue-zimbabwe-government-over-lack-of-covid-19-protective-equipment

Cohen, J.,&Kupferschmidt,K.(2020).Countriestesttactics in‘war'againstCOVID-1,Science,367(6484),1287-1288.

de Vera, B., & Yap, D. J. (2020). Neda chief resigns, cites‘differences’ with cabinet peers. Inquirer.net.https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1260597/neda-chief-resigns-cites-differences-with-cabinet-peers

Gostin, L. O., Hodge, J. G., & Wiley, L. F. (2020). Presidentialpowers and response to COVID-19. Jama, 323(16), 1547-1548.

GOVPH (2020). COVID-19 Timeline. At:https://www.covid19.gov.ph/covid-19-timeline/

Ha,B.T.T., LaQuang,N.,Mirzoev,T.,Tai,N.T.,Thai, P.Q.,&Dinh, P. C. (2020). Combating the COVID-19 Epidemic:Experiences from Vietnam. International Journal ofEnvironmentalResearchandPublicHealth,17(9),3125.

Harper,C.A., Satchell, L.P., Fido,D.,&Latzman,R.D. (2020).Functional fear predicts public health compliance in theCOVID-19 pandemic. International journal of mental healthandaddiction.

Inn, T. L. (2020). Smart city technologies take on COVID-19.WorldHealth.

Khan, S. (2020). COVID-19 in Pakistan:Why the governmentanddoctorsareatodds.https://www.dw.com/en/covid-19-in-pakistan-why-the-government-and-doctors-are-at-odds/a-53149990

Morales-Narváez, E., & Dincer, C. (2020). The impact ofbiosensing in a pandemic outbreak: COVID-19. BiosensorsandBioelectronics,112274.

Normile,D. (2020). Japan endsCOVID-19 state of emergency.Science.https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/05/japan-ends-its-covid-19-state-emergency

Pulla,P.(2020).Covid-19:Indiaimposeslockdownfor21daysandcasesrise.https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1251

Reuters London (2020). Coronavirus doctors launch legalaction against UK government over lack of protective kit.https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/coronavirus-doctors-launch-legal-action-against-uk-government-over-lack-of-protective-kit-829166.html

Tay,K., Kamarul, T., Lok,W. Y.,Mansor,M., Li, X.,Wong, J.,&Saw,A. (2020).COVID-19 inSingaporeandMalaysia: risingto the challenges of orthopedic practice in an evolvingpandemic.MalaysianOrthopaedicJournal,14(2).

Torres,A.,&Vaelntin, J. (2020).COVID-19Pandemic:Doctorssue French government for criminal negligence. WorldSocialist Web Site. At: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/03/27/fran-m27.html

Wong, J. E., Leo, Y. S., & Tan, C. C. (2020). COVID-19 inSingapore—current experience: critical global issues thatrequireattentionandaction.Jama,323(13),1243-1244.

A historical evaluation from quarantine to compartmental model: from Ottoman Empire in 1830 to the Turkish Republic in 2020 and from cholera to COVID-19 -SukranSevimli,M.D.DepartmentofMedicalHistoryandMedicalEthics,DursunOdabasResearchHospital,FacultyofMedicine,VanYuzuncuYılUniversity,TurkeyEmail:[email protected] Thepurposeof this studywas to evaluate theOttomanEmpire's first experienced quarantine and the TurkeyRepublic's used compartmental models withinquarantine. This study was conducted as a review toexplore quarantine procedures applied from OttomanEmpire to thepresent time in theTurkeyRepublic.Forthis purpose, we collected pieces of evidence fromhistorical texts, articles, online reports, and books towebsites. The review findings were assessedchronologically.TherewerefindingsabouttheOttomanEmpire and Turkish Republic. The first data wasincluded in the quarantine directives of the SultanMahmud II (1808-1839) for cholera. Moreover, theOttoman Empire continued to fight epidemics such asthe plague, cholera, smallpox, malaria, and Spanish flu.After being founded, the TurkishRepublic state (1923)has encountered some infectious diseases (cholera,COVID-19) and used compartmental models withinquarantine with medical measures. However, whilequarantine applicationsweremademoreeffectivewithtechnology, COVID-19 was held back with the oldquarantine application principles at short intervals. Onthe other hand, "compartmental models withinquarantine" concepts andpracticeswere carried out inmany countries instead of only quarantine and after awhile were implicitly followed by many countries,including Turkey, for economic reasons; this systemafterbeingintroducedcausedcontroversyforeconomicreasons.Itisconcludedthatinfectiousdiseasesnotonlythreaten the health of people but also threaten socio-economic life and even cultural and religious practices.Their area of influence covers awider area, theworld,more than other disasters. In spite of all scientific andtechnological developments, infectious diseases stillcannot be brought under control in a short time andmeasureshavestartedtoevolvefromquarantine,socialdistancepractice,andherdimmunitysystem.Thisstudyoffers the opportunity to reconsider and think ofquarantinepracticesfrompasttopresent.Introduction The aim of medical history research is to explore pasthealth issues and their solutions with treatmentmethods, medical tools, medicinal plants or drugs,medical equipment, patient transportation, quarantine,andsoon.Thiskindofresearchhasalsocontributedtoourunderstandingof thehuman journey fromreligionstophilosophyandscience,being itscognitiveevolution.Inthisview,thejourneyofquarantineusagefrompasttopresent give us information about its development andchangesinpractice.


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Quarantine use started as a solution to preventinfectiousdiseasesandprevent infectiousdiseases.ThewordquarantinecomesfromtheItalianword“quaranta(forty,40)”,whichrefers to fortydaysofdetentionandisolation to control infectious diseases. In order toprotect against infectious diseases like leprosy, plauge,syphilisandcholera (Eager,1903)and toprevent/limittransmission, suspicious or infected people and objectsused or touched by them were isolated (Ziskind &Halioua, 2008). This may include the isolation of theirvehicles (aircraft, ships, buses, train, etc.) or the housetheylivein,andeventheneighborhoodmaybeincluded.Furthermore,eventhewhole town,city,oravery largeareacanbeisolated.Historicalquarantinevarietieswereasfollows:

Ancientquarantine:Itincludedtherulethatallvehiclesand people from the infected area were detained forfortydaysor lessundercertainsupervision,and if theywere determined not to be infected during this period,theywouldbereleased(O'Goman,1895).

Limited or rational quarantine: It is a quarantineapplied to determine the cause or source of theinfectiousdisease.Thepurposeofthisrestrictionisbothdiscovery and detection of resources of contamination.This typeofquarantinehelps to realize researchand islimitedintimetoresearch(O'Goman,1895).

Medicalresearchquarantine:Inthisform,allvehiclesthat the suspect or sick people use or ride and theregions they come from are included; every item orpersonincludedisquarantined(O'Goman,1895).

These models were used by adding advancingtechnology andmedical facilities until the 21st century.Moreover, high technology, biology, and medicine thathave developed over the last two centuries havemanaged to control the epidemics of the 18-19thcenturiessignificantly.However,virus-relatedinfectiousdiseases,pandemicssuchasHIV/AIDS,SARS,andMERShaveemerged(Barbisch,Koenig&Shih,2015).However,an outbreak occurred that suddenly made existingmedical facilities inadequate, a stronger pandemic thanany of these pandemics: “Severe Acute RespiratoryCoronavirus2(SARS-CoV-2)”wasreportedinDecember2019 in the Wuhan region of China, and COVID-19turned into a pandemic in 2-3months, and affected allhealth systems. With the existing medical informationandmedicalfacilitiesbeinginsufficient,COVID-19ledtothe addition of new models to the existing quarantineimplementation. The current measures did not help totackle the fight against COVID-19 in a short period oftime; various countries managed to control it byapplying quarantine from time to time, but theprolongation of the time led to other problems in thecountries. Therefore, new models of quarantine havebeenadded.

These compartmental models have includedquarantine, lockdowns/curfews, and new social lifeincluding social distancing and hygiene measures.Another option was herd immunity, but the countriestrying to implement this model, Germany, Britain, andSweden, did not achieve the success they expected. Allcountries, except Sweden, started to apply suchcompartmentalmodels:

Quarantine: People or animals are kept undersurveillance in a certain place to protect them againstinfectious diseases. Quarantine is a form of isolation ofpeoplewhoareillormayhavebeenexposedtoadiseasedangerous to society. People stay within a particularbuilding,intheirhome,inaspecificpartofabuilding,orwithinageographicalareaduringquarantine.

Lockdown/curfew: A lockdown/curfew is differentfromquarantineasallpeopleinanareaarerequestedtoremain in their own homes within the specified timeinterval without making any distinctions, such as apositivepatient, suspectedpatientornotapatient.Theaim of this intervention is to determine COVID-19positives and mitigate the transmission of disease.Closureofbordersandrestrictionsonpublicgathering,the prohibition of travel in the country, or an areacorresponding to a few blocks, village, town, and citylockdownareimplementedfordifferentdurations(days,weeks,ormonths).Finally,lockdownrestrictionswillbeeased everywhere while it provides the possibility tofindthesourceandtoidentifyanyothercasesofdiseaseortransmission.

Controlled social life: Another model to consider issocial distancing by not leaving the house if it's notnecessary,andstayingawayfromclosed,stuffy,crowdedenvironmentsandusingprotectivematerials(facemask,gloves,handsanitizer,andcologne)andtorealizesocialandworkinglifewiththeseconditions.

Vaccination: Another method of protection isvaccination; the concept ofmodern vaccination startedwith the smallpoxvaccine (1796) (Edwards, 1882) andhasbecomeanintegralpartofpublichealthpracticesinrecent centuries. The vaccine protects people fromdiseaseandeliminatesthedisease.Althoughvaccinationisaneffectivewaytopreventmanydiseases,itisnotyetpossible to develop a vaccine for every viral disease. Avaccinetoprotectagainstvirusesmaybehardtogetduetothemutationofthevirus.However,atpresent,findingvaccinesforCOVID-19isreallyimportantfortheworld.

This study includes data from the Ottoman Empireand the Republic of Turkey and its transition fromquarantine to compartmental model within 200 years.Thisisanimportantpilotstudybecauseitincludesbothhistoricalperspectivesfrompastquarantineapplicationsto thenewcompartmentalmodel.Therefore, this studyprovidesanewperspectivebycomparingthedata.Methods This study was conducted as a review to explorequarantinepractices from theOttomanEmpire1830 tothe Turkish Republic 2020. For this purpose, wecollected pieces of evidence using keywords fromhistorical texts, articles, books and websites using thesearch engines including Google scholar, PubMed andWellcome Library, etc. After that, articles, books werecollected, separated, associated and qualified accordingto their references. Finally, documents were arrangedand examined in chronological order compared withdevelopments from theOttomanEmpire to theTurkishRepublic.


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Results and discussion In this study, the Ottoman period and the Republic ofTurkey are compared in their different managementsystems, since their different management forms haveimportance in quarantine implementation. Althoughreligionand cultureare important, governance systemsofthestatesandthelawsonwhichthesystemisbasedarevery important in the implementationofgeneralorscientificpractices.OttomanEmpireepidemicsandquarantineOttomanEmpirewasaTurkishandIslamic(shariawasthe legal code) state that existed from 1299 to 1923(İnalcık,2016).Thisperiodinvolvedkingdoms,conquestor religion-based wars, religion-based kingdoms andmale-dominated societies, formed according to thecharacteristicsofitstimeperiod.OttomanEmpirehadasultanate system, powerwas passed from the father tothe eldest son, and the life of the societywasbasedonreligious rules/laws (Islam, Christianity, Jewish, etc.)(Anık, 2012). Science, education and medicinal studieswereconductedinaccordancewiththeIslamreligion.

Islamhadagoldenagewithphilosophicandscientificevidence and research between the 8th and 12thcenturies.However, unlike the ancientGreekperiod, inthis period science and philosophy was only for men.ThisperiodchangedwithmanyreasonsandtheIslamicworld imitatedwhat the churchdid inEuropebetweenthe12thand18thcenturies.Greekphilosophyandsciencewereabandoned(Karaçay,2011).Moreover,knowledgewas considered a way to reach Halik/Allah/God(Karaçay, 2011). As a result of this, the golden age ofIslam gradually turned into medieval Islam. Thisreligious approach in the Ottoman Empire had beeninfluenced by the adaptation of a religiousunderstanding after the 12th century (Karaçay, 2011;Ofek, 2011). Religious people opposed the quarantineimplementation as detailed below, as this new Islamicconceptionstartedinthe12thcentury.Thecontradictionof science and religion gradually led to the clergybecomingmoredominantinthestate(Karaçay,2011).

The Ottoman Empire took preventive healthmeasures intheemergenceofoutbreaks, just likeotherstates.Inthissense,themostimportantmeasurestakenwastheinitiationofthequarantine.Thefirstquarantineapplications known in historywereDubrovnik in 1377and1473 inVenicedue toplague (Vuković,2020).Theplague epidemicwas also seen in theOttoman, but thequarantine was not made until cholera became apandemic.ThefirstquarantinewasstartedduringSultanMahmudII.

The Ottoman societywas against quarantine due tothe Islam religion and trade. The thirtieth Ottomansultan, musician, poet, calligrapher, Sultan Mahmud IIand the Hekimbaşı (Minister of Health) Behçet Efenditriedtopersuadetheirsocietyandtheirclergies.ForthisreasonMahmud II (1808-1839) published an article atTakvim-iVekayitoconvincetheclergyandreligionbasedsociety (Yıldırım, 2006). This article also indicated thatquarantine had health benefits for society and it wasconvenient to sharia law. In addition, Algerian HasanEfendiwrotean"Ithafü'l-üdebô"epistlestating that thequarantine isnot illicit.Consideringthatthequarantinewas not against the sharia law, it was decided to

establish a quarantine organization across the country(Böke, 2009; Yıldırım, 2006). It was a wide-rangingapplication that required extensive organization in thestate's highways, ports, and all settlements, includingforeign tradeships (Koloğlu,2005;Yıldırım,2006).TheOttomanEmpirestartedtoapplythequarantinemethod,however the term “usûl-i tahaffuz”wasused insteadofthe quarantine place, and “tahaffuz-hahane” was usedinsteadoflazaretto(Sarıyıldız,1996).Thefirsttahaffuz-hane in the Ottoman Empire was established inÇanakkalein1835(Kahya&Erdemir,2000).

The first quarantine was implemented in Istanbuldue to a cholera case in 1831 with the suggestion ofMinistry of Health (Hekimbaşı) Mustafa Behçet Efendi(1774-1834),andshipscomingfromtheMediterraneanwere quarantined in the Great Port, and those comingfromtheBlackSeainIstinye.Moreover,MustafaBehçetEfendi printed Kolera Risâlesi (4000 pieces) for thepublic in Matbaa-i Âmire and distributed it to raiseawarenesstostateadministratorsandthepublic.Afteraserious religious obstacle was resolved, quarantineorganizationwasestablishedinmanyprovincessuchasBursa, Samsun, Sinop,Malatya,Trabzon, İstanbul, İzmirand Iznik and so on (Böke, 2009; Kumaş, 2011;Yaşayanlar, 2015; Yılmaz& Ersoy, 2017). After that, in1837-1838,the'SanitaryDepartment'wasestablishedinBab-ı Seraaskeri (Harbiye Ministry), and in 1838,'Meclis-i Umûr-ı Sıhhiye' (Quarantine Assembly) wereestablished. And, in 1840, 'Meclis-i Umûr-ı Tıbbiye'(councilofmedicinematter)wasestablishedinMekteb-iTıbbiye(medicalschool)”(Kahya&Erdemir,2000;Tez,2010)

Pilgrims belonging to the Ottoman Empire, beforearrivingtotheHolyPlacewereexaminedwithacheckupat the quarantine station. Pilgrimswere subjected to a35-day quarantine period (1831-1911) (Kuneralp,1996). 22 pandemics occurred in Hijaz/Hicaz (westernArabian province) during 1831-1911. Nine pandemicrecordswerecollected:1831(20,000dead);1835-1846(15,000 dead); 1847, 1848, 1865 (15,000 dead);1871-1872 (130 dead); 1872-1873 (318 dead);1881 (5,000dead); 1882 (624 dead), 1891-1893 (30,336 dead);1902, 1907, 1910 (329 dead) and 1911 (2,078 dead)(Kuneralp, 1996). Hijaz quarantine organization servedpilgrimsbetween1865-1914(Sarıyıldız,1996).

Inthe19thcentury,theOttomanEmpirecontinuedtofight epidemics (plague, cholera, smallpox,malaria, andSpanish flue),withmanydeathsand lossofproperty inAnatolia (Ayar & Kılıç, 2017; Yıldız, 2014; Yılmaz &Ersoy, 2017). Quarantine practices were practiced byisolating areas with infectious diseases such as plagueand cholera, and those who were found to have noinfectiousdiseaseduring isolationperiodwere allowedto enter the country. In addition, the items used werealso disinfected in the buildings. However, a problemwas serious protests over quarantine physiciansexaminingMuslimwomen.Furthermore,thequarantineapplicationwascontinuedformedicalreasonsandinthe19thcentury,quarantinewasappliedtocontrolandtreatleprosy, cholera, smallpox, typhoid, and syphilis(Çalışkan,2020;Sarıköse,2013;Şimşek,2015).

In summary, this situation influenced all medicalapplications and scientific studies during the Ottomanperiod.BecausetheOttomanEmpirewasastateofIslam


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sharia-law system, all decisions taken including by theSultan had to be approved by the sheikh-Islam. Sciencewas therefore subject to texts that were read andmemorized only in madrasas (schools) (Güven, 2010).Unfortunately, scientific research in labswas not done.For this reason, the establishment of modern medicalfaculty and laboratories required a very long time(almost10years)andwasadifficultstruggle.

Passengers used to put their personal clothes inspecial nets in rotating cabinets. The officers putpassengers’clothesincabinetsthatrotated360degrees,with hot air blowing, and conducted the disinfectionprocess with steam. Meanwhile, the passengers weretakentoprivateshowerroomswithloinclothandclogs,and then they were examined by a doctor. Passengerswhowere thought to be healthy,were quarantined foranaverageof8to10daysintheaccommodationsection.

Figure1.Thefirstwrittenorderinthehistoryofquarantine:SultanIIMahmud'swrittenlawregardingthequarantineofshipscomingtotheRumelisideoftheBlackSeain1831duetocholeraintheIndian,AcemandRussianlands,reportedtoIstanbul.(OttomanArchive,HAT,1129/47952,byMuratBardakçı)Turkish Republic and compartmental modelsquarantine,lockdownandcontrolledsociallifeAfter the Ottoman Empire collapsed, an independencewar was launched by Atatürk and the Turkish society.After winning, the revolutionary leader Mustafa KemalAtatürk established the Turkish republic in 1923 as asecular system. It is necessary to briefly mention therevolutions that make up the Republic, to explain theadministrative,socialandscientificchangebetweenthetwo states. Sculpting a human image in Islam wasconsideredasin,thereforeonlytwo-dimensionalhumanpictures of the Ottoman Sultans were made. Iranianminiature art is an example of this (Mirrazavi, 2009).PaintingsfromtheOttomanperiodbelongedtopainters

from western countries. Nevertheless, the republicsupported all branches of arts and this changed theban/sinunderstanding.

This change was important in determining thecurrenthealthcare services andpatient rightsbasedonhumanrights.Thissecularsysteminvolvedademocraticregime based on law and scientific understanding;religion and state affairs were evaluated separately,inequality between men and women was eliminated(such as the right to education, the right to be electedand selected, the right towork, the removal ofwomenfromchador,womenexpressingtheirrighttoenactmentof civil law overmarriage arrangement, andwomen ashumans understood and accepted) (Avcı, 2013;Demirtaş, 2008; Hermann, 2003). Atatürk said: "If youwanttomeasurethecivilizationofanation,lookathowtheir women are treated" (Bilgin, 1990; Gökçimen,2008). Briefly, the constitutionally secular countryprovided equal rights for every citizen; also, theseparation of religion and state affairs enabled thestudies of science to be carried out in accordancewiththeirownmethodsandfindings.

However,someclergymenwerenotsatisfiedwiththesecularsystem(women'srights,official law,andlackofreligionclergyauthority,educationsystem,andscientificdevelopment, and so on) and the limitation of theirpowers, and they revolted under various names. Thisdissatisfactionisstillongoingforsomereasons(e.g.,theprohibition of the right ofmen tomarry 4women andalsomarriagewith underage girls, women's rights andespeciallyequalrightswithmen),andtheyaretryingtoreturn to the sharia regime again (Hermann, 2003).Islamistwomen, do not dwell on the issuesmentionedabovebyemphasizing justice(Özdural&UYSAL,2005).They criticize clerics who find the secular systempositive.Someclergymensupport thesecularsystemoftherepublicandequalrightsforpeople.Wars and diseases: The Ottoman Empire, whichparticipated in the FirstWorldWar, could not preventthe invasion of its territory immediately after the warandwas tornapart.After thissituation,Turkishsocietystarted a struggle for its independence under thePresidency of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Of course, thesewars negatively affected the socio-economic andhealthof the society. In 1920, there were three milliontrachomatousinAnatolia,andhalfofthepopulationhadmalaria.On2May1920,theGrandNationalAssemblyofTurkey was established after the opening of the firstcabinet where Dr. Adnan Adıvar was appointed as thefirst Minister of Health. The Ministry of Health madetwo-partplanningofhealthservices,namelypreventionand treatment. In addition, mandatory service and thefight against infectious diseases were brought tophysicians. Regarding infectious diseases, opening thetuberculosiscenters,fightingtrachoma,malaria,syphilis,andrabies,openingtheCentralHygieneInstituteandtheSchool of Hygiene, and organizing national medicalcongresseswere included.Alsoestablished for the fightagainst infectious diseases, Tahaffuzhan/Lazzaretto bythe Ottoman Empire actively served the Republic ofTurkey until the 1950s. As a result of the successesagainst infectious diseases in the post-World War IIperiod, the functions of quarantine organizations


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decreased worldwide. Infectious diseases isolationmethod is now needed only after an evaluation of theclinical situation and technical possibilities. However,quarantine may be required under some clinicalsituation, with technical possibilities, legal basis, andpoliticalwill.

Themostimportantlegalarrangementsinthisperiodwereasfollows:

Agricultural struggle and agricultural quarantinelaw: Law Number: 6968 in 1957. Contagiousness asdetermined by national and international legislationrequires precautions, quarantine services, principles,and policies in international ports of entry and exit, inthe straits, in territorial waters, airports, land bordergates. This law is particularly concerned with thequarantineofanimalscarryinginfectiousdiseases.

International Health Regulation Official TurkishGazette Number 14517 in 1973; Quarantine diseasesincluded cholera, yellow fever, plague and smallpox.Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Health, Borders andCoasts,GeneralDirectorateofBordersandCoastshelpedwith preventing the spread of infectious quarantinediseases, with a total of 80 health inspection centers.According to Article 195 of the TCK: "In infectiousdiseases, it is necessary to complywith themandatoryquarantine conditions. This is a crime if not observed,those in this situation are punished." The isolationprogramandthenquarantineagainstinfectiousdiseaseswaspreviouslymentioned.Standard isolationmeasureswerecontactisolation,airisolationanddropletisolationfor illnesses such as tuberculosis, and chickenpox.TheMinistry of Health formed an “infectious diseases andfighting guide (Regulation 22/2018)” to prevent andreduceinfectiousdiseases(SağlıkBakanlığı,2018).

Obstacles faced by the Ottoman Empire,unfortunately, continues in the Republic of Turkeyespecially with some religious speeches; some of themcontinue their hateful and discriminatory speech withunrealistic expressions. Unfortunately, some religiousbasedproblemsduringtheOttomanEmpirecontinueinthe Republic of Turkey in 21st century. Even thoughthere is a secular systemandwell developed science, aclergymaymake adiscriminatory speech (Desk, 2020,;Özkan,2020)wheretheydonot takemedical facts intoaccount (BBC,2020;Kirby,Taru,&Chimbidzikai,2020;Knipp, 2020). It is necessary tomention these becausesome people express their feelings of sexism,discriminatoryremarksandracismasareligiousidea.Itis a public health duty to warn these people and toexplain their unhealthy/wrong discourse, and to startencouraging people to participate in preventivemeasures. Itmustbeacondition forallpeople tomakestatements based on scientific data and facts. Shouldpeople (religious or political leaders) have the right tomake false statements in a matter of public health? Itturnsoutthatweshouldalsotalkaboutthisasapublichealthprobleminthe21stcentury.

There were humanistic religious leaders like YunusEmre,whosaid:“Theworldismytrueration,itspeoplearemy nation”; “We love the created, for the Creator'ssake”; “I am not here on earth for strife, love is themission of my life”; “This world is a young bridgedressed in bright red and green; look on and you can't

haveenoughofthat";“Ifyoudon't identifymanasGod,all your learning is of no use at all”; “The image of theGodisamirror;themanwholooksseeshisownfaceinthere(TurkishCulturePortal,2020).

The path followed in this process has developed asfollows: Since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 onMarch11,2020,ithasadoptedmanyversatileandrapidtransmission routes. Unfortunately, the isolationmethodsimplementedsofarhavenotbeensufficient.Inasense,theyhavetriedtofindthemosteffectivemethodthrough trial and error, as in many other states. Thenumber of deaths in Turkey is around 4,500 and thenumber of confirmed cases is around 160,000. Theimplementation of quarantine to limit the epidemicrequiresanadequateeconomiclifeandastrongstrategybecause of its negative influence. Correspondingly, theWorldHealthOrganization(WHO)guidelinesannouncedthat some policies will help to control the epidemicoutbreak such as isolation, quarantine, lockdown, andsocialdistancing(WorldHealthOrganization,2020).

In the first days of the epidemic, they tried todeterminewhether thepassengers in theairportswereinfectedwith COVID-19 or not, using thermal cameras.Then the14-dayquarantinewasstarted forpassengerscomingfromabroadbyairandroad.Thefirstconfirmedcasewason11March2020,but lateritturnedoutthatthiscasewasnotthefirst.Turkeystartedquarantineforforeign passengers. After 11 March 2020, the 14-dayquarantine was started in addition to measuring thefeverofallpassengers.However,asignificantnumberofinfectedindividualsinquarantinebeganenteringhomesbefore the start of quarantine measures in Turkey. Inplaces where positive COVID-19 was found, entry andexit to apartments, villages or townswere banned andregional quarantine implementation was begun.Meanwhile, travels abroad was limited, only Turksabroad came with private air travel and werequarantinedfor14days.

However, these measures did not prevent thenumber of patients from rising too quickly, such thatcities began to be quarantined as a lockdown andintercity trips were prohibited. Meanwhile, positivecaseswere found inworkplaces, and thoseworkplaceswere closed first, but thismeasurewas not enough, soshoppingmalls, cafeterias, restaurantsandhairdresserswhere people gathered were also closed. Meanwhile,people aged65-year andoverwerebanned fromgoingoutofthehousefollowedbythelockdownforthesameage group. After a while, the same lockdown wasimplemented for thosewhowere20-yearandunder.Aflexible working model (2-3 days a week) has beenimplemented for employees working in governmentoffices; it has been decided to conduct training online,while intercity travel was prohibited. Unfortunately,workersanddailyworkerscontinuedtowork,includingminor workers. This process was realized as acompartmentalmodel.Meanwhile,when facedwith thethreat of limiting economic production and risingpoverty,itwasdecidedtogiveupthislockdownorhavealimitedquarantine.

Briefly, this compartments model includedquarantine, a flexible working model, lockdown (e.g.,regional, blocks or village) of the whole country, age-relatedlockdownapplication(e.g.,included65-yearand


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over and 20-year and under) and controlled social life.ThegovernmentannouncedthatTurkeywillswitchtoacontrolled social life model starting from 3 June 2020.Furthermore, the Ministry of Health and COVID-19scientificboardaregoing to stresscontrolledsocial lifemodel’s rulessuchashandwashing, facemaskuseandsocialdistancerules.

COVID-19 forced all of the world and its states toapply various models including quarantine, isolation,lockdown,andcontrolledsociallife.However,economicreasonshaveforcedopenclosedworkplacesandstartedthe intercity journeyswith a controlled social life. ThismodelisnotonlyforTurkey;moststateshavefollowedthecompartmentalmodelsuchastheUKandGermany.

Figure 2. Checking the body temperature of passengers/customerswithathermalcamera.

Figure3.Oneofthequarantinedormitories,on14thday.(At:http://m.bianet.org/bianet/yasam/223243-ingiltere-den-getirilen-333-kisiye-14-gun-karantina)

TheMinistryofHealthformedan“infectiousdiseasesandfightingguide(Regulation22/2018)”topreventandreduceinfectiousdiseases.Thefieldinvestigationteam’sfirst aim is to find the source and the effect after thenotification of the case and/or taking protection andcontrolmeasuresincludingtracingofthecontacts.

Figure4.Thefieldinvestigationteam.(from:https://www.cnnturk.com/turkiye/filyasyon-ekibinin-calismalari-tum-hiziyla-suruyor?page=1)

Figure5.Lockdown/curfewControlledsociallife:Protectsocialdistance;stayawayfrom closed, stuffy, crowded environments; don't leavethehouseifit'snotmandatory;useprotectivematerials(facemask,gloves,handsanitizer,andcologne).LimitationsHistoricalqualitativedatamayinvolvemorethanfoundin the data and also have various contexts orinterpretations. Chronological evaluation andcomparison are very important for reviewinghistoricalstudies.Thepresentdatawerecollected fromacademicsites (e.g., Academi.edu, Wellcome Institute/library,Google Scholar, and PubMed) and also from websitesthat takeofficialdata intoconsiderationandcompared.However, there was a possibility of some unreachableresources.Conclusion ThisstudyevaluatedquarantinedatafromtheOttomanEmpire to the Republic of Turkey, chronologically. Thedata was collected in the context of epidemics andquarantinetoexplorethemedicalandscientificfacilitiesandtheinfectiousdiseasesquarantinepracticesinthoseperiods. Infectiousdiseases that causepandemics, havethreatened societies in every period of history.Quarantine,whichisoneofthemostimportantmedicalapplicationsinhistory,wasnotsufficientduetothefactthat COVID-19 pandemic could not be controlled in ashort timeand thisnegativelyaffects theeconomic life.COVID-19 has continued to be a serious hazard for theworldduetowidetransmission.Thetreatmentmodelisstill not clear and vaccination studies have not beenconcluded yet. Moreover, the pandemic has broughtalongmanypolitical,social,andeconomicproblems.Forthesereasons, following theadviceof theWorldHealthOrganization, they have tried to reduce the effect andspreadoftheviruswithlimitedandrationalquarantine,lockdown, and controlled social life. Some statistics ofthe Ministry of Health on this topic showed that thecompartmental model is useful. In addition, with thesloganofcontrolledsociallife,returntowork,andsociallifewasinitiated.References Anık, M. (2012). Çok kültürcülük ve Osmanlı devleti(MulticulturalismandtheOttomanstate),.SelçukÜniversitesiEdebiyatFakültesiDergisi,0(27).

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The possibility of a renewed discourse on peace: An exposition of realities amid COVID-19 pandemic - AlFloresQuillope,PhDNotreDameofMarbelUniversity,thePhilippinesEmail:[email protected] When medical scientists come to grips with scientificmeasures and tools to arrest the spread of disease,physical suffering and death brought about by theCOVID-19pandemic,peaceresearchersalsoseeviolence,modernwarfareandunjustsocialstructuresasevilthatneeds to be controlled and eliminated. The ethicalcommitmentof thispaper is toexpose therealitiesandnarrativesofpeoplesandcommunitiesduring this timeofglobalpandemicandusetheminapossiblereneweddiscourse on peace studies as a result of this globalhealth emergency. These emerging narratives arecarefully aligned with the six elements of peaceeducation,proposedbySwee-HinandCawagas,namely,the InnerPeace, Intercultural Solidarity,HumanRights,Dismantling the culture of War, Climate Justice, andSocial Justice & Compassion. Peace education aims atproviding better and life-giving alternatives to theexisting social order so that the human agency will beequipped with the fundamental moral choice towardstherealizationofwhatisgood.Thegoodthatthispaperenvisions is the possibility of a renewed discourse onpeacethatwilleventuallyleadthepresentgenerationtorestructure the present social order andmake it moreholistic,inclusive,andmorallyplausible,hence,peacefulsocialorder.Keywords: COVID-19 narratives, Peace, PeaceEducation,socialstructures,discourseonpeace1. Introduction There is a possibility of changing the way we learn,speakandbuildpeaceinthispresentgenerationbecauseofourdiversifiedexperiencesandnarrativesabouthowthehumanbeingsandtheworldexperiencethisCOVID-19 global pandemic. The new normal allows us torethink about how we have fully grasped PeaceEducation because of the changing perceptions abouthuman relationships, established institutions andideologies,andevenaboutthepresenceofhumansintheworld. Peace education is a holistic process of teachingencountersthatdrawfrompeopletheirdesireforpeace,non-violent alternatives, and skills for critical analysis.Our experiences of this recent crisis offer rich teachingencountersaboutpeace.

Although the story of COVID-19 pandemic is notdetached from the ancient subjugation of the superiorovertheinferior,weseehowthepresentrealitiesaboutworld-powerisbeingtoppledbyamicroscopicvirusthatpenetrated and threatened not only the lives of peoplebut of systems, ideologies, structures, and evenrelationshipsofsovereigncountries.Allofasudden,themeasures of world-domination like military power,liberal economy, dominion of culture and values,leadership in science and technology are futile inaddressing the enemy. These measures suddenly

changed itsmeaning and function in order to keep theworldrunning.

This is where the old narrative of Peace Educationwants tobegin.TheWesternWorld controls theworld,theUnitedStatescontrols theWesternWorld,and thustheUnitedStates controls theworld.By controlling theworld, the U.S definitely owns the measures of world-dominion.Theyhavethemostadvancedmilitarypower;theyaretheseatofcapitalismandfreemarket;theyarethe yardstick of a civilized culture; and they are at thefrontlineintheadvancementofscienceandtechnology.

Over the past decade, the issue of who is up andrunning takes the public spotlight as “China isleapfrogging the U.S. in its technological capabilities.”(Fannin,xxxx)Chinanowbecomestheat-paradversaryof the U.S. not only in terms of technology but also ofmilitary capabilities, market economy and influence inculture. This set-up is a necessary groundwork in ourunderstandingofwherethefingersarepointingatwhilecountriesarebeingravagedbythevirus.

The opinion of Cunningham (2020) about this givesus a new narrative to this old springboard to PeaceEducation. He opined about how the TrumpadministrationpointsafingertoChinaforthepandemicmayhem that brings more than a million cases in allstates in theU.S. andkilledalmostahundred thousandpeople. This is the “blame China” narrative. Chinabecomesthescapegoatwhenthemostpowerfulnationisnotreadytoacceptthatsheisnotcapableofaddressingthe pandemic. The U.S. claims that the Chineseauthorities knew but withheld information about thevirus sinceearlyNovemberorDecemberof2019, thus,in conspiracy with the World Health Organization,endangered lives of millions of peoples in manycountries all over the world. Another theory is that acertain Virology laboratory in Wuhan leaked the virusoriginallypurportedasaweaponofbiowarfareprogram.As a response, the China led media puts viral theconspiracy theory of an American Youtube bloggerstating that a certainU.S.military Intelwas thepatientzeroinWuhan.Allthesebaselessbandwagonsareeasiertoacceptthanastoryofapoorpeasantwhotriestobuyexotic animal for food from a black market andeventuallycontractedanewvirus.

The abysmal failure of some of the most advancedcountries, like China, Italy, Great Britain, U.S., etc., tomitigate and address the crisis unlocked many heavilyguardedquestionsabouttheflawsofcapitalisticsociety,covert advancement of biowarfare, illegal imposition ofpowerful sanctions to sovereign countries, and evenworld-image(dominion)overhumanlifepriorities.Asaresult, the COVID-19 pandemic also renewed ourquestionsabouttheself,humanrights,culturalviolence,social inequality, environmental justice, and the cultureof war and domination. Thus, this pandemic brings tolightareneweddiscourseonpeace.

This paper attempts to offer an objective expositionof the realities present among the poor communitieswho are greatly affected by the failure of the giants! Itwilltrytoshowthelife-conditionsofnewemergingpoorcommunities like health workers, no-work-no-paycontractuals, unemployed workers due to lockdowns,out-of-school students, senior citizens, thehandicappedandmentallychallenged individuals, thehand-to-mouth


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farmers and fisherfolks, and the quarantined elite. Therealities fromtheseemergingpoorcommunitieswillbesubsumed in the old discourse about the elements ofpeace such as inner peace, intercultural solidarity,human rights, dismantling the culture of war, climatejustice,andsocialjustice&compassion.2.InnerpeaceAlbert Camus (1981) wrote about “The Plague” morethan 70 years ago. Camus skillfully describes thevulnerability of individuals and communities to thewidespread devastation of plagues. Similar to ourexperience with COVID-19, the death toll now hasreached over 800,000 worldwide. However, the recentpandemic isnotonlyaboutdeath,butalsoabout socialbreakdown, disruption of the usual normal, andwidespread panic. Camus reminds us that no one willeverbepsychologicallypreparedforglobalpandemics.

In an instant, our daily routines and everydaystresses are not only disrupted by lockdowns but havealso become meaningless. The anxiety and uncertaintythattheindividualexperiencesarebeyondwhatonecanimagineinalifetime.Thesafetybumpersofourliveslikeincome,savings,job,acquaintances,authority,pleasures,etc. are pointless and the individual is at themercy ofwhattheelectedofficialsandexpertswilldo.

Asaresult,individualsresorttothingsthatremainedin their domain to keep their sanity. One will see auniversity of students and professors dancing tiktok insocial media, writers publish their materials, jokerscreatememes, highly opinionated individuals post fakenews,mothersopentheircookbooks,professionalsofferonline courses, on-line selling, the lazy ones boltthemselves in front of the television, the selfish onesromanticizethedonationstheygivetothepoor,andthequarantined elite are now leveled among locked andhungrypoor.

Quarantinesandlockdownsenforceaveryimportantopportunity to every individual – a time to re-examinethe self. This is neither about heroism nor pointingfingers.Thisisaboutdecencyoftheself. ImagineanERdoctor going home driving away his son from hugginghimbecauseoffearthatthechildmightbeinfected;oranurse air-hugging her daughter from a distance; or acrowd of condo residents applauding the efforts of thehealthworkers in a nearby hospital; or a decent homereturning the aid from the government thinking thatothersaremoreinneedthanthem.Thisishowdecencyworks. And this is our only weapon to counter theanxietyanduncertaintiesoftheself.

Letusrememberthatinnerpeaceisonlymeaningfulwhenthereissocialpeace.Therecanneverbeauthenticinnerpeacewhenone isneglectfulof thesocial turmoilthat isgoingonaround.Selfishness inhoardingalcoholand toilet paper, and in pretending to be poor to getameliorationfundfromthegovernmentwillneverresulttoinnerpeace.Onthecontrary,livingthedecencyofthehuman spirit, protecting human life above all, andachievingglobalsolidaritywillsurelyresulttoenormousappreciationandadmirationofinnerpeace.3.InterculturalsolidarityThe recent encroachment of COVID-19 among theIndigenous Peoples of the Ecuadorian Amazon stirs

global concern (Anderson , 2020). On April 10, therewasalreadyafirstrecordeddeathamongtheYanomamitribe. It is only amatter of timewhen,without carefulintervention,thewholetribeandtheneighboringtribeswillbewipedout.

The indigenous communities throughout the worldface incomparable risk of health emergencies such asCOVID-19pandemic.Thisispartlyduetolackofpropersanitation, limited resource to clean water, crowdedlivingquartersandinsufficienthealthcarefacilitiesandpersonnel. In addition, the transnational corporationswhoexploit the IndigenousPeoples’domainbringwiththem deadly diseases that are detrimental to thevulnerablecommunities.

In his warning to his people against the recentpandemic, a tribal leader exclaimed: “The cowori(meaningoutsiders) aredoing terrible things. They aredestroying the homes of the animals. Humans createdthisdiseasebykillingtheearth.Gomakecampsdeeperin the forest.Drinkplantmedicines.Eatonlywildmeatand fish. Thatwill keep us strong.” (Anderson, 2020).The sustainable living conditions of the IPs have beenexistent long beforemodern civilizations. Thus, for theIPs, the only bearers of disease are the outsiders. Theleader’s warning also concretizes how the IPs equatetheirliveswiththehealthoftheearth.Whentheearthisbeingkilled(destroyed),theIPsarebeingkilledaswell.Whatwillmake them strong and healthy are producedby the forest. There is nothing else from outside thattheyneed.Infact,theyhavetobecautiouswithwhattheoutsiders bring to them. Lastly, the warning alsoprovidesinstructionstogodeeperintotheforest.Thisisalways the case. The cowori drives IPs deeper into theforest so that the former can exploit the resources leftbehindbythelatter.

Thisisnotaremotenarrativebetweentheoutsidersand the IPs. It has alwaysbeen a trend that becauseofcapitalism and hunger for earth’s depleting resources,the IPs are dispossessed from the forest which theyequate with their lives. However, this current globalpandemic sheds a possibly renewed discourse abouthow theworld neglects the cultural identity of the IPs,andexploitsthevulnerabilityofthesecommunities.

Inversely, this narrative can also be a point ofreflection for thosewhodesignmisdevelopment for thelandof the IPs in thenameofprogress, prosperity andeconomicadvancement.Thesocialorderimposedbytheadvanced cultures to dispossess the IPs of their landsand thus cause cultural genocide among the IPs is nowturning its course toward the aggressors.6The massgravesinmostadvancednationsarelethalremindersofthe failure of the current social order. After all, weshould not be building separate worlds because peacechallengesustobuildonlyoneworldforall.4.HumanrightsTheCOVID-19pandemichasraisedalotofhumanrightsissues.Althoughmostoftheseissuesarealreadytackledbyexpertsandethicists,thisglobalcrisishasrenewed

6 Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, Victims of DevelopmentAggresion: Indigenous Peoples in ASEAN. Thailand: AsiaIndigenousPeoplesPact.


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thewayweargueaboutthem.Fromamongthemanyhumanrightsissues,thissectionwillonlydiscussfive.

Firstthereisthemountingcasesofdomesticviolenceduringthecommunitylockdowns(Ford,2020).Reportsofpartnerandchildabuseshaveincreasedcomparedtopriormonthsbeforetheimplementationofquarantines.Familymembers are now forced to be together in oneroof for longerperiodof time thaneverbefore. School-agedchildrenarenowstayingathomeforanundividedtime.Parentsattendtotheirchildrenanddealwiththemwithout ever passing the burden to teachers in school.Initially, this was taken as an advantage to familybonding and closeness. The quarantines give time forfamilymembers to be productive and useful. However,as temperaments and psychological make upsmanipulate humanbehavior, there alsomount conflictsandmisunderstanding,thus,sometimesresulttoverbal,physical, psychological, and even sexual abuse. Surely,thediscourseonviolenceandfamilydynamicswillalterandwillneverbethesameafterthispandemic.

Second is the right to religion. After the lockdownshave been implemented in many places, congregationsarenolongerallowedtoexpresstheirfaithinusualmassgatherings. Many religious groups have resorted tolivestreaming their services to keep the safety andphysicaldistancing requirements (Arndt, 2020).Otherreligious leaderswho insisted to hold their worship inchurches were penalized and persecuted.7Some othersdevised their spiritual services beyond what is normaland necessary like drive-thru confession or onlinecounseling(Torres,2020).EvenEaster,oneofthemostimportant celebrations of the Catholic faith, thesolemnityofsolemnities,wascelebratedbythepopeattheVatican,attendedbyfewmembersandlivestreamedbythe localbroadcastmedia.Similarly,oneof themostimportant celebrations for the believers of Islam is theEidul Fitr. This year, the celebration is quite differentthan how it has been celebrated for decades. All thesewere unimaginable before the pandemic. Had it not bythis recent crisis, all these stories will be taken as aninfringement of the freedom of religion. However, thistime, the right to religion is not just about freedom tochooseone’sreligionandtheprofessionoffaithinone’sreligion but how we can freely express the religiousritualswithoutrestrictions.Certainly,therewillbesomemajor adjustments to some religious structures andsystemsafter thepandemic, thus, changing thewayweunderstandtherighttoreligion.

Third is theright toeducation.Theglobalpandemicproduced another poor sector in the community – theeducationsector.Thisnewemergingpoorsectorispoorbecausethelivesandidentitiesofteachers,studentsandacademic supervisors become instantly uncertain. Theclosure of most schools had never happened in thememoryoftherecentgeneration.Theinitialexcitementand the lastinganxietyof studentsare incomparable toall academic demands in the classroom combined.However, quick to adjust to the changing needs, someschools immediately devised some mechanisms andprocedures to proceed with online instruction

7The Associated Press, Louisiana Church Packed for ServicesAgainDespiteChargesAgainstPastorAmidPandemic.

(Gonzales, 2020). This too must have provided a lotmoreanguishespecially to those studentsand teacherswho do not have the facility and capacity for onlinelearning. In addition, we cannot also disregard theconcern of private school teachers and contractualemployees intermsofcontinuityof income.The lackofreadinesstoaddressglobalpandemic,particularlyintheacademic sector,will necessarily become the subject ofdiscoursesshortlyafterthiscrisis.

Fourthisthecivilrightsoftheseniorcitizens.DuringCOVID-19 quarantines, the elderly have been identifiedas themostvulnerablevictimsof thevirus.Asa result,theseniorcitizensaresternlyinstructednottogooutoftheirhomes,thus,restrictingtheirfreedom.Thisschemetoohasneverhappenedbefore.Inasmuchastheelderlywant to be free and independent, the quarantineguidelines are limiting them on the contrary. Thelimitationisveryunderstandablebecausetheauthoritiesdo not want to jeopardize the health of older adults.However, this results to feeling of repression anddiscrimination on the side of the senior citizens. Onceagain, these libertieswill find theirnew tastes inpeacediscoursesafterthiscontagion.

Lastly, andperhapsmost importantly, are the rightsof persons with disability. This is the most vulnerablesectorinthistimeofcrisisbecausemostofthemdonotunderstandwhatisgoingon.Naturally,theirwelfareandprotectiondependonthecriticalstandardsprovidedforbythepoliciesandguidelinesduringglobalhealthcrisis.Maboloc (2020) strikingly writes “[t]he COVID-19Pandemic is often seen in terms of its impact on theeconomy and the social life of the general population.Butreportssaynothingaboutthepotentialimpactofthedisruptions of services needed by personswithmentaldisabilities in mental healthcare centers.” In terms ofpeace narratives, this account will possibly change thedirectionofhumanrightsdiscourses.5.DismantlingthecultureofwarA gross deal of most countries’ budget allocationprioritizes the advancement of military power. In thePhilippinesalone,the2020budgetfortheDepartmentofNational Defense is way higher than the budgetallocation for the Department of Health.8This alonecommunicates that our government weighs peace &order, security and militarization more seriously thanpublic health. No wonder that in times of health crisislikethisCOVID-19pandemic,thegovernmentscramblestoprovide thenecessaryhealth facilitiesandapparatusfor sick people, notwithstanding the needed personalprotectiveequipment(PPE)forthehealthworkersinthefrontlines(Gartland,2020).

Moreover, we also hear physical assault againsthealth workers who are doing their duties in treatingCOVID-19 positive patients (Mayol, 2020). The attacksare perpetrated by random people because of stigma.Health workers are no longer allowed to go home totheirrentedapartments,orevenallowedto takepublictransportation. Since the people are not fully aware ofthenatureofthisnewCoronavirus,thehealthworkers

8Department of Budget and Management, President DutertesignsP4.1Trillion2020NationalBudget.


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arestigmatizedasbearersof infection.Therefore,whilethe health workers are already exhausted in workingunder long shifts, they also endanger themselves incontracting the virus because of lack of PPE, and theyfurther risk their safety and security when they are inpublicplaces.

In the western countries, especially in the U.S., wehear stories of racial discrimination against Asian ingeneralandChinesepeopleinparticular(Hobson,2020).Asian health workers in American hospitals are bothcelebrated and abominated. They are hailed because oftheir sacrifices in attending to the health needs of theCOVID-19 positive patients. At the same time, they arealsovictimizedwhentheyareoutsidethehospital.

Thesearenewnarrativesthathaveevolvedsincethebeginning of this pandemic. All of a sudden,we realizethat health is not the government’s priority, and thehealthworkersare living their livesmiserably. Inotherwords,thispandemicbringstolightanotherpoorsectorinourcommunity–thehealthworkers.

Digging further, this realization about healthsituationintheworldbringsusbacktothegroundzeroofthispandemic.AssoonasthehealthcrisisbrokeoutinWuhan,China,speculationsaboutbiowarfareresearcheshave already emerged. The use of biohazard chemicalsand poisonous materials during war is not new tohumanity. Biowarfare has been a dirty strategy ofmilitarypowersdatingbackinantiquityuntilitsmassiveharmful effects in both world wars I and II (Hooker,2020).

TheWuhanbiohazard-leaktheorydidnotcomeasasurprise to many. The U.S. strategists are quick inclaiming that China, in cahoots with their alliedcountries,hascarelesslyfailedinitsbiowarfareresearchin Wuhan, and collaborated with the World HealthOrganization in keeping the epidemic secret until itbecameuncontrollable.Onthecontrary,italsosaysthatthe “Trump administration has been constantly raisingtheissueofgrowingChineseglobalcompetitivenessasadirectthreattoAmericannationalsecurityandeconomicdominance. [I]t must be possible that Washington hascreated and unleashed the virus in a bid to bringBeijing’s growing economy andmilitarymight down…”(Giraldi,2020).

Whatever is the true about this will have to beunconcealedafterthecrisis.However,thereisonethingthat will possibly dominate our renewed discourse ondismantling the culture ofwar – that the health sectortogether with other frontline sectors like food sector,basic services, and even public leadership are alljeopardizedwhenthegovernmentgivesmoreemphasisonglobalmilitarydomination.6.ClimatejusticeWe are glad to have known some of the hard-lineenvironmentalists over past decades. Greta Thunberg,the TIME’s 2019 Person of the Year, surely hasmovedmany leaders throughout the globe to do somethingabout the environment as she fiercely faced Trump’srhetoric head on (Alter, 2019).Wemight have thoughtthatindeedtheenvironmentneedspeoplelikeher.Nowwerealize that this isnotactually thecase.Thesuddendisappearance of people onusually busy thoroughfaresinmetropolitanareas;thevanishingvisitorsfromparks

andzoos;decreaseddependenceoncrudeoilbecauseofloss ofmovements of travelers on land, water and air;andthefadingproductionofpollutantsbyfactoriesandmachines, all contribute to the sudden yet readilyobservablehealingoftheenvironment.

Thewildlife starts to reclaimvast spacespreviouslyoccupiedbyrushingpeople.Somepeacocksandgazelleswere sited on Dubai’s superhighways (Vohra, 2020).This is something truly unimaginable without thelockdownofpeopleand theirexpensivecars.Moreandmore hatchlings of endangered sea turtles freely findtheir ways to the sea without the ever-destructiveinterferenceof touristsandbeachgoers(Geggel,2020).Weevennoticetheclearingofthicksmogofpollutiononbigcitiesduetolessenedhumanactivities.Thisreducedvolume of pollution produced by cities everyday wasscientifically verified by experts and compared toprevious readings before the lockdowns (Gardiner,2020).Themostencouragingofallisthesatelliteimageof the damaged ozone layer slowly healing itself as aresult of reduced greenhouse gases. All these aremanifested within weeks of human inactivity. What isthistellingus?

Natureheals itself.Theenvironmentalprinciple thatsays that everything is connected to everything elsetakes a very differentmeaning after the human beingsareremovedfromtheequation.Withoutus,thewildlifereclaims their lifebeingwild, and the atmospheredoesits job in preventing the devastating effect of globalwarming.

The lockdowns of humans are probably onlytemporary.Humaningenuity,intelligenceandmightcanovercome this pandemic. Eventually, the world willslowlyreopentotheusualhumanactivities.Necessarily,bringing back humans to the equation will also undowhat nature has done without us. However, thesenarratives caused by COVID-19 may also serve as astriking eye opener to future emergingenvironmentalists.Possibly,thiswillchangethewaywelook at our existing environmental internationalprotocolsandpolicies.Thismayalsochangethewaywelookatourselvesinrelationtoourcommonhome.7.SocialjusticeandcompassionOnecompellingissueonsocialjusticeandcompassioniswhoreceivestheaidfromthegovernment.Theoreticallyeveryoneshouldhaveanequalshareofthefoodrationsprovided for the local government unitswho rightfullyimposed lockdowns in cities and provinces. Given thateveryoneiscontainedathome,andobtaininganincometo buy food is not possible, it is mandatory that thegovernmentwillprovidefoodforeveryone.Howeverweare new to this scheme. First, the government cannotafford to run for months without opening businesses,thus, exposing the vulnerability and ill design ofcapitalism. Second, everyone is considered poor andunfree,aquarantinedcommunity.Thismustbebeyondourusualnotionofjusticeandfairnessandsocialstrata,but, not everyone locked at home can gowithout foodrations.Therearesomewhocansurviveforweeksandmonthswithout literallygoingtoworkoropeningtheirbusinesses. On the contrary, a pedicab driver, forexample, who survives a family of five will surely go


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hungrythefollowingdaywithoutgoingoutandearningforhisfamily’ssurvival.

Moreover, the power of the government to imposequarantine guidelines to individuals, communities andinstitutions seemingly presupposes their tendency toharass, abuse and humiliate the violators (Krishnan,2020).Will this qualify as an act of compassion?Whilethemajority faithfullysufferstheboredomofstayingathome, going outside without observing precautionarymeasures, and presumably spread the virus, is sociallyuncharitable. Surely, the government and individualcitizenshaveopposingperspectivesaboutthepandemic.Ontheonehand,individualsarejustsoafraidtogetsick!So, while they suffer boredom and hunger duringlockdowns, just the thought of becoming infected anddyinginhospitalsaloneisenoughreasontostayathomeand postpone everything. On the other hand, thegovernment just wanted to open up everything andnormalizebusinessesandgovernmentoperations.Thus,it isnotsurprisingthatbillionsof fundsare loanedandoffered not to feed the poor but to aid the alreadymultibillionbusinesses.

Socialjusticeandcompassiontakesanewfaceinthisnew scheme. We realize numerous narratives ofcompassion from unexpected people. We see youngvolunteers go for groceries and pharmacy runs for theelderly neighbors and health risk individuals (Kaplan,2020). Also, a sixth grader, whose imaginativeinnovations anddeeply seated compassion, helps in3Dprinting some facemasks for the frontliners from hiskitchen. Another is a story of one doctor inDavao Citywhowas flaggedbyacheckpointofficerwhohappenedtobe thehusbandof thedoctor’spatientwho justgavebirth to a child. Knowing that the husband cannot bewith hiswife because of his duty, the doctor cancelledherprofessionalfee(Lumantas,2020).Onabiggerscale,the Chinese government sends its remaining COVID-19expertstoothercountrieswhicharestillravagedbythevirus (CNNPhilippines Staff, 2020).Narratives like thisare common during normal times, but are especiallyhighlightedduringthistimeofuncertainty.Thisperhapsisaphenomenonofcreatingandredefiningcompassionotherthanthecommondoleoutof therichgivingtheirextratothepoor.

Themostuncompassionatenarrativethatwewishtoun-hear during this time of chaos is the imposition ofsanctions by the powerful nations to some poorer,underprivilegednations.ConcreteexampleisIran.IthasalmostahundredthousandcasesofCOVID-19withmorethanfivethousanddeaths.YettheTrumpadministrationsees it fit to not only maintain harsh sanctions onTehran; it has actually added three more rounds ofsanctions against Iran since the epidemic occurred(Cunningham,2020).Wecannot fully comprehendhowthemost advanced andmost civilizednation terrorizesother sovereign nations already ravaged by thepandemic.

Perhapsthemassdemonstrationsamidthepandemicgoing on around the globe, although apparently aboutthe causes of the “Black Lives Matter” following thedeath ofGeorge Floyd inMinneapolis, can alternativelybeviewedas the tippingpointofhumanconsciousness(Fernandez and Audra 2020). The piling of abusivenarrativesgoingonaround,fromtheuncertaintiesofthe

pandemic,lossofjobs,fearofuntimelydeath,corruptionin subsidies, chaos in the educational system, unethicalmedia, hunger, poverty, political divide, social unrest,and now death of an unarmed man choked under thecustody of the police, and so on, are just too much tobearforanordinaryhumanbeing.

COVID-19 has changed the landscape of how weunderstandcompassionandsocialjustice,thus,possiblychangingthewaywetakediscoursesonpeace.Thenewnormal reveals the previously unrecognized acts ofcompassion and generosity by the unheard individuals.At the same time this global pandemic also reveals thecallous and cruel ignorance to social justice by thepreviouslylooked-up-toinstitutions.Conclusion Life under community quarantine is far fromover. Thesilentyetlastingeffectsonpeopleandcommunitiesandsocialorderwillsoonbediscovered.Whatisevidentsofar is that the COVID-19 pandemic eradicated the longaccepted world divide such as east-west, north-south,rich-poor,developed-developingcountries,etc.Thevirusnever exclusively victimized the poor, the uneducated,the unemployed, the unhealthy and the like. It devourseveryone in its pathwithout distinction. This powerfulvirus stopped the operations of theworld and exposedthe least heard narratives of peoples and communities.These realities are brought to light by carefulexamination and appropriation of the six elements ofpeace. Further, these realities change the way peaceresearchersandeducatorsteachandworkforpeace.References Alter,.S.(2019).TIME2019PersonoftheYear.RetrievedApril25, 2020, from TIME.com: https://time.com/person-of-the-year-2019-greta-thunberg/

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Arndt, A. G. (2020, April). Religious Institutions v. COVID-19:Why Religious Institutions Should Think Twice Before LiveStreaming.RetrievedApril28,2020, fromDickinsonWrightPLLC: https://www.dickinson-wright.com/news-alerts/religious-institutions-v-covid19

Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact. (2011).VictimsofDevelopmentAggresion: Indigenous Peoples in ASEAN. Thailand: AsiaIndigenousPeoplesPact.

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Cunningham,F. (2020,April25).U.SConcoctingInteltoFrameChina for Covid-19 Crisis. Retrieved April 28, 2020, fromwww.strategic-culture.org: https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2020/04/25/us-concocting-intel-to-frame-china-for-covid-19-crisis/

Department of Budget and Management. (2020, January 6).President Duterte signs P4.1 Trillion 2020 National Budget.Retrieved April 25, 2020, from Republic of the PhilippinesGov.Ph: https://www.dbm.gov.ph/index.php/secretary-s-corner/press-releases/list-of-press-releases/1589-president-duterte-signs-p4-1-trillion-2020-national-budget


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Fernandez,M.A. (2020, June9).GeorgeFloyd,From‘IWanttoTouchtheWorld’to‘ICan’tBreathe’.RetrievedJune10,2020,At: https://www.nytimes.com/article/george-floyd-who-is.html

Ford, L. (2020,April 28). 'Calamitous':domesticviolencesettosoar by 20% during global lockdown. Retrieved April 29,2020,TheGuardian:https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/apr/28/calamitous-domestic-violence-set-to-soar-by-20-during-global-lockdown-coronavirus

Gardiner, B. (2020, April 8). Pollutionmade COVID-19worse.Now,lockdownsareclearingtheair.RetrievedApril25,2020,National Geographic. At:https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/04/pollution-made-the-pandemic-worse-but-lockdowns-clean-the-sky/

Gartland,M. (2020,April 3).NewYorkhospitalsmust'preparenow' to work without protective gear: Health Department .Retrieved April 25, 2020, Daily News. At:https://www.nydailynews.com/coronavirus/ny-coronavirus-protective-equipment-ppe-hospitals-memo-20200403-yfziltd3bfewjkptunzsf7cmee-story.html

Geggel,L.(2020,April21).BabyleatherbackseaturtlesthrivingduetoCOVID-19beachrestrictions.RetrievedApril25,2020,At: https://www.livescience.com/leatherback-sea-turtle-babies-thrive-covid-19-pandemic.html

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Hobson, J. (2020, April 20). Asian American Doctor onExperiencing Racism Duirng the Coronavirus Pandemic,Feeling 'Powerless' in Helping Patients. Retrieved April 25,2020, from WBUR:https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/04/20/asian-american-doctor-racism-coronavirus

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Kaplan, T. (2020, March 17). Young NYC residents helpingelderlyneighborsbyoffering tobuygroceries,medicineamidcoronavirus outbreak. Retrieved April 25, 2020, from FoxNews Live.com: https://www.foxnews.com/media/new-york-city-woman-helps-groceries-coronavirus-neighbors

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Vohra,B.(2020,April5).COVID-19:Somuchforpeacocksatthetraffic lights. Retrieved April 25, 2020, from Khaleej TimesCoronavirus Pandemic:https://www.khaleejtimes.com/coronavirus-pandemic/covid-19-so-much-for-peacocks-at-the-traffic-lights

A new social work approach for Sri Lanka: Buddhist social work -Rev.OmalpeSomanandaSeniorLecturer,PaliUniversityofSriLankaVisitingResearcher,ShukutokuUniversity,JapanEmail:[email protected] Socialworkisamethodofsolvinghumanproblemsthatarestudiedataprofessionalbase,atuniversitylevel.ThesocialworkofWesternEuropeanoriginispresentinallcountriesoftheworldtoday.OriginallyfromEngland,ithas historically developed into a subject in NorthAmerica.Ithasdevelopedintoaprofessionalsubjectforresolving social problems. At present in Sri Lanka, thenumber of dependents is highly increasing. There aremany reasons. Every government in Sri Lanka hasimplemented various welfare programs (Janasavi,Samurddhi, etc) to alleviate poverty aiming to addresstheseproblems.However, thehigh levelofdependencyis still not showing that these welfare programs aren’tsuccessful.Thesolutiontothis istheneedforawelfareprogram tailored to Sri Lankan culture. Bhikku societyhas a huge role to play in a close and friendly humansociety in Sri Lanka. Themonk has to intervene in thetask of organizing the basic welfare services of themonastery/Temple and uplifting the people. A suitableapproach is to identify the subject of Buddhist socialwork. This study will discuss the need for BuddhistsocialworkbasedonsocialworkinSriLanka.Itfocuseson factors that influence the development of the socialworkprofession.Thepurposeofthisstudyistoidentifythe need for a Buddhist social work approach and toinvestigate the prevailing situation. But this studydoesnotfocusonstatisticaldataonpovertyinSriLanka.

Thisknowledgeisimportanttounderstandtheneedfor a Buddhist socialwork approach that can be easilyadapted to Sri Lankan culture. The reason is that thesocial work approach, which originated in theWest, isdifficult to adapt to today's Sri Lankan society. Theexisting socialwork systems in Sri Lanka are based onWestern teaching. Western culture and Sri Lankanculturearedifferent.Westerncultureisperson-centered


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andaneconomic-basedsocialculture.SriLankanCulturehasbeenbasedonagricultureandsocialsupportsystem.The Western model is difficult to adapt to Sri Lankawithout modification. What is discussed here is“professionalization” of social work in Sri Lanka ingeneral.Therearesocialservicesandsocialworkhasadifferent meaning. Sri Lankan cultural values are toohigh to distinguish between social service and socialwork. Therefore, most of the time it is difficult tointroducethedifferencebetweensocialworkandsocialservice;peoplethinkofsocialserviceassocialwork.Thewelfare services carried out based on monasteries/templesshouldbedistinguished.

BuddhistsocialworkBuddhist social work is a new term to westernprofessionalsocialwork.Itcanbeusedasanalternativetothefieldofsocialwork.Thedebateonthisshouldtakeplaceamongacademicstofindoutaclearwordforthat.Theoccurrenceofthisconditionisalsounavoidable.Thetermwas first introduced toanacademicdiscussionbythe Social Work Research Institute Asian Center forWelfare in Society (ACWeIS) Shukutoku University incollaboration with Japan College of Social Work. Aneducational article on this was published in the 2014issueofAsiaandthePacificAssociationforSocialWorkEducation’s Magazine. It was headed by ProfessorTatsuruAkimoto (Former president of APASWE and atpresent the director of Asian Research Institute ofInternational Social Work, Shukutoku University ofJapan) and edited by Etsuko Sakamoto. Its title was“Professional Social Work and Buddhist Work as itsFunctionalAlternative”.

It is appropriate to quote the very first chapter.Akimoto (2014) mentions: “The commonsense of theworld is “social work”, “professional social work” butthere are many other entities and people that havecarriedoutthesameorsimilarfunctionsas“professionalsocialwork(ers)”inasociety.Wetentativelytermthemits functional alternatives. Some ofwhich can be calledBuddhistpractice andactivitiesofBuddhistmonks, e.g.BauddasamajamehewarainSinhaleseinSriLanka,areacase in point. Here, some of commonalities anddifferencesbetween “professional socialwork”and thiskind of Buddhist work, which must be translated as“Buddhist social work” in English, are hypotheticallypresented. Having the differences, “professional socialwork” insists on its authenticity as social work, andbehaves as if it tried tomonopolize social work. Othersocialworksseemtobeexpectedtouseitasayardstickto conform them to it. The difference is not insuperiority, but “from which side do we discuss,“professionalsocialwork”orBuddhistsocialwork?”Itismy contention that, to establish a global social workbeyondwestern countries and regions, bothhave tobeplaced within quotation marks -as it were- and beascribedanequalpositionandtheconceptofsocialworkmust be inductively defined from various socialworks.(p.133).

At the beginning, attempts have been made toaddress the disparities between social work andBuddhist social work; of course, it is true that socialworkersandBuddhistmonksperformdifferenttasks.Itistheirduties.Theybothhavedeferenttaskstoplayand

they both are working with people, but the problemshere are theway of functioning change. Socialworkersintervene in people's problemswith theoretical subjectknowledge and practical training. Social workers studyhuman behavior using subject knowledge such aspsychology, social science. They have a clearunderstanding of the problem-solving process andunderstand resource coordination and people linkedwithresources.

Akimoto(2014)mentions:“Theyareworkingforandwith the poor, children, the elderly, people withdisabilities, offenders, refugees. Providing variousservices such as consultation and counseling, advice,referral, meditation, advocacy, networking andmobilization of social resources and organization(p.133).

ButthepurposeoftheBuddhistmonkistoservetwomainpurposes.Themainpurposeisself-liberation.Thesecond objective collides with the first objective andmoves on. That's how; the Buddhist monk pursues hiscausebylivingwithpeopleandservingthecommunity.In this case, most of the time Buddhist monks do notperform their services with the help of scientificknowledge or planning. But most of the time, they dosocial service. Social work educators have noted thatthere is a clear difference between social work andBuddhist socialwork. In that sense,we can agreewiththe following view expressed in the above statements:“We tentatively term them its functional alternatives.Some of these can be called Buddhist practice andactivitiesofBuddhistmonks.”

There are contradictions and similarities betweensocial work and Buddhist social work. Although theabove is the first academic article on Buddhist socialwork discussed in 2014, 1990 Ken Jones has alsodiscussedthesubjectofBuddhistsocialworkbutitwasjust explaining the way of the worker to think beforegoing to the charity work. The title of his article was“Three requirements for an effective Buddhist socialwork”. Ken Jones was a quintessential scholar andpopular author on engaged Buddhism in the US andoffersthreedimensionstopromoteBuddhistsocialworkfrom his article. Jones (1990) said; “Firstly, Buddhism,however,maintainsthatalthoughtherearepositiveandradical social developments which can relieve muchsuffering by themselves. These will always ultimatelydisappoint us. Secondly, we do nevertheless need todevelop a Buddhist social theory which will both betaken seriously by educated non-Buddhists and whichcanexplainthecomplexityofmodemsocial lifewithoutsecularizing or diminishing Dhamma. Thirdly, ourBuddhist social analysis must be extended so as to bepractical and helpful to all who are socially oppressedand exploited” (p.4.). This indicates that by 1990 therewas a discourse on Buddhist social work. Thus, it isevident that he had knowledge of Buddhism aswell associalwork.

The scholarly symposium which was held byHasegawaResearchInstituteforBuddhistCulture,AsianCenter forSocialWorkResearch,ShukutokuUniversity,Japan in 2016 is an important factor in studying thedevelopmentofBuddhist socialwork in theworld.Thetheme of this seminar was the Buddhist "SocialWork"and Western-rooted Professional Social Work.” The


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seminarwascoordinatedbyProf.TatsuruAkimotoandmembers from Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, ThailandVietnam,andJapanattendedit.TheseminarwasheldinChiba,JapanonOctober8th2015.

In this Seminar, According to Venerable AchayaKarmaSangboSherpa's (BuddhistMonk-ExViceChair,Lumbini Development Trust; Thrangu Tashi ChoelingMonastery, Nepal) the Buddhist activities which arecurrentpracticeswouldliketheworkdoneinNepalasacollective, rather than a separate identification ofBuddhistsocialwork.AccordingtoGohori(2016):“Theengagement of Buddhism benefits society andpractitioners. The traditional approach to Buddhism isthat they mostly begin the practice in the monastery.There is a real chance to reflect on the larger issues ofsociety in general. Due to advanced technology andmodernity in general, the society has changed a lot.Patterns of thinking, behavior, attitudes, and livingstandards have changed. The Buddhist monasteries inNepal, the Buddhist practice, and social engagementmustbeviewedtogether.Wedon’thaveanydifferences.We alwaysdo togetherwith the laypeople and engagethemonksandnunsinsocialwork(p.13)”.Inhishonestopinion, there is no understanding of western socialwork.He focuses on all theBuddhist activities that aretakingplace inNepaliculture.Accordingly, the fact thatthe ability todistinguishbetweenBuddhist socialworkand the existing system does not reflect Buddhistactivitiesiscurrentlyunderway.

Further, the role of the monasteries in hispresentationisasfollowsingeneral• Educationo Seculareducationo Religiouseducationo Spiritualeducationo Formaleducationformonkso Formaleducationforlaystudents• Educationontraditionalmedicineandastrology• Providedfreemedicine(clinicservice)• Globaldentalcamps

ThisindicatesthattheroleofBuddhisminNepalhasbeen around the field of education and health welfareservicesindealingwiththeruralcommunity.Heresomesort of social work intervention strategies can be seenbut theseprograms’ outcomeof reflection shouldbe toclearlyunderstandwhetheritisasuccessornot.

In Thailand, this situation takes a different form;there are twoBuddhistUniversities that conduct socialwork-related courses. Namely, MahachulalongkornBuddhist University and Mahamakut BuddhistUniversity.ThailandisaBuddhistcountryandtheyhavea closer relationshipwithmonks and lay people there.Some characteristics which are provided by ThailandBuddhist temples were explained in the same seminarproceeding. Gohori (2016): “The first one is providingshelter, food,clothingandmedicinetotargetgroupswhoare inneedsuchaschildren,elderly,disabledpeopleandpatientssufferingfromchronicillnesses.Thesecondoneisorganizingsocialwelfareinthecommunity”(p.20).

Every Buddhist monastery is primarily engaged insocialserviceactivities.Ifthereisaprogramtoorganizethe community in parallel with social work and tostrengthen the organizations and thereby improve the

welfare of the rural community, it is a socialdevelopmentalsocialworkapproach.

The panel discussion at this seminar addressedseveralimportantissues.ProfessorMasatoshiHasegawa(Daijo-Gakuen, Inc., Director of Hasegawa ResearchInstitute for Buddhist Culture, Japan) who representsShukutoku University has focused on a very importantissue. He wonders whether the temple-centeredintervention is beingdone in a systematicway tomeetthe needs. He points out that: “So when we encountervariousdifficultiesorsufferingsinourlives,thetemplesand Buddhists do not necessarily respond or meet theneeds of people. Or rather themonkswho can do thatarequitelimited.”

Thedistinctionbetweensocialworkinterventionandsocial work discretionary intervention is questionedwhether Buddhist social work is usually a matter ofmeeting the needs of the people or engaging in asystematic intervention with formal training or not.Buddhist socialwork is about solving humanproblemsby a skillful person with an intervention of theoreticalknowledgefromscientifictraining.Theabovestatementhas been confirmed by Professor Hasegawa. He saysGohori(2016):“IthoughtthatatthetrainingofBuddhistmonks, inapracticalsense,thesepreceptsareacceptedandreceived.SothisisanimportantprincipleofpracticeofBuddhism,buttheyareneverthelessthereinordertorespondtotheneedsofthepeople,basically.SoperhapsitisverydifficulttoseparateBuddhismandsocialworkorsocialworkfromBuddhismandthatishowitisbeingacceptedwidely.”(p.39)

Thiswasaveryfascinatingcommentandidea.Thisisa curious and inexplicable condition in the minds ofscholars interested in this particular field of Buddhistsocialwork.AdifferentviewpointhasbeenputforwardbyProfessorHerathH.M.D.R.(DepartmentofUniversityof Peradeniya, Sri Lanka). His view is that (Gohori,2016):“Buddhismandsocialworkcannotbeviewedastwoaspects.InBuddhism,LordBuddhahimselfsayswehave to work for others, their satisfaction- thereforethere is no big difference between Buddhism andBuddhist social work. Buddhist social work always isdirectly connected to reduce or disconnect the eternalsuffering. (at the same comment he explained westernsocialworkalso)accordingtohim-Nowwearemovingfromtwodifferentangles.Westernsocialwork isaboutprofessionally qualified people, about institutionalizedethics with definition. From time to time they try tointroduce different definitions with the globalizedchanges.”(p.40)

This is an important point to understand. If wecompareBuddhistsocialworkwithwesternsocialwork,western social work is a well-developed,institutionalizedprofession.Here twomainpointsneedto be addressed. Social work should be understoodseparately as a "social work profession" and"Professional social worker". Like that, Buddhist socialwork should be understood separately as “Buddhistsocial work (profession)" and "Buddhist (professional)socialworker"

Professor Nguyen Hoi Loan (Associate Professor,DepartmentofSocialSciencesandHumanities,VietnamNational University, Hanoi, Vietnam) is of the opinionthat Buddhism is a great support for social work.


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(Gohori,2016):“Buddhismreallypullsspiritsintosocialwork and really gives life to social work, if Buddhistactivities can be tiedwith social work, I think you canalsobroadlydefine-theseBuddhistandcharitableworksthatwealsoshowasworkactivities,wehavetolookatBuddhismitselfandtryandredirectthecourseintotherightdirection.”(pp.40/41)

This is a real fact; Buddhism is bringing values andethical spirits into social work to develop a way ofpractice. “If Buddhist activities and these can be tiedwith social work”, of course it should be. In that case,socialworkwillbecomemoreandmorepopular,anditwillalsobeabletotakeonnewfaces.

Monasteries/temples are currently in theprocessofimplementingprograms thatareapplicable toBuddhistsocial work in Sri Lanka. The Buddhist monk workstowardshumanwelfarebyapplyingBuddhistprinciplesin parallel to engaged Buddhism. For example, K.Piyarathana said: (Gohori, 2016) “our temple functionsas a center for a large number of religious and socialactivities such as consoling activities, memorialceremonies for deceased people, running the Sundayschool,Monks’Schoolfor20monks,establishingwelfaresocieties in all 18 villages, supporting to protect thesepeoplefromthedreadedkidneydisease,providingthemwith safedrinkingwater, advising themon food safety.Weformedvolunteerorganizationstoplayacrucialrolein educating the people about the prevention ofdiseases”(p.50)

Socialworkinterventionscanbeseenhere.Themainfunctionofcommunityworkistoempowerpeopletodotheir work and build strong relationships with eachother. In fact, these services aremore related to socialworkinterventionstrategies.

According to Professor NorikoTatsuka (Dean ofCollege of Integrated Human and Social Welfare atShukutoku University, Chiba, Japan), Buddhist socialworkcanbeidentifiedasaveryinterestingfieldandthephilosophy of vanity is a very important tool forthinking.Theproblemsarethattodaycomplexproblemsare increasing. Can Buddhist social work address suchissues? Thiswas her question. Based on this point sheexplained: (Gohori,2016) “Therearepeoplewhosufferfromthedisease,peoplewhoarefrightenedofdeath.Atonetime,youfeelaninferioritycomplex, inothertimesyou feel you are suffering from agony. That is oursuffering. But, how can Buddhist social work addressthattodayandtomorrow?Andperhapsthisisonetopicthat would merit exchanges of views and discussion”(p.66)

It is fair to raise her questions. New diseases arespreadinglikeneverbefore,notonlyinJapanbutalsoallover theworld.Theyalso change innaturedaybyday.Yes, it is true but it should not be the purpose ofBuddhist social work to answer human problems. Thepurpose of Buddhism is to study the causes of theproblems instead of answering them. Therefore, theability of Buddhist social work to identify newmodelssuchasremedialmodelandpreventivemodeldiscussedinWestern socialwork should be studied. The sourcesthat apply to it can be found in Buddhist teachings.WorldHealthOrganizationpointsoutthatthenumberofpeople who die from non-communicable diseases ishigher than the number of people who die from

communicable diseases. For example, psychosocialstress, living in deprived conditions can meanexperiencing adverse environmental, living, working,and social conditions that create stress. Coping withmechanisms for stress varies according to individualresilienceandlevelsofsocialsupport,butwaystocopemay include smoking, drinking alcohol, and excessiveeating, all of which contribute to inequalities in non-communicable diseases. Prolonged experience of stressalso directly triggers mental health problems andphysiological responses that contribute to non-communicablediseases.Buddhism'sviewonthisisthatmental wellness is about managing stress and lifepattern. Man has been busy in the present movementwithunachievablefutureexpectations.

Professor Ishikawa analyzes the development ofBuddhistsocialwork.Accordingtohisvision,hefocuseson threesteps: (Gohori,2016) “ThehistoryofBuddhistsocial work has been conceptualized like this. StartingfromBuddhistcharityworkatapersonallevel,andthenorganized Buddhist social work. The third level isinstitutionalizedBuddhistsocialwork”(p.82)

In his view, it is clear that the beginning of theBuddhist social work approach has come from charitywork.Toprovehispoint,hereferstotheestablishmentof Buddhist welfare services in Japan. It is the true. Inevery country where culture is embodied in Buddhistphilosophy, donations are used. Volunteerism can beidentified as one aspect of improving Buddhist socialwork.

Buddhistsocialwork-SriLankansituationA closer view confirms that the western-rooted socialwork education encounters rough surfaces during itsjourney in Sri Lanka. For instance, social workpractitioners find itdifficult toapplyandmatchcertainapproaches, tools, and methods within the Sri Lankancontext. One simple example is that social workapproach inproviding solutions toaperson ina familysetting cannot be tuned precisely because the effect ofthefamilyontheindividual’sissuesismuchmoreinSriLankathanintheWestwherethesubjectofsocialworkhasbeennurtured.Theformorthetextureofthesocialsetting in Sri Lanka can be viewed as the cause of theabove-mentioned lack of tuning of certain aspects ofscientific socialwork. Therefore, it ismore scientific tofocus attention on factors that have evolved this socialtexture. Buddhism is themain religion and the culturethat has kept all communities together, and theway ofliving practice over centuries in Sri Lanka can beidentifiedasthemainfactorforthespecificcontextofSriLankan society. In other words, the influence ofBuddhism has acted as the key contributor and thematching aspects of the other religions such as helpingtheneedy,valuingthepeacefulliving,etc.togetherwithotheraspects thathave strengthened theother culturalbindings. When it comes to social work, Buddhistteachingshavemuchincommonandit isapparentthatBuddhistteachingcanbepreciselyintroducedtoformaconsistent social work component that is moreacceptabletothecommunitiesinSriLanka.

Compassion andmaking others’ lives easy is at thecore of Buddhist teaching. Therefore, the essence ofBuddhist teaching promotes and motivates all human


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beingstohelpfellowhumanswhentheyareindistress.Not only Buddhism but also all the religious beliefsmotivatethemtocommitthemselvestoprovideservicesto fellowbeings. Philanthropywas originallymotivatedbyreligiousteachings.Acharitysuchasalmsgivingandvolunteer work, considered as social philanthropy,mainly focuses on providing basic needs such as food,andshelterforpeoplewhoaredeprived.Individualsalsoengage in social philanthropy. Organized servicesprovided by the government and non-governmentalorganizationsdirectedtowardsmeetingtheneedsofthepoor are called social service. Disabled, destitute,orphans, abandoned, displaced, marginalized, sociallyexcluded,dispossessed,vulnerableandthoseat-riskaresome of the adjectives used to describe the poor orneedyinthesociety.

The influence of Buddhism gives more priority toaltruism, magnanimity, and equality. Empathizing andbecoming sensitive in the distress of another is asignificant characteristic of the Sri Lankan culture.Buddhism also promotes the cause and effect processthatisascientificapproachthatisagaincongruentwithsocial work principles. Social harmony is greatlyinfluenced by Buddhist teaching. In fact, professionalsocial work emphasizes on rights-based approaches inunleashing the potential of the needy in providingsolutions. But, the harmony-based approaches ofBuddhistteachinginunleashingthepotentialofhumanscanenrichthesocialworkapproaches.

Thepolicymakersandstrategicmanagerialpersonnelare ignorant about the importance of social work inimprovingthequalityoflifeofpeopleinthecountry.Inaddition, the Buddhist monks whose guidance isconsidered respectfully by the community in solvingtheir problems are notmotivated to learn social work.However, if Buddhist social work is nurtured withteachingsinBuddhism,thetrendoflearningsocialworkand applying it in a broader setting will improve. Thisrequires analytical studies of this nature, pooling ofadequate literature and encouragement to do furtherresearch in this regard so that Buddhist social workeducationwill be developed at a sustainable pace. Theconcepts, approaches and tools can be carefullyextractedthrough“SuttaPitaka”.

Conclusion Buddhist social work initiatives are still in the infantstage within the scientific professional Social Worklandscape.OneofthekeyfactorsforthissituationisthatBuddhiststhemselvesdonotusetheterm“socialwork”or even they do not identify a category called “socialwork”. Therefore, the need for an appropriate socialwork approach to work with people in an indigenouscommunitywithamulti-cultural environmenthasbeenidentified. As a step in the discourse, Buddhist socialwork has come to the fore. Therefore, the Buddhistsociety needs to know exactly what it is. Prof. TatsuruAkimoto commenting on the matter said: (Somananda,2020)“It does notmatter to Buddhistswhether peopletranslate or name such activities as “social work” orwhether the Western-rooted professional social workapproves them as social work or not. It only matterswhether Buddhist temples, monks and followers can

address thedifficultiesandproblemsof lifepeople faceandhoweffectivelyandhowmuch”(p.24)

ItimpliesthatBuddhistsocialworkmainlydealswithsolving human problems. In this context, Sri Lanka'sexperience is that Buddhist temples stand for humanneeds.Itisdonethroughtwoapproaches.Oneapproachisrelatedtothespirituallifeofpeople,andoneapproachis related to the life of people. But from a social workperspective, it is clear that the intervention must be asystematic plan and scientific approach. For thispurpose, Buddhist social work has to be properlydefined.

References Akimoto, T. (Head) Sakamoto, E. (ed) (2014).AsiaandPacificAssociationforSocialWorkEducation. SocialWorkResearchInstituteAsianCentreforWelfareinSociety(ACWeIS)undertheJapanCollegeofSocialWork

Bond, George. D. (2004). Buddhism at Work CommunityDevelopment, Social Empowerment and the SarvodayaMovement,KumarianPress.Lnc.,USA.

Bhattacharya,S.2006.AnIntroductiontoSocialWork,(copied)Wright, H., “Similarities and Differences in social workeducationas seen in IndiaandNorthAmerica” Internationalsocialwork,jan.1959,QuotedbyKhinduka,S.K,op.cit.

Gohori, J. (ed) (2016). “Buddhist Social Welfare in Nepal”,Buddhist “Social Work” and Western-rooted ProfessionalSocialWork – the next first step- (Proceedings) ShukutokuUniversity.Chiba

Healy, L. (2001). Internationalsocialwork:professionalactioninaninterdependentworld.NY:OxfordUniversityPress.

Hammoud,H.R. (1988). InternationalSocialWork:SocialWorkeducation in developing countries: issues and problems inundergraduatecurricula.31(3)

Jones, K., 1990. Three Requirements for a effective BuddhistSocial Work, Retried 14.March.2020 Copy from:http://www.buddhanetz.org/texte/social.htm

Kendall, K. (1950). Training for social work: an internationalsurvey. Lake Success, New York: Department of SocialAffairs,UnitedNations.

Matsuo, K. (2015). The birth and development of Asian andpacific Association for social work education-Internationalization and Indigenization, Social WorkResearch Institute Asian Centre for Welfare in Society(ACWELS)JapancollegeofSocialWork

Singh,S.,(?).HistoryofSocialWorkinIndia,op.cit.Somananda,O. (2020).UnderstandingoftheSriLankanSocietyas a Premise to Understand the Buddhist £Social Work”Tatsuru. A. (ed) (2020). Buddhist SocialWork in Sri LankaPastandPresent.ExploringBuddhist SocialWork.ARIISW –Shukutoku,Gakubunsha.

SarvodayaShramadana (1974).GrowthofapeoplesMovement(booklet),SarvodayaPress,Moratuwa

Vasudevan, V. (2014). Indigenizationof fieldpractice inSocialWork Education in Sri Lanka, Matsuo, K. (ed) (2014).Internationalization and Indigenization of Social WorkEducation in Asia. Asian and Pacific Association for SocialWork Education (APASWE) (FOREWARD) note. ARIISW-ShukutokuUniversity


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The impacts of social distancing during COVID-19 pandemic on human health - evidence from Bangladesh -MdMasudParvesRana,PhD,MPhilDepartmentofGeographyandEnvironmentalStudies,UniversityofRajshahi,Rajshahi,Bangladesh.Email:[email protected] Objective:Toinvestigatetheimpactsofsocialdistancingmeasuresonhumanhealth,suchasphysicalandmentalillnesses.Studydesign:QuestionnairesurveyMethods:A15-minuteonline-basedquestionnairesurveywas conducted from 31 March, 2020 to 30 May, 2020during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh.Participantswereaskedtoprovidetheirperceptionsonfood habits changes, and physical and mental illnessesforrecentlyimposedsocialdistancingmeasures,suchasstay-at-home, for overwhelming transmissions ofcoronavirus in various regions of Bangladesh. A focuswas given to test the impacts of social distancingmeasures across categories of susceptible individualsand their age groups. The susceptible individualswereclassified as non-COVID-19 patients and non-patientsusceptibleindividuals.Results: Social distancing measures have considerableimpactsonhumanhealth.Thefindingsshowthatsocialdistancing may not significantly impact on the foodhabitschangesandphysicalfitnessinthebeginningofapandemic, but may create huge impacts on mentalillness,suchaspanic,anxietyandstress.Conclusions: Socialdistancing is aneffectivemeasureofcontrolling virus transmissions during a pandemic, butcauses significant concerns of mental health for non-COVID-19 susceptible individuals, particularly who areelderly in Bangladesh. Thus, ‘stay-at-home, but stayconnected’mightbeanalternativewayofreducingthismentalillness.Introduction Theworldisinagreatdangernowfortheoutbreakofapandemic of an infectious disease called COVID-19.Previously,theworldexperiencedpandemicslikesevereacuterespiratorysyndrome(SARS)in2002-03,Ebolain2016 and influenza H1N1 in 2009 (McConnell, 2010;Nabarro and Wannous, 2016). But, the COVID-19pandemic, caused by the novel coronavirus, hasoutnumbered all of the previous records of infectionratesanddeathsinthe21stcentury.Asof20June,2020;the COVID-19 has spread over 185 countries/regions,with 8,525,042 confirmed infections 456,973 deathsglobally(WHO,2020a),sinceitsfirstoutbreakinWuhan,China(Dongetal.,2020).TheWorldHealthOrganizationalso reports that, as of 22 June, 2020, Bangladesh hasalready 115,786 confirmed cases of coronavirusinfectionwith1502deaths(WHO,2020b).

Extensivenon-pharmaceuticallocalandinternationalinterventions, like vacations of educational institutes,closures of government and non-government offices,restrictions on travelling and daily activities, andsuspending all social and political events have been

implemented to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.Notably, to reduce person to person transmission ofcoronavirus, social distancingmeasures have also beendeployed by many countries who are suffering from itverybadly.Thisnon-pharmaceuticalmeasurehaslargelybeenpracticedforreducingtherateof infections,whilepharmaceuticalmeasures like vaccination and antiviraldrugsareyet tobesuccessful (Fongetal.,2020).ManyarguesthatChinawassuccessfultolimittheoutbreakofcoronavirus by social distancing,5,6 (Lewnard and Lo,2020;Zhangetal.,2020).UnitedStateofAmerica(USA),the most adversely affected country by now, has alsostrongly been practicing social distancing (CDC, 2020).During the2009H1N1pandemic, socialdistancingwasfound very helpful to reduce influenza transmission inMexico (Stephenson, 2011). In addition, a handfulnumber of epidemiological, behavioral and scientificstudies also have assessed the strategy of socialdistancingmeasuresforepidemiccontrolanddevelopedmathematicalmodellingandsimulation(Kleczkowskietal., 2015; Shim, 2013; Valdez et al., 2012; Kozlowski etal.,2010;Brodericketal.,2008).

Despitethefacts,littleisknownabouttheimpactsofsocialdistancingonhumanhealthduringapandemic.Inaddition,therearestudiesarguewiththeconnotationof‘social distancing’ and its effective outcomes to allindividuals and communities (Edison, 2020; Lim andBadcock, 2020; Chowdhury, 2020; Leung et al., 2018;Halder et al. 2011; Cacioppo and Hawkley, 2003). Forexample, Edison (2020) notes that the term ‘socialdistancing’emphasizesonreducingphysicalcontactasameans of interrupting transmission, rather thanreduction of social connectedness. Similarly, Lim andBadcock (2020) claim that humans are innately social,hence social distancing will be a challenge for manypeople. Leung et al. (2018) found that social distancinginthebeginningofanepidemiccanpreventoutbreakofthe disease while moderate social distancing mayworsen theoutbreak. Itwas evident in their study thatthere is a tendency of finding new social ties replacinglost social connections ina situationofmoderatesocialdistancing.

Drawingupon this gap, this studyargues that socialdistancing requires further research to understand itshealth effects during partial lockdown for diseaseoutbreak. This research does not reject the importanceof socialdistancing, rather it suggests further revisitingits impacts to the susceptible individuals in thecommunities who need alternative ways of socialconnections and exercise facilities for physical andmentalwellbeing.Tounveiltheseimpacts,thisresearchaims to investigate the relationships between socialdistancing measures and human health in Bangladesh.Thehumanhealthconditionshavebeenmeasuredbythesusceptible individuals’ perceptions on food habitchanges, daily calorie intake, and physical and mentalillnesses.Materials and methods A 15-minute online questionnaire survey based onMicrosoft Form was administered at the third week(from 31 March, 2020 to 30 May, 2020) of COVID-19pandemic in Bangladesh. The participantswere invitedthrough emails and Facebook groups/friend lists. All


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participants were requested to fill up the form afterconsultingwiththeheadofthehouseholds.Particularly,theperceptionsoftheyoungeragegroupswerecarefullyscrutinizedasiftheirresponsesarereliable.Atotalof96respondents were considered for analysis. Selection ofsample respondents/size was based on the location(rural/urban), gender and different age groups of therespondentstoensuregreaterrepresentationofregionalanddemographicdynamicsofBangladesh.However,theparticipantswererequestedtoreadtheobjectivesoftheresearchandgivetheirconsenttoparticipate.Theywerealso informed that anonymity is highly protected, datawouldbekeptconfidentialandwouldonlybepublishedasresearcharticle.

Statistical analyses were performed by IBM SPSSVersion 20. The respondent characteristics weredescribedbyfrequencyandpercentagedistribution.ChiSquare test was conducted to assess the relationshipsbetween factors of human health and social distancingmeasure. Table 1 summarizes the variables and factorsofhumanhealthconditions.

Table1-VariablesandfactorsofhumanhealthconditionsHumanhealthvariables

Factorsofhumanhealthconditions

1. Foodhabits a) Foodhabitschangesb) Calorieintakeincreases

2. Physicalillness

a) Opportunitiesofphysicalexerciseb) Optionsforphysicalexercisec) Exercisewasmandatoryd) Socialdistancingcausesphysical

illnesse) Accesstodoctorsforconsultancy

3. Mentalillness

a) Physicalillnesshasarelationwithmentalillness

b) Socialdistancingcreatesmentaltrauma

c) No-exerciseopportunitydecreasesimmunitysystem

d) Exercisecanincreasementalstrengths

Table2-Frequencyandpercentageoftherespondentcharacteristics

Variables

RespondentsMale(n=)(%)

Female(n=)(%)

Overall(n=)(%)

LocationUrbanRural

55(75.3)18(24.7)

15(65.2)8(34.8)

73(76.0)23(24.0)

Familysize<55-6>6

45(61.6)22(30.1)6(8.2)

17(74.0)3(13.0)3(13.0)

62(64.6)25(26.0)9(9.4)

Agegroups<2525-45>45

22(30.1)28(38.4)23(31.5)

15(65.2)7(30.4)1(4.4)

37(38.5)35(36.5)24(25.0)

Results Table 2 shows demographic characteristics of therespondents.Almosttwo-thirdoftherespondentsliveintheurbanarea.Asimilarnumberofthemaremale.Theaveragefamilysizeandageoftherespondentsare4.46and 34.80 years respectively. About 65% respondents

belongtothefamily,consistedoflessthan5members.Asmallquantityofthemarefromafamilyhasmorethan6members. Table 1 also depicts that approximately onequarter of the respondents belong to the age group of45+yearsandtherestareyoungerofthem. PracticingsocialdistancingInatechnicalreport,publishedbytheEuropeanCentreforDiseasePreventionandControl(ECDC)on23March2020, social distancingwasdefined as “an action takentominimize contactwith other individuals;… aimed atreducingdiseasetransmissionandtherebyalsoreducingpressureonhealth services” (ECDCReport,2020;p.1).The World Health Organization (WHO) also definessocialdistancingastomaintainatleast1meter(3feet)distance between you and anyone who is coughing orsneezing (WHO 2020). The government of Bangladeshhas also announced the directions of social distancingmeasurefollowingWHOandmanyothercountrieswhoaredangerouslyaffectedbyCOVID-19.

Interestingly, most of the respondents define socialdistancingfollowingthesamelanguagewhathasalreadybeen broadly announced and suggested. For example,onerespondentdefinessocialdistancingasmaintaining‘distance between two persons to avoid contagiousdisease’. Another one defines, social distancing is to‘ensureatleast1-meterphysicaldistancewithothersinpublicplaceandalsomaintaina safedistance from thepeoplewhohavebeeninfectedfromcontagiousdisease’.In short, asone respondentdefines, socialdistancing is‘avoiding mass gathering’. Several also note that itshould not be ‘social distancing’, rather ‘physicaldistancing’. However, this type of conceptualizationindicates that the people of Bangladesh are quiteconcernedwiththerecentCOVID-19pandemic,andtheyareevidently followingnecessary instructions forsocialdistancing.

Thesurveyfoundthatabout60%oftherespondentsare strongly maintaining social distancing by stoppinggoingoutsideofhome.Forrestoftherespondents,onlythemale-headof thehouseholdsaregoingoutsidewithall necessary protections on emergency and to buyessential needs for their families. Figure 1 summarizesthefollowingmeasuresofsocialdistancing.

More than half of them experienced ‘no relative-visiting’ at theirhome, childrenarenotallowed toplayoutside, family members are mostly staying in theirpersonal rooms, daily newspaper is off and maid-servantsarenotallowed. Inaddition,manyofthemarenot allowing home tutors, car drivers, sweepers andother outsiders like electricians at their homes. Inresponsetoaquestion ‘howmanydaysareyour familyprepared for not going outside’, it was found that amajority of them have bought their daily needs (foods,medicinesetc.)fortwoweeksinadvance.Atleast10%ofthemarepreparedfor30daysandthesameproportionof them are also ready tomaintain social distancing aslongas it requiresor thegovernment authority asks todo.

ImpactsofsocialdistancingmeasureonhumanhealthThere is plenty of evidence that social distancing is awell-acceptedmeasureby theBangladeshis inresponse


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totheCOVID-19pandemic.Theperceptionsurvey,inthethird week of COVID-19 in Bangladesh, on ‘socialdistancingandhumanhealth’forthisresearchalsofindssimilar responses from the susceptible individuals.Nonetheless, it aims to experiment whether there areimpactsofsocialdistancingmeasuresonhumanhealth,particularlytothesusceptible individualswhoareNon-COVIDpatientsorsimplysusceptible,andelderly(>45)in the community.The following sections analyse theseimpacts through the relationships between socialdistancing and food habit changes, and physical andmentalillnesses.

Figure1-Differentmeasurestakenforsocialdistancing

(multipleanswers)RelationshipbetweensocialdistancingandfoodhabitschangesThe survey found that there is a statistically significantassociation between social distancing and food habitchanges(r<0.05),whichconcludesthatthevariablesaredependent.Therowpercentagealsoshowthat66.7%ofthe respondents, who are practicing social distancing,disagreewith ‘foodhabitschanges forsocialdistancing’incomparisontoonly33.3%oftherespondents,whoarenot practicing social distancing (Table 3). The surveyalsofoundthatchangesoffoodhabitsdoesnothaveanyassociationwith the typeof susceptible individualsandtheir age groups. This relation indicates that bothcategories of susceptible individuals of different agegroupsperceivealmostsimilar.

The survey also examined the relationship betweensocial distancing and perceptions on family calorie-intake. Itwas foundthatonly31outof96respondentsbelievethatsocialdistancinghasresultedastateoflow-intakeofcalorie intheir family,whilemorethanhalfoftherespondentsacceptthattheamountofcalorie-intakehas not been changed for social distancing. In contrast,14 respondents share that calorie intake has beenincreased. None of the relationship between calorieintakeandsocialdistancingacrossdifferentsusceptibleindividuals and age groups were found statisticallysignificant.

RelationshipbetweensocialdistancingandphysicalillnessThe survey found that social distancing measure hasconsiderablephysicalhealth impactson thesusceptibleindividuals. A majority of the respondents (65.6%)accept that at least one member in their family hasstoppedphysicalexerciseduetosocialdistancinguptothe thirdweekofCOVID-19pandemic inBangladesh. Itwas also evident that the non-COVID-19 patients aremostlyaffectedforsocialdistancingmeasure.Ascanbeseen in the Table 4, the factors ‘stopped physicalexercise’ and ‘exercisewasmandatory’ are significantlyassociatedwiththecategoriesofsusceptibleindividuals.Approximately 80% non-COVID-19 patients havestopped physical exercise though itwasmandatory forthem. In a situation like this, a majority of therespondentsirrespectiveofcategoriesofsusceptibledidnot have alternative facilities for physical exercise athome and could not even consult with doctors. Forexample, only 22% of the non-COVID-19 patients wasable to consultwith doctorswhilemajority (78%)wasfailed. Nonetheless, social distancing measure waspositive up to the third week of COVID-19 since amajority of susceptible individuals (62) including non-COVID-19patientsbelievethatsocialdistancinghasnotdeteriorated physical fitness yet (Table 4). The reasonbehindthisperceptionwasaconsiderablenumberofthesusceptible individuals have opportunities of formalexerciseathomeandalsomanyofthemdoingfree-handexercise on their rooftop, in balcony and even in theirliving-rooms.Table 3- Relationship between factors and food habitchangesforsocialdistancing

Factors

Doyouagreewiththestatement:Foodhabitshavebeenchangedforpracticing

socialdistancing(SD)?Yesn(%)

Non(%)

c2 rvalue

PracticingSDYesNo

20

(33.3)21

(58.3)

40

(66.7)15

(41.7)

5.747 0.017*

TypeofsusceptibleindividualsNon-COVID-19patientsNon-patientsusceptible

20

(48.8)21

(38.2)

21

(51.2)34

(61.8)

1.078 0.299

Agegroups<2525-45>45

14

(37.8)17

(48.6)10

(41.7)

23

(62.2)18

(51.4)14

(58.3)

0.861 0.650

Note:**r<0.01;*r<0.05

5754

2846

5245

6784

2264

2818

0 102030405060708090

Daily Newspaper is offMaid servent is not…

Drivers are given restSweepers are not…

Outsiders…Home tutors are on…

Children are not…Relatives are not…

Vegetables/foods…Family members are…

Regular health…Others

No. of respondents


315

Table 4 - Relationship between physical illness andcategoriesofsusceptibleindividuals

Factors

CategoriesofsusceptibleindividualsNon-COVID-19

patientsn(%)

Non-patient

susceptiblen(%)

c2 rvalue

StoppedphysicalexerciseNoYes

9(22.0)32(78.0)

24(43.6)31(56.4)

4.897 0.027*

ExercisewasmandatoryNoYes

6(14.6)35(85.4)

50(90.9)5(9.1)

56.226 0.000**

AlternativefacilitiesathomeNoYes

24(58.5)17(41.5)

38(69.1)17(30.9)

1.144

0.285

DeterioratephysicalfitnessNoYes

22(53.7)19(46.3)

40(72.7)15(27.3)

3.734 0.053

ConsultedwithdoctorsNoYes

32(78.0)9(22.0)

50(90.9)5(9.1)

3.119 0.077

Note:**r<0.01;*r<0.05Table5-Relationshipbetweenphysical illnessandagegroupsofsusceptibleindividuals

Factors

Agegroupsofsusceptibleindividuals<25 25-45 >45 c2 rvalue

StoppedphysicalexerciseNoYes

11

(39.7)26

(70.3)

11(11.5)24

(25.0)

11

(11.5)13

(13.5)

1.885 0.390

ExercisewasmandatoryNoYes

24(64.9)13

(35.1)

25(71.4)

10(28.6)

7(29.2)10

(70.8)

11.519 0.003**

AlternativefacilitiesathomeNoYes

30

(81.1)7

(18.9)

20

(57.1)15

(42.6)

12

(64.6)12

(50.0)

7.481

0.024*

DeterioratephysicalfitnessNoYes

29

(78.4)8

(21.6)

23

(65.7)12

(34.3)

10

(41.7)14

(58.3)

8.608 0.014*

ConsultedwithdoctorsNoYes

31(83.8)6

(16.2)

31(88.6)4(11.4)

20(83.3)4

(16.7)

0.442 0.802

Note:**r<0.01;*r<0.05

The relationship between social distancing andphysicalillnesswasalsotestedacrosstheagegroupsofsusceptible individuals. As can be seen in the Table 5,among the five factors, ‘option for physical exercise’,‘alternative facilities at home’ and ‘deteriorate physicalfitness’werefounddependenttotheagegroups.Incase

of‘optionforphysicalexercise’,thecolumnpercentagesshow thatadviceofmandatoryexercisewasmostly forthe elderly respondents (>45). A similar response wasalsofoundincaseofdeteriorationofphysicalfitness.Asthe column percentages show, 58.3% of elderly (>45)are high on ‘deteriorate physical fitness’ in comparisonto only 21.6% of younger (<25). On the contrary, theother two variables ‘stopped physical exercise’ and‘consultedwithdoctors’were found independent to theage groups. The column percentages indicate that amajority of the respondents have stopped physicalexercise and could not have access to doctor forconsultancyduringthispandemic,thoughthenumberofrespondents does not significantly vary across the agegroups.RelationshipbetweensocialdistancingandmentalillnessAccordingtotheperceptionsoftherespondents,thereisa statistically significant association between mentalillness and ‘stopped physical exercise’ for socialdistancing (c2= 5.544, r<0.05). This indicates thesusceptible individuals who have stopped physicalexercise for social distancing believe that there is achance of increasing mental trauma. As many as 67respondents report that the recent social distancingmeasurehascausedmentaltraumaatleastonememberintheirfamilies(Table6).Table 6 - Relationship between mental illness andcategoriesofsusceptibleindividuals

Factors

CategoriesofsusceptibleindividualsNon-COVID-19

patientsn(%)

Non-patient

susceptiblen(%)

c2 rvalue

ExerciserelateswithmentalillnessNoYes

9(19.5)33(80.5)

11(20.0)44(80.0)

0.004 0.953

SocialdistancingcreatesmentaltraumaNoYes

10(24.4)31(75.6)

19(34.5)36(65.5)

1.149 0.284

No-exerciseaffectsimmunitysystemNoYes

3(7.3)38(92.7)

8(14.5)47(85.5)

1.210

0.271

ExercisecanincreasementalstrengthsNoYes

1(2.4)40(97.6)

5(9.1)50(90.9)

1.774 0.183

Note:**r<0.01;*r<0.05

Westatisticallytestedrelationshipsbetweensomeofthe factors of mental illness and categories ofrespondentsbasedonhealthconditionsandagegroups(Table 7). In both of the cases the relationships werestatisticallyinsignificant.Thisindicatesthattherelevantvariablesofmentalillnessdonotvarywhethertheyarenon-COVID-19 patients and non-patient susceptible. A


316

similar relationship was found in case of categories ofage groups. Nonetheless, as can be seen in the columnpercentages, a majority of respondents for both of thesusceptibleindividualsandagegroupsacceptthatsocialdistancing measure has an impact on mental health,which affects to human immunity system anddeterioratementalstrengths(Figure2).Table 7 -Relationship betweenmental illness and agegroupsofsusceptibleindividuals

Factors

Agegroupsofsusceptibleindividuals<25 25-45 >45 c2 r

valueExerciserelateswithmentalillnessNoYes

9

(24.3)28

(75.7)

7

(20.0)28

(80.0)

3(12.5)21

(87.5)

1.284 0.526

SocialdistancingcreatesmentaltraumaNoYes

9

(24.3)28

(75.7)

10

(28.6)25

(71.4)

10

(41.7)14

(58.3)

2.147 0.342

No-exerciseaffectsimmunitysystemNoYes

6

(16.2)31

(83.8)

3(8.6)32

(91.4)

2(8.3)22

(91.7)

1.344

0.511

ExercisecanincreasementalstrengthsNoYes

2(5.4)35

(94.6)

4

(11.4)31

(88.6)

0(0.0)24

(100.0)

3.734 0.053

Note:**r<0.01;*r<0.05

Figure2presentsa summaryof the typesofmentalillnessesperceivedbythesusceptibleindividuals.Atotalof 67 respondents out of 96 believe that at least onemember of their families is suffering from mentalillnessesasaresultofsocialdistancingforCOVID-19.Amajority of them (48) feel emotionally broken. Thesecond largest group (36) feels mentaldepression/fatigue. More than half of them could notsleepwellatnight.Aconsiderablenumberofthemalsofeel unwanted emotional tension, fear and panic forCOVID-19.

Figure 2-Types of mental illness for social distancingduringCOVID-19

Discussion Social distancing is one of the effective mitigationmeasures has largely been recommended duringpandemic.As foundbyFonget al. (2020),Ahmedet al.(2018)andCaleyetal.(2008),thefindingsofthisstudyalso accept the importance of social distancing duringthe outbreak of a disease as a strategy of keepingphysical distance between susceptible individuals andinfectious to reduce virus transmissions. Despite thispositive implication, the findings also show that socialdistancing measures during pandemic may be verychallenging to sustain and easily practiced for itsnegativeimpacts,suchasphysicalandmentalsicknessestotheconsiderablenumberofsusceptibleindividualsinthe community. The challengesmaybe exacerbated forlackofalternativeexercisefacilitiesathome,feelingsofsocial disconnectedness and panic about diseasetransmissions and access to treatment facilities, if thepandemiclastlong.

Social distancing measures should not lead thepeoplesociallydisconnected.Asthefindingssuggest,thedanger of this effect is the mental illness which mightreducemental strengths andweaken immunity systemof thesusceptible individuals.The findings largelyalignwithpreviouscriticismsofmeaningof‘socialdistancing’(Edison 2020), and the study proposes that theterminology should be ‘physical distancing’ since theactual target is to maintain physical distance betweennon-COVID individuals and infectious to reduce furthertransmissionsofvirus.

One of the negative impacts of the present socialdistancing measures is it reduces physical exerciseopportunities.Asthepeopleareadvisedtostay-at-home,manyofthemcannotcontinueregularexercisefortheirfitness. Results also indicate that access to doctors orphysicians for elderly non-COVID-19 patients duringpandemic is a great challenge. As it appears, hospitalsand clinics are thehotspot for virus transmissions, andsimultaneously doctors are redundant to visit patientssuspecting COVID-19 infectious. Restrictions ontravelling around the city and limited mode oftransportations availability during this period of socialdistancingalsocausepanictothenon-COVIDsusceptibleindividuals.

Policy makers thus must include mechanisms ofalternative ways of physical exercise and releasingmental sickness, particularly for the elderly, in theinstructionsofphysicaldistancingprocedures. It isalsoveryimportantforpublichealthprofessionalstopreparethe physical distancing plan during a pandemicconsidering the needs and demands of the people ofvariousagegroups,gendersandlocations,whoneedthefacilitiesmost.Consistentwithpreviousresearch(Baumet al. 2009), the findings of this study also recommendthat public engagement in the decision-making processis very important for effective and successfulimplementation of physical distancing measures. Theproper use of social media might be an additionalsupport for communicating the reasons of physicaldistancing, topre-empt false rumorsandpanic(Wilder-Smith and Freedman 2020) and to reduce diseaserelatedsocialstigma(Chowdhury2020).Inaddition,itisa prerequisite for the respective authorities to uphold

3648

824

3926

325

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Sleepless at nightEmotionally…Feeling high…

Unwanted…Depression/fati…

FearPanic

Others

No. of respondents:


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peoples' trust in government support and policies tofightpandemic.Conclusion Socialdistancingmeasurehasitspositivesandnegatives.Undoubtedly,thisisafruitfulmeasuretoreducediseasetransmissionsinthetimeofapandemic.Nonetheless, ithasnegative impactsonhumanhealthaswell.Notably,thisstudyfindsmentalhealthimpactstothesusceptibleindividuals, particularly to the non-COVID-19 elderlypatients who are already suffering from diseases likediabetes,obesity,bloodpressure,heartproblemsetc.Abig portion of them do not have alternativesopportunities of physical exercise at home, whileexercisewasmandatoryphysician’sadvicetothem.No-opportunity of physical exercise also increases mentalillness. In a situation like this, social distancing hasinterrupted theirnormal lives throughrestraining fromphysical exercise, sudden social disconnectedness andfear of disease contaminations and no-treatment.Consequently, social distancing measure has led thepeople to a social isolation and mental depression.Therefore, it is important to advise people to stayconnected with their friends and relatives as much aspossible through social media, virtual conferences,phone calls or other available ways. Besides thedirections and order of social distancing, a completeguidance of ‘stay connected and stay safe’ for relievingmental depression should also be announced by thegovernment authorities. Firstly, the way of continuingphysicalexercisefromhomeshouldbeadvisedthroughelectronic and print media. Secondly, mental healthshouldbeapriorityinthemissionoffightingCOVID-19.The provision of community mental health servicesmight be a fruitful strategy in this regard. The healthofficials should include ‘stay-at-home, but stay-socially-connected’adviceintheirguidanceinsteadofonly‘stay-at-home’ order without proper human health supportandadvice.References AhmedF,ZviedrtieN,UzicaninA.2018.Effectivenessofworkplacesocialdistancingmeasuresinreducinginfluenza,transmission:asystematicreview.BMCPublicHealth;18(1).https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5446-1.

BaumNM,JacobsonPD,GooldSD.2009.Listentothepeople:Publicdeliberationaboutsocialdistancingmeasureinapandemic.TheAmericanJournalofBioethics;9(11):4-14.DOI:10.1080/15265160903197531.

BroderickMP,HansenCJ,RassullKL.2008.ExplorationoftheeffectivenessofsocialdistancingonRespiratoryPathogenTransmissionimplicatesenvironmentalcontributions.TheJournalofInfectiousDiseases;198:1420-6,DOI:10.1086/59271.

CacioppoJT,HawkleyLC.(2003)Socialisolationandhealth,withanemphasisonunderlyingmechanisms.PerspectBiolMed.46(3):39-52.

CaleyP,PhilipDJ,McCracken,K.2008.Quantifyingsocialdistancingarisingfrompandemicinfluenza.JRSocInterface;5(23):631-639.

Chowdhury,S.2020.COVID-19:Socialstigmaandpublicheathdilemma.EubiosJournalofAsianandInternationalBioethics;30(3):122-124.

Dong E, Du H, Gardner L. 2020. An interactive web-baseddashboard to track COVID-19 in real time. The Lancet doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30120-1.

ECDCReport.2020.ConsiderationsrelatingtosocialdistancingmeasuresinresponsetoCOVID-19.https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/covid-19-social-distancing-measuresg-guide-second-update.pdf[accessed9April2020].

Edison,Z.2020.Returntoourselves:Psychologicalreflectionsover compulsory physical distancing during the COVID-19outbreak,EubiosJournalofAsianandInternationalBioethics;30(3):86-90.

FongMW,GaoH,WongJY,XiaoJ,ShiuEYC,RyuS,CowlingBJ.2020.Nonpharmaceuticalmeasures for pandemic influenzain nonhealthcare settings-social distancing measures.Emerging Infectious Diseases; 26(5).https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2605.190995.

HalderN,KelsoJK,Milne,GJ.2011.Cost-effectivestrategiesformitigating a future influenza pandemic with H1N1 2009characteristics,PLoSOne;6:e22087.

KleczkowskiA,MaharajS,RasmussenS,WilliamsL,CairnsN.2015. Spontaneous social distancing in response to asimulatedepidemic:avirtualexperiment.BMCPublicHealth;15:973.DOI10.1186/s12889-015-2336-7.

Kozlowski L, Kiviniemi MT, Ram PK. 2010. Easier Said ThanDone: Behavioral Conflicts in Following Social-DistancingRecommendations for Influenza Prevention, Public HealthReports;125:789-792.

LeonardJA,LoNC.2020.Scientificandethicalbasisforsocial-distancinginterventionsagainstCOVID-19,LancetInfectDis;https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30190-0.

LeungKY,BallF,SirlD,BrittonT.2018.Individualpreventivesocial distancing during an epidemic may have negativepopulation-leveloutcomes.J.R.Soc.Interface2018;15:0296.http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2018.0296.

Lim MH, Badcock J. 2020. Lonely yet? How to overcomeisolationinanageofsocialdistancing.TheCourier;https://www.thecourier.com.au/story/6684355/lonely-yet-how-toovercome-isolation-in-an-age-of-social-distancing/[accessed13April2020].

Nabarro,DandWannous,C.2016.ThelinksbetweenpublicandecosystemhealthinlightoftherecentEbolaoutbreaksandpandemicemergence.EcoHealth:1-3.

Shim,E.2013.Optimalstrategiesofsocialdistancingandvaccinationagainstseasonalinfluenza,MathematicalBiosciencesandEngineering2013;10(5&6):1615-1634.doi:10.3934/mbe..10.1615.

Stephenson,J.2011.SocialdistancinghelpfulinMexicoduringFluPandemic,JAMA;305(24):2509.

Valedez LD, Macri PA, Braunstein. Intermittent socialdistancing strategy for epidemic control. PhysicalReviewE2012,85(3):036108,doi:10.1103/PhysRevE.85.036108.

WHO(2020a)Coronavirusdisease2019(COVID-19)situationreports152.https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20200620-covid-19-sitrep-152.pdf?sfvrsn=83aff8ee_4,[accessed:June22,2020].

WHO(2020b).COVID-19situationreportNo#17(22June).https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/searo/bangladesh/covid-19-who-bangladesh-situation-reports/who-covid-19-update-17-20200622.pdf?sfvrsn=1b8d757b_4,[accessed:25June,2020]

Wilder-SmithA,Freedman,DO.2020.Isolation,quarantine,socialdistancingandcommunitycontainment:pivotalroleforold-stylepublichealthmeasuresinthenovelcoronavirus(2019-nCoV)outbreak.JournalofTravelMedicine;27(2):1-4.https://doi.org/10.1093/jtm/taaa020

ZhangY, JiangB, Yanyun J, TaoY. 2020. The impact of socialdistancing and epicenter lockdown on the COVID-19epidemic in mainland China: A data-driven SEIQR modelstudy. medRxiv; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.04.20031187


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The role of nursing with respect to disability and COVID-19 crisis -Dr.DhastagirSultanSheriff,Faculty of Medicine, Benghazi University, Benghazi,LibyaEmail:[email protected]

“Ithinkone’sfeelingswastethemselvesinwords,theyoughtalltobedistilledintoactionswhichbringresults.”

-FlorenceNightingale

FlorenceNightingale’slifeandservicegavedignitytoNursing Profession and education. One of her quotesdefineswhoisaNursingprofessional:“Noman,notevenadoctorevergivesanyotherdefinitionofwhatanurseshouldbethanthis‘DevotedandObedient’.”

Shefurthersstatedthat“Someonewhocaresforsick,old or young people someone who provides medicalassistance” is a Nurse. She also said “The first veryrequirementinahospitalisthatitshoulddothesicknoharm.”Shealsosaid“Howverylittlecanbedoneunderthe spirit of fear”, which echoes the spirit of servingunder COVID 19 pandemic condition. There are realstoriesthatspeakvolumesabouttheserviceofNursingprofessionalsduringCOVID19pandemic.

Apprehension,uncertainty,waiting, expectation,andfearofsurprisehauntthemindofpatientinsidetheICUunit,whichbringsmoreharmthanexertion.Thepatientis facing the enemy, the virus all the time. With suchinternal environment the nurse starts the day holdinghands of her fellow colleagues together saying “staysafe”.Wepromisetoeachotherthattheywill takecareofeachother,Theymakesurethateveryoneiswearingthegloves,masksandprotectivegearproperly.

Manyatimeventilatorstandsbetweenlifeanddeath.How to provide care is discussed taking intoconsideration the age of the patient, underlying healthcondition, their response to the virus and likelihood ofrecovery.

Ononeof thosedays shewas instructed to take theventilator of a 50-year-old woman patient with verypoor prognosis. She was given the responsibility ofremovingtheoxygensupplyallowingthepatienttodie.Theonlypersontowitnessthedeathofthepatientwasthenursewhohadtheresponsibilitytocarryherdutyaswell as provide a virtual connection to the daughterlisteningtothelaststageofhermother.Nurseisputinadilemmaofdischargingherdutyaswellasgivingmentalsolacetothedyingwoman’sdaughter.

With increasing admission and surge of patients,forcingonenursetotakecareofmorethanonepatientshe is in such a mental stress that needs rock solidmental resolve to serve and remain calm. She furthersaid thatwith thehelpof a colleague, shehas thedeadpatientabedbath,wrappedthebodyinawhiteshroudandplacedherinabag.Sheputasigninacrossontheforeheadofthepatientbeforeclosingthebag.

Apart fromthefearofcontractinganinfectionalongwiththephysicaldiscomfortofwearingaprotectivegearforhourstogetherandthescenesofpatientsdyinghadeatenhermentalresolve.Shewasgettingburnoutand

the level of stress saps her energy. She started havingnightmares. She had a history of tuberculosis with animmunocompromised health. Shewas given a rest andrelieved of her service as she remained a vulnerableperson. This case clearly demonstrates the scene ofservice inside ICU and the routine tasks doctors andhealthprofessionalsfaceeveryday.

“People with disabilities are vulnerable because ofthe many barriers we face: attitudinal, physical, andfinancial. Addressing these barriers iswithin our reachand we have a moral duty to do so...... But mostimportant, addressing these barriers will unlock thepotentialofsomanypeoplewithsomuchtocontributeto the world. Governments everywhere can no longeroverlook the hundreds of millions of people withdisabilities who are denied access to health,rehabilitation, support, education, and employment—andnevergetthechancetoshine.”StephenHawking(Speech-generatingdevices,orSGDs,produceelectronicvoice output, allowing the individual to communicate.These portable electronic devices allow him or her toselect letters, words, and messages, alone or incombination, to be spoken aloud in a pre-recorded orcomputer-generated voice (text-to-speech) In 1963,Hawking was diagnosed with an early-onset slow-progressing formofmotorneurondisease (alsoknownas amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig'sdisease)thatgraduallyparalyzedhimoverthedecades.)DisabledpopulationOver a billion people i.e. about 15% of the populationformthedisabilitygroup.AsperCensus2011, in India,outofthe121Crpopulation,about2.68Crpersonsare‘disabled’which is 2.21%of the total population. In anerawhere ‘inclusive development’ is being emphasizedas the right path towards sustainable development,focused initiatives for the welfare of disabled personsare essential. This emphasizes the need forstrengthening disability statistics in the Country. Eighttypes of disability (disability in seeing, in hearing, inspeech, in movement, in mental retardation, in mentalillness, any other and multiple disability) has beencollected.Definition:“Disabilityisanumbrellatermforimpairments,activitylimitation,andparticipationrestriction.”Disabilityistheinteractionbetween individualswithahealth condition(e.g. cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and depression)and personal environmental factors (e.g. negativeattitude, inaccessible transportation and publicbuildings, and limited social support. Article 25 UNConvention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities(CRPD)reinforcestherightsofpersonwithdisabilitytoattain the highest standard of health care withoutdiscrimination.

Amongthepersonsclassifiedasdisabled,56%(1.5Cr=15million)aremalesand44%(1.18Cr=12million)arefemales.InthetotalpopulationofIndia,themaleandfemalepopulationare51%and49%respectively.About70%ofthedisabledpeopleliveinruralarea.


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People with severe mental disorders have greatervulnerability to comorbidities -pressure ulcers, urinarytract infection, osteoporosis, pain. Schizophrenicpatientshavemoresusceptible toDiabetesmellitus(15%comparedtonormalpeople-2-3%).Prematureagingismoreprevalentinthem.Theprimeconcernsofdeliveringhealthcare:• Prohibitive costs, limited availability of resources(UP,TN).

• Physicalbarriers:unevenroads,inaccessiblemedicalequipment, poor signage, bath room and parkingfacilities.

• Communicationbarriers-theadvisoriespreparedforcases with visual or auditory problems need themessagestoinlargerprint,inBraillelanguageaswellasinaudioorvideorepresentations.

• SocialBarriers-Theenvironmentthedisabledpeoplelivehavesocialstigmaandpreformedopinionsabouttheircapacitytowork,skillsandefficiency.

• ProgramBarriers-socialprogramsconducteddonottake into consideration the special requirements ofdisabledpeople.

• TransportBarriers-thedisabledpeopleneedspecialareasforparkingaswellasspecialtransportfacilitiesincluding boarding a vehicle or special sittingarrangements.

• The health care professionals are reported to haveinadequate skills, knowledge of health service.Disabled people are more vulnerable, ill-treated orevenrefusedtreatment.

COVID-19anddisabilityCOVID-19 presents many challenges including servingdisabled person. A pandemic has to follow certainguidelines:1. The duty to safeguard (supporting workers andprotectingvulnerablepersons)

2. Thedutytoplan(managinguncertainty)3. The duty to guide (contingency levels of care andcrisisofstandardcareThe needs of the disability persons are different.

From theperspectiveof abledpeople,disabledpersonsare vulnerable population. Identifying conflicts ofinterest among the population affects older andimmunocompromisedpatients. Fewpeople’sprosperitybecomes more significant and devalues the levels ofelderlyandthedisabled.

Ageism states that one’s age can be used as proxydetermination of skill and ability It refers to prejudiceand discrimination with age. Ableismmeans all bodiesandmindworkinthesamewaybutitcreatesabinaryofnormalandabnormal.Thistypepfconflict is termedasstructural discrimination. But one must remembervirusesdonotdiscriminatetocauseinfection.

Theconceptofequitystatesthatprovidingeveryonewhat they need to be healthy and informed. Whencontrastedwithequalityitistreatingeveryonethesameand through it looks to adhere to the principle offairness. The principle of equality can work only ifeveryonehasthesameneeds.

Theequityprincipleisunfairtocaseswithdisability.Those disabled people with mental health issues,

DementiaorAlzheimer’sDiseaserequiresspecialtypeofcare giving. The caregivers’ physical presence andinteraction play an important role in alleviating theirsufferings. With the lock down as well as socialdistancing requirement visual communication do notmeettheneedsofthesedisabledpeople.Ratheritdrivesthemintomoreseriouscomplications.

In otherwords, unmetneeds of thedisabledpeoplearemany.Womenwithdisabilityreceive lessscreeningforbreastcancercomparedtowomenwithoutdisability.

Dr. Etienne King,WHO Director for Management ofnoncommunicable diseases, disability, violence andinjury prevention, says it is important to collect databased on the model disability survey. “It is critical forcountries to be able to identify the number of peoplewho experience disability as well as unmet needs,barriers and inequalities they face. By doing sogovernments are better placed to provide the servicespeoplewithdisabilityneed.”

TheNursing Profession and the service they rendersilently in the corridors of Intensive care Unit and indifferent hospitals are lamps that lit the hearts andminds of patients and peoplewith gratitude and grace.ThemanywholosttheirlivesservingCOVID-19patientsneednotonlythesupportofthegovernmentbutalsothesupportofeachandeverycitizenofIndiairrespectiveofcasteorcreedorethnicity.InUSAstudentsfromMedicalschools visit the family who have donated the body ofthe near ones for Dissection of the human body in theAnatomyDepartmentofMedical School.Theypay theirrespect to the family, share their grief and give socialsupport. Likewise, every member of the communityneedstoshare theirsocialresponsibility to the familiesof Nurses who serve in COVID-19 hospitals. Thecommunitymust show their solidarity to such familieswho lost their daughters or sons or mother or fatherservingCOVID-19patients.Suchasupportmustbeintheform of physical, moral and economic gestures. Thenursingfamilyneedtobeshownthattheyneednoothersupport other than the community they serve to helpthemastheangelsofservicehavedonetothem.References Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019. NationalCenter on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities,Division of Human Development and Disability. Disabilityand Health Data System (DHDS) Data [online]. [AccessedAugust6].

Government of India. 2016. Disabled Persons in India. AstatisticalProfile.

Houtenville,A.andBoege,S.(2019).AnnualReportonPeoplewithDisabilities in America: 2018.Durham,NH:Universityof New Hampshire, Institute on Disability. Available athttps://disabilitycompendium.org/sites/default/files/user-uploads/Annual_Report_2018_Accessible_AdobeReaderFriendly.pdf

WorldHealthOrganization.2001.Internationalclassificationoffunctioning,disabilityandhealth.Geneva:WHO.p.214.

World Health Organization; at https://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/notes/2012/child_disabilities_violence_20120712/en/


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People’s personal ethics and responsibilities during the pandemic: stories and experiences of recipients of social amelioration program (SAP) of Digos City

-RogelioP.Bayod-ErikkaJuneD.Forosuelo-MarianneEveS.SanchezCorJesuCollege,PhilippinesEmail:[email protected]:[email protected]

Abstract The poor people are among the vulnerable duringdisasters or pandemic. To ensure their safety, thegovernment, through the Social Amelioration Program(SAP)providescashassistancetothe identifiedpoorestof the poor in the Philippines. While there had beenmanyreportedcasesofproblemsintheSAPdistribution,mostly in the National Capital Region, like lack ofbaseline data to determine the real economic status ofthe persons, the lingering party politicking lead to putotherstoadisadvantagedposition:someattitudesoftherecipients such as using the cash aid for gambling andbuyingprohibiteddrugsandliquor,othersweretemptedtobuyunnecessarymaterialthings,whilesomepaidtheamount to their long term debts and also spared anamount for their families and friends in need. Wegathered stories and experiences of SAP recipients inDigos City to learn fromwhat they have gone through,includinghow theyviewedSAPandhow theyused themoney after they received it. In this paper, we willpresent the personal ethics and responsibilities of ourstudyparticipantsespeciallyduringCovid-19pandemic.Wewill argue that the poor are poor not because theyare lazy.Theyarepoorbecause they lackopportunitiesat the same time they cannot also turn their backs tothosewhoareindireneed.Havingenduredpovertyforhowmanyyears,someofthemalsotooktheopportunityto transitorily enjoy life after receiving the cashassistancefromthegovernment.Introduction The Social Amelioration Program (SAP) of thegovernment aims to provide cash subsidy to thevulnerablesectorsofthesocietyaffectedbytheongoingenhanced community quarantine. The aim ofgovernment’s social amelioration measures is to“mitigate the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19health crisis and the Enhanced Community Quarantineguidelines.”(Aceron,2020).

Thishasbecomeanimmediateaidagainstourbattlewith Covid19 which helped majority of our fellowFilipinos in the country. The government is able toexecute its responsibility through this typeof initiative.SeveralgovernmentagenciesweretaskedtoimplementSAP, spearheaded by the Department of SocialWelfareand Development (DSWD). Aceron (2020), furtheremphasized that the government’s social ameliorationincludesupportto18millionFilipinoswhowillbemostaffectedbyCOVID-19.

The target beneficiaries are senior citizens, personswith disabilities, pregnant women, solo parents, OFWs

(distress at repatriated), indigenous people, homeless,farmers,fisherfolks,self-employed,informalsettlers,andthose under No Work-No Pay arrangements (e.g.,drivers,househelp,constructionworkers,etc.).ItisafactthatafterthecompletionoftheSocialAmeliorationCard(SAC) that serves as a form of validation to checkwhowill need amelioration during the COVID-19 crisis, thequalifiedhouseholdarenowlegitimatetoacceptthesaidgovernmentaid.

Therehadbeen reports on the abuse andmisuseofSAP funds by somebeneficiaries in different regions ofthecountry.Theintentionofthispaperistopresentthestories and experiences of SAP beneficiaries in DigosCity. Therefore, we interviewed SAP beneficiaries whogave us their consent to be part of this study. Throughthe help of some peoplewhomwe knowwho are SAPbeneficiariesandwhowerealsowillingtoparticipateinourstudy,wewereabletointerview15participants.

As we gathered stories and experiences of SAPrecipients in Digos City to learn from their narratives,includinghow theyviewedSAPandhow theyused themoney after they received it, we will present thepersonal ethics and responsibilities of our studyparticipantsespeciallyduringCovid-19pandemic.

AspointedoutbyMendoza (2020), “around40%ofthecountry’s45millionlaborforcearelesslikelytohaveformal work arrangements, with little access to socialprotection and insurance”. Hence, at least around 16millionworkers and their familieswill need support toimmediately supplement their incomes. This onlyimpliesthatintheabsenceofgovernmentsupportalongthevery fact that someare also in a “nowork,nopay”situation, majority are forced to go out and seekworkbecause the government aid is but temporal and thesefamiliesarefeedingtheirrespectivehouseholds.

InLuzon,alargenumberofworkerswereplacedinano work-no pay arrangement as businesses went on aforcedhiatus(Gutierez,2020).Moreimportantly,inthispaper,wewillarguethatthepoorarepoornotbecausethey are lazy. They are poor because they lackopportunities at the same time they cannot also turntheir backs to those who are in dire need. Havingenduredpovertyforhowmanyyears,someofthemalsotook the opportunity to transitorily enjoy life afterreceiving the cash assistance from the government.Weaskedourparticipantsthefollowingquestions:Howtheyperceive SAP,what theydid after receiving the aid andtheirinsightsaboutSAP.

PerceptionaboutsocialameliorationprogramAccording to the Department of Social Welfare andDevelopmentunderMemorandumCircularNo.04seriesof2020,thepassageoftheRepublicAct(RA)No.11469otherwiseknownasthe“BayanihantoHealasOneActof2020”, an intensified government response is adoptedwhereby the national government will render fullassistance to the LGUs and mobilize the necessaryresources to undertake urgent and appropriatemeasurestocurtailtheeffectsoftherecentdeclarationsontheeconomic,physicalandpsychosocialwell-beingofthemost affected residents, thus, theDSWDensure theprovisionofsafetynetsaswellastheimplementationofthesocialameliorationprogramthatservesassubsidyofthebasicnecessitiesofourcitizenswhoqualifiesintheir


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basic requirements and evaluation in terms of availingthesaidgovernmentaid.AstotheperceptionofourstudyparticipantsabouttheSAP, we identified two emerging themes – Aid for thePoorandBlessing.Aid for the poor. When interviewed about theirperceptiononSAP,manyofourinformantssaidthatitisanaidfromthegovernmentforthepoorlikethem.Manyof them said that “SAP is like aid or help from thegovernment for uswho are poor”.Others said that it isa“help from the government.” While others said as“assistance gikan sa gobyerno or hinabang gikan sagobyerno.” (Aid or help from the government). Indeed,they are true with their perception. SAP is really anassistance from the government to the poorest of thepoormembers of the society. This is attestedbyPerez,(2020) when she defined SAP as a cash emergencysubsidy program (ESP) for 18 million Filipino familieswhose lives are greatly affected by the ECQ. It'smandatedby thenew law, theBayahanihanToHealAsOne Actwhichwas signed by the President lastMarch25,2020.

AlthoughmanyoftheinformantsperceivedSAPasanaid to the poor, they also contextualized it as it isbecause a lot of people have become jobless and somelowlyworkersalsolostopportunitiestoearndailywagebecause of the government’s imposition of communityquarantine and lockdown due to Vovid-19 globalpandemic. This implies that they feel that they deservethe help from the government because they were notgiven the chance to work in order to earn money fortheir daily needs. Had they given the chance andopportunitytowork,theywouldnothavewaitedforthegovernment to help them as they can survive on theirown.Blessing.Aside fromaid,whichconnotesmandatoryofthepartofthegovernment,someofourinformantsalsoperceivedSAPasablessing fromthegovernment.“Gasagikan sa gobyerno alang kanamo” (Gift from thegovernment for us),“Gasa gikan sa gobyerno alang samga kabus” (Gift from the government for the poor).Conceiving SAP to be a blessingmakes our informantsbecome so grateful to the government for giving themsuchblessing.Thestoriesofourinformantsarecontraryto how people in Luzon perceived the government’sefforttohelpthepoor.AccordingtoGutierez(2020),thevoice of the hungry became louder than the voice ofthose afraid of the disease not only in Metro Manila.“Mamamatay kami, hindi sa virus kundi sa gutom (Wewill die not from the virus but of hunger),” Thisstatement only affirms that not all perceive SAP as ablessing, because others who are qualified recipientswerenotabletoreceive.Somewhowereabletoreceivethegovernmentaidstillfinditinsufficienttomeettheirdaily household consumption. Hence, they complained.But when you perceive SAP as a blessing, it connotessomething like you are not supposed to be given butbecausetheotherisgenerous,youreceivedsuchgift.

From these stories of our informants, we can gleansomeof theirpersonalethicsandresponsibilities.First,we can say that these people believed that improvingtheir lives is their personal responsibility. They do not

have to rely it to the government. Second,we can alsosaythatthesepeoplearesogratefulwhenevertheywillbe given something. We also experienced this asresponders during emergency situations. The peoplewhomwehave given somegoodswere so grateful andwecanreallyseethesincerityoftheirsmilesand“thankyou’s”. On the other hand,we can also saywhile thesepeopledonot relyon thegovernment, theymighthavebeen tired of receiving only promises from thegovernment especially from the past administrationswhen Mindanao people had been neglected by thegovernment. This is something that we feel worthreflecting upon. Are our government leaders reallyincapable of providing the needs of the poor duringpandemic? Are the poor people poor because they arelazyorbecausetheywerenotgiventheopportunitiestomaketheirlivesbetter?Whatdidtheydowiththemoney?Inourstudy,wealsowantedtoknowdirectlyfromourinformants what do they do with the money theyreceived from the government. Based on their answersonwhatdotheydowiththemoney,weidentifiedthreeemerging themes -Buy foodandgroceries, shareportionof it to their neighbors and relatives, and invest forlivelihood.Buyfoodandgroceries.Allofthemsaidthatwhentheyreceived the money, they immediately buy food andgroceries. The following are just some of the verbatimstatements from our informants after we asked themwhat they do with the money from SAP: “Gipalit uggrocery,bugas ug pang adlaw adlaw napanginahanglanon sa kusina.” (I bought grocery itemsandriceandthedailyneedsinourkitchen),“Angakonggi plano nga paliton sa wala pa nako nadawat angamelioration, mga panginahanglanon sa kusina, labinaangbugas”(I already planned to buywhat we need inthe kitchen especially rice even before I received themoney), “Gisiguro jud nako palit ang bugas” (I reallymadesuretobuyrice).Indeed,themoneygiventothembythegovernmentwasusedforitsoriginalpurposeandintention.This iscontrarytosomeof thestoriesofSAPbeneficiaries where they used themoney for gamblingandeveninbuyingprohibiteddrugsandalsoliquor.Thisonly shows that our informants have a good sense ofpersonal ethics and responsibilities towards their ownfamilies.Shareportionof it to theirneighborsand relatives.Despitebeingindireneed,someofourinformantswereable to transcend from their own tendencies to focusonly to their own families and also reach out to theirneighbors and relatives especially those who were notable to receive themoney from SAP. Here are some oftheir verbatim statements: “Gihatagan pud nko angakongsilinganugamigokaywalamansiyanakadawat.”(I alsogavesomething tomy friendbecausehedidnotreceiveany),“Angubanakonggihatagsaakongparyentearonnaapudsilakwarta ikapalitugbugas.”(I also gavesometomyrelativessothattheyalsohavemoneytobuyrice), “Humannkopalitsaamongkonsumosabalay,akopudgihatagananguban.”(AfterIboughtwhatIneedforour consumption in the house, I also gave some to


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others).Thesepeople,nomatterhowpoortheyare,alsohave big heart for others. This is also what we havewitnessedduringourreliefoperationshereinMindanao.Alotofpeople,althoughtheyareindireneedsbecausetheyarevictimsofdisasters,stillconsideralsotheneedsofothers.Investforlivelihood.Someofourinformantswereveryfuturistic. After they have bought the necessary thingsfor their food, they invest some of their money forlivelihood. “Ang ako sir after nko napalit ang konsumo,angubanakogicapitalkaynagtindakoprutasuggulay.”(Asforme,afterIboughtmyneededconsumption,Iputsomemoneyasmycapital formy fruitsandvegetablesbuy and sell business), “Akoa sir kaynagpalit kogamitpangluto sir kay nagaluto man ko pritong manok paranay ginagmay na negosyo.” (For me, I bought cookingutensil because I also cook fried chicken for my smallbusiness). In our interviews with them, we found outthat thepoor arenot really lazy anddonothaveplansfor their lives. In fact, we found out that given enoughsupport, they can improve their lives and they can bemore productive citizens of this country. They mighthavebeenpoorbecausetheywerenotable tocontinuetheirworkandlivelihoodduetopandemicandtheyalsodid not receive any support from the government interms of livelihood assistance. Thus, they took theopportunity to use some of the money they receivedfrom SAP to invest something for their small businessventures.

However, we also know of few beneficiaries in ourlocality,who,insteadofusingthegovernmentaidtobuytheir basic needs, chose to enjoy themoney by buyingliquor and the others apportion the money to pay offtheirlongtimedebts.Thesepeopledidnotsubmittheirselves to be participants of this study although weexplainedtothemthattheir identitieswillbekeptwithutmostconfidentialitybecausetheyareapprehensiveofthethoughtthattheymightbecaughtandbroughttojail.Socialmediaontheotherhand,reportedseveralactsofgenerosity from people who shared their blessings inorder to help others (Gutierez, 2020). These virtues ofkindness and helpfulness are very common amongFilipinos. Our unselfish gestures in the midst of globalpandemicishighlyevidentbecauseofourferventdesiretoextendourhelpnotjusttoimmediatefamilymembersbutalsotoourneighbors.Infact,oneinformant,whoisafriendandaneighbortooneoftheauthorsofthisstudy,honestly shared to us what he did with the money,“gipalit ug pagakaon ug “tuba” unya gi invite akongamegosabalaykaynaglingaw2pudmigamaytungodsagrasyanganadawat.”(Iboughtfoodand“tuba”(coconutwine)andalsoinvitedmyfriendstocometomyhousetoenjoythegracesIreceived).InsightsaboutSAPThe most important purpose that we have in mind inconductingthisstudyistoalsoknowtheinsightsofSAPbeneficiaries inDigosCity.We found that their insightscan be clustered to following themes – Happy thatGovernmentreallycaresandalsoHassle.Happy that Government really cares.Majority of ourSAP recipients said that they are happy that the

government now really cares for the poor. We havealready pointed out in this paper that Mindanawonshavebeenneglectedbythepastgovernmentsintermsofthe priorities of the basic social services. Thus, we areforcedtomanageonourownandalsoforgedaspiritofbayanihan among our neighbors and friends. But thiswaschangedwhenPRRD,aMindanawonwaselectedaspresident.Thiswas affirmedbyour informants as theysaid, “Nindot ang gobyerno karon kaymotabang jud samga pobre.” (The government now is good because itreally helps the poor), “Seryoso ang gobyerno karon sapagtabang. Murag mahadlok pud sila mangupit kaymaaksahon man jud. Isog man si Digong.” (Thegovernmentnow is serious inhelping thepeople, someseemed afraid to perform acts of corruption becausetheymightbesued.Digongissuchabraveman),“Tinud-anay jud ila pagtabang kay klarohon jud ifnanginahanglanba judka.” (Honest and truthful is thegovernment today in terms of their help, they reallymadesurethatyouarereallyinneed).

Indeed, theyhaveexperienced the careandconcernof the government now that is why they are happy.“Nalipaykokaynakatabanganggobyernougnakatabangpud ko sa uban bisan ginagmay basta nakapaambit.” (Iamhappybecausethegovernmentwasabletohelpmeand I was also able to help others even if it’s onlyminimal as long as I was able to share), “Dako gayudakongkalipayugpasalamatsadakongtabangngailanggihatag.”(Iwassohappyandthankfulbecauseofthebighelpthattheyprovide).Oneinformantwasevensayingthat she is happy but she is also sad, “Ang akongrealization kay nalipay ko nga nakadawat ko samaongkwarta, pero likod ani naguol pud ko kay nagamit angpundo sa gobyerno nga mao unta ang gamiton sa mgaproyektongamugnaonsagobyerno.” (My realization isthat I am happy because I receive themoney but I amalso sad because the government used the moneyintended for the projects that they are supposed tocreate). Interestingly, thisperson is verymuch concernthat the government has the money needed for theirprogramsandprojects.Thiswasalsothefeelingofsomepeople in the mountains as narrated by one of theauthors of this study.He foundout that a lot of peoplethere are happywith the assistance of the governmentbut theyarealsosadthat theon-going improvement tothe farm to market roads in their place might not becompletedbecausethegovernmentlacksthemoneythistime.Butnevertheless,weheard fromtheirmouth thatthe government today really cares. This might be thereason that despite a lot of criticism from some elitesand from the international community, majority ofFilipinos have expressed satisfaction with theperformance of President’s Rodrigo Duterte’sadministration when it comes to handling thecoronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, basedon the “Global Crisis Perceptions” index released byinsights firms Blackbox Research and Toluna” (Carlos,2020).Hassle.Whilethereareonlytwoofthemwhosaidthatthey find the process of the SAP distribution tiresomeand annoying as they were made to undergo a lot ofscreening,westillconsiderthisthemeassignificant.Oneinformant really said to us, “Hasol kayo mura gmaka


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downsaakongpagkatao”(it’sreallyhassleanditseemedthat my person (esteem) is brought low). Anotherinformant also said, “Kapoy kaayo sir ui, daghan maninterview,makaulawkaayo, kung ihatag, ihatagnauntadiritso”(It’s really tiresome because they are plenty ofinterviews,Iamsoashamed.Iftheywillgive,theyhaveto give it immediately). Thesewere blurted out by therecipientbecausehesaidthattheypassedthroughalotofscreenings,evaluationsandinterviewstoensurethattheyreallydeservetoreceivethegovernmentassistance.Theyfeltpityontheirselvesbecausetheythinktheyaredesperatelybeggingforaid.Indeed,therewereplentyofcontroversies in the SAP distribution as some localofficialsprioritizedtheiralliesandfamilymembers.Thisprompted thenational government to assign anationalagency, theDSWDor theDepartment of SocialWelfareandDevelopmentoftakechargeinSAPdistributionandtostrictlyverifytheeconomicconditionsofthepossiblerecipients. This can be attested because according toAceron, (2020), “the vague, general, and fragmentedinformation being provided by the government on thequalification of SAP recipients are causing distressamongcitizensandimplementersontheground”.Thesehave caused confusion to the people. Nevertheless, inspiteofthisincident,ourinformantswerehappythatthegovernmenttodayreallycaresforthem.Conclusions Thepandemicbroughtoutunderlyingapprehensionsasseen in social media coming from the various societalclasses. Criticismsmostly came from theworking classorwecallthemthemiddleclassagainsttheinferiorclasswith blue collared jobs,whomajority lost theirway ofliving in the time of the pandemic. The poorest of thepoor beneficiaries became targets for criticismbecausefor one, they are prioritized by the government to berecipients of the SAP. “Thepoor are poor because theyare tamad (lazy)” was a common theme posted by thefrustratednetizensasmentionedbyGutierez,(2020).Inthistimeofglobalpandemicwhereeveryoneisaffected,the poor become poorer not because they are lazy butbecausetheylacktheopportunitiesinthesocietywheretheylive.

The issue is not poverty, but the behavior andattitudes of the poor (Cummins, 2018; Garrett, 2018).Theyareportrayedasmiredinastateof“worklessness”,lacking aspiration and an ability to care for others andrelying on thework efforts of others (Garrett, 2018, p.68;Macdonald,Shildrick,&Furlong,2014,p.199).Thishascreatedastigmatotheinferiorclassesofthesocietywhich added to their insecurity that hold back theiraspirations,andefforts toalleviate theirconditionsandstatus in life.Thesepeoplealsohave theheart toshareasmuch as they could in their immediate families andmore so to their neighbors who also share the sameplightwiththem.Wepositivelyviewtheunconstructivegestures of these people as they receive the cashassistance because it is their temporary escape to thereal world. They grabbed the opportunity to enjoy lifewhichtheyhardlyeverexperiencebecauseofscarcityofcash to sustain their family’s daily need. In addition,these people remained to be generous toward otherswho are also in need. They had the opportunity andreasontobegreedy,buttheychosetobegenerousand

tocareforothers.Whilethosethatcanafforddidpanicbuyingandhoarding, thesepeoplesharetheirblessingsto others. Indeed, there is so much to learn from thepersonalethicsandresponsibilitiesofthesepeople.References Aceron,J.(2020).Challengesfacingsocialameliorationforthecoronavirus. Retrieved June 3, 2020, fromhttps://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/256782-analysis-challenges-government-social-amelioration-coronavirus

Carlos, R. (2020), Filipinos satisfied with gov’t response toCovid-19 pandemic. Retrieved June 4, 2020, fromhttps://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1102277

Cummins, I. (2018). Poverty, inequality and social work: Theimpact of neoliberalism and austerity politics on welfareprovision.Bristol,UK:PolicyPress.

DSWD (2020). Social Amelioration Program-DSWD.RetrievedJune 4, 2020, fromhttps://www.dswd.gov.ph/issuances/MCs/MC_2020-004.pdf

Garrett,P.M. (2018).Welfarewords:Critical socialworkandsocialpolicy.London,UK.:SagePublications,Ltd.

Gutierez, F.(2020). Solidarity and sharing in an unequalsociety:Covid-19inthePhilippines.RetrievedJune4,2020,fromhttps://www.opendemocracy.net/en/democraciaabierta/solidarity-and-sharing-unequal-society-covid-19-philippines/

Macdonald,R.,Shildrick,T.,&Furlong,A. (2014). Insearchof‘intergenerationalculturesofworklessness’:HuntingtheYetiandshootingzombies.CriticalSocialPolicy,34(2),199–220.doi:10.1177/0261018313501825

Mendoza, R. U. (2020). COVID-19: Navigating InclusiveRecovery towards the New Normal. Available at SSRN3598116.

Perez,R.(2020).SocialAmeliorationProgram:HowToQualifyAnd How Much Can You Receive. Retrieved June 4, 2020,from https://www.msn.com/en-ph/money/personalfinance/social-amelioration-program-how-to-qualify-and-how-much-can-you-receive/ar-BB12EtA5

Ecological health: key to economic health and human well-being -RogelioP.Bayod,Ph.D.CorJesuCollege,thePhilippinesEmail:[email protected] ecology are two important ingredients ofhuman and societalwell-being. There is no sustainableeconomy without sustainable ecology. Destruction ofecology will result in the death of economy, andeventually,ofthepeople.Justlikeothernaturaldisastersthat occurred in some parts of the world such astyphoon, prolong flooding anddrought, forest fires andeven earthquakes, Covid-19 can also be nature’smessenger sendingus importantmessage – there is nohuman and economic health without ecological health.Thus,makingpeacewithnatureisimportantnotonlyforoureconomybutalsoforourtotalwell-being.UsingKateRaworth’s Doughnut Economics as well as indigenousphilosophyandbeliefsystemasregardstoenvironment,thispaperwillarguethatecologicalhealthiscrucialnotonly for human health but also for inclusive andsustainableeconomicdevelopmentandalsothepeople’s


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capacity to dealwith present and future pandemic likeCovid-19.Keywords:EcologicalHealth.EconomicHealth.DoughnutEconomics.People’sCapacity.Covid-19Introduction Last week, when the local border restriction in ourprovince was lifted, I decided to visit my small farmlocatedinafar-flungvillageofDavaodelSur.Ifoundoutthat the land was already infested with weeds andgrasses. But the ginger seedlings,which I have alreadyprepared and distributed strategically in the farm lotbefore the lockdown, have managed to grow up alongwiththeweedsandgrasses.SoIdecidedtojustcleanthesurroundingsofthegingerandputadditionalsoilontopoftheirroots.Ittookmefourdaystofinishmytask.Thelocalpeoplegavetheirsuggestiontometojustspraytheareawithherbicidesso that theywillbecleanand Idonot have to spend much of my time cleaning it. Theyeven shared that almost all of them sprayedherbicidestocleantheirfarmsandtheywereabletosavetimeandmoneybecausetheydonothavetohireplentyofpeople.Iaskedthemwhytheyaredoingit,whereinfact,itwillreally destroy the natural fertility of the soil. Theyanswered, “in order that they can save, and eventually,will havemore income.” As an advocate of natural andorganicfarming,Ibecamemoremotivatedtoshowthemthat, iftheywanttohavesustainableincome,theyneedtomakepeacewith their land, takegood careof it andtreatitlikeahumanbeingthatissodeartothem.

In this paper, I will highlight the importance ofensuring the health of our ecology if we want to havesustainableeconomythatwillcaternottothegluttonouswants of corporations and companies but to theequitableneedsof people and communities. Tobe abletodothis,Iwillshowthatdevelopmentparadigmsbeingadvancedbycapitalisteconomiescannotbesustainedinthe long run because theywill result to devastation ofenvironment and the depletion of natural resources.When ecology bleeds, economy suffers.When economysuffers, the people, especially the poor, will be gravelyaffected. To achieve economic health that is needed toanswer the basic needs of all people, ecology must bebalanceandhealthy.Whentheecologyishealthy,itwillnot only continue to produce resources needed for theeconomy, it will also provide healthy air, water andlivingenvironmentnecessaryforpeaceandwell-beingofpeopleandcommunities.Whenpeoplearehealthy,theycancontinuetoenhancetheircapacitiestobenefitfromdifferent opportunities to make their lives and thesocietybetter.

Before I procced with my arguments, I have toconfessfirstthatIamnotaneconomist.Hence,Iamnotgoodincomputingandprojectingincomeperhectareoracreofafarm.Muchmore,incomputingaGDPorGNPofa country. As a development worker and anenvironmentalist, the many challenges that confrontsocieties today such as natural disasters like typhoon,earthquakes, prolong flooding and also drought aswellas the outbreak of viruses which have been proven tohave correlation with environmental degradation anddeforestation(ClimateCouncil,2020,Walsh,etal,2017,Kessler,etal,2108,Plowright,etal,2015,Martin,etal,2018), have usheredme intomoments of reflection on

howtobuildandcreatedevelopmentprograms,projectsandpolicies thatwill cater to thebasiceconomicneedsof peoples and communities without jeopardizingecologicalhealthandharmony.

Inordertoachieveecologicalhealth, there isaneedtogobacktotheverybasic-establishingadeepspiritualrelationship with Mother Earth characterized byreverence and respect as shown by the indigenouscommunities (Bayod, 2020). This kind of attitude andvalues run in conflict with the values of the capitalistsocietieswhoareheavilyinfluencedbyconsumerismsomuchso that theyonlysee theearthasanobject tobeexploitedtosatisfytheirgreed.

Economy and ecology: Two inseparable ingredientsforgenuinedevelopmentI think everybodywill agree that economyand ecologyare two important ingredients for human and societalwell-being. There is no sustainable economy withoutsustainableecology(Raworth,2017).Butyoumightalsoagreewithme that past developmentparadigmswhichpromoted somuch the conceptof industrializationasarising tide thatwill lift all boats have often resulted inthe destruction of environment which has tremendouseffect to the local people whose economic survivaldepend heavily on the abundance of their surroundingecosystem (Mander and Tauli-Corpuz, 2004; Gaspar,2000;Gaspar,2011,Shiva,2012,Shiva,2016).

Development that is often conceived in stricteconomic terms followed an evolutionary process thatcommenced from basic commodity suppliers, throughcapitalaccumulationtoindustrialization,inturnleadingto urbanization (United Nations Permanent Forum onIndigenous Issues, 2010). Hence, in this case,developmentisequatedwithmushroomingofindustriesandinfrastructures.Becauseofthis,therewasashiftinamindset in a lot of people – urban life is a happy andcomfortable life.A lotof ruralpeoplemigrated tomegacitiesinsearchofgoodlife.Goodlifeduringthistimeisdefined in termsofeconomicstatusandbankaccounts.With plenty of wealth and assets, you can buy and dowhat you want. The culture of consumerism andcapitalismbecamethenormforagoodlife.

There is no denying that capitalism resulted totremendous economic growth in many societies. Sinceeconomic growth achieved by capitalist economiesbrought benefits to billions of people (Juniper, 2012),can we now claim that capitalist economies are theanswers to the economic problems that beset a lot ofpeopleandcommunities?Ithinkweneedtopauseforawhileandreflectbeforeclaimingitsunmitigatedsuccess.Covid-19pandemicrevealsthesame–thatmoneyisnoteverything.

However, in capitalist societies that promoteconsumeristic and materialistic culture and values,people take everything from the earth, exploit anddestroy forestlands, mountains, oceans and riverswithoutconsideringthatintheprocess,theearthbleedsanddrainsitscapacitytogiveabundantlyandequallytoallherchildren(Bayod,2020).Inthenameofwhattheycallas“development”,government,technocratsandevenscientists that promote this concept of development,wagewaragainstourMotherEarth.According toShiva(2016),thiswarhasitsrootsinaneconomywhichfails


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to respectecologicalandethical limits suchas limits toinequality, limits to injustice, limits to greed andeconomicconcentration.Shivafurthersaidthatthemainagent of this war is the global corporate economy andglobal capitalism that advocate insatiable accumulationof profit and ravenous consumption of the earth’sresources(Bayod,2020).

How does this global corporate and capitalisteconomy played its war game? Openly and in astraightforwardmannerittriedtoprojecttopeoplesandcommunities that they would like to promotedevelopment for thepeople toexperience thegood life.Butcovertly, theyemployedcoercivemeans toadvancetheir capitalist agenda through trade policies andtechnologies of production that are based on violence,dominationandcontrol(Bayod,2020).Theendpointofthese technologies according to Shiva (2012) isdestruction of the environment which eventuallydeprives people the basic necessities such as food andwater.Thus,slowlykillingtheweboflife.ThedoughnuteconomicsofKateRaworthIn this section, I will discuss briefly Kate Raworth’sDoughnut Economics and its relevance in today’sdiscourses of what should be sustainable and systemicdevelopment that considers ecological and economichealth. According to Kate Raworth (2017), theeconomicsoftodayneedamajoroverhaul.Shecriticizesthe many layers of outdated assumptions that supportand uphold the current development models andeconomic systems especially from the West. She thenproposesanewsetofsevenprinciplesthatwillserveasguide towards an economic system and developmentmodels that will work for both people and planet(Breewood,2018).Theseprinciplesarethefollowing:

1.Changethegoal.Thegoalofthepreviousandcurrenteconomicsystemofcapitalisteconomies isbasicallygeared towardpushingfor endless economic growth. It is of no doubt that theproponentsof thismodelwantstohelpthesociety.ButRaworthpointsouthowmyopicthegoalisandhowthisnarrow measurement ignores many of the importantfunctions of any economic system such as equitabledistributionofwealthwhichbasicallyaffectsthequalityof life for people. She then offers another perspective.Sheillustratestheeconomyastwocircles,onewithintheother.Thesetwocirclesofthedoughnut-theecologicalandthesocialareconsideredceilingorboundariesfromwhere peoplemay judge the impact of development oreconomic activities. If resource use and environmentalpollutionare sohigh that theydamage theplanet, thenthe economy is stepping above the planet’s ecologicalceiling and is going outside the outer ring of theDoughnut.Ontheotherhand,ifpeoplecannotmeettheirbasic needs such as food, water, clothing, housing andeveneducationandothereconomicnecessities,thenthesocietyorcommunityisfalleninsidetheinnerringofthedoughnut.Thus,bothsocialandecologicalimpactshavetobemeasuredacrossa rangeofdifferent factors suchasclimatechange,biodiversity,health,energyaccessandothersasstayingwithin thedoughnutmeansstaying inthesafeandjustspaceforhumanitybecausethesociety

guarantees minimum social welfare while avoidingexcessiveenvironmentaldamage(Breewood,2018).

Sadly, as Raworth points out, this has not been thecase in many economic models. The focus of thesemodelswasgearedtowardsaccumulationofwealthandprofit evenat theexpenseof theenvironment.Becauseofthis,capitalistsocietiesthatadvocatethiseconomicordevelopment model, engage war against the earth’sresources. This form orwar according to Shiva (2012)involves both the transformation of living mountains,forestsandriversthatsupportlifebountifullyintodeadrawmaterialsformakingmetalsfortheindustrialneedsandasreceptaclesforthedumpingoftoxicwasteswhichposeimminentthreatstothelivesofpeopleaswellastotheinterrelatednessoflivesintheentireecosystem.

2. SeethebigpictureThe second key concept of Raworth implies systemicthinking.Sheemphasizestheinterrelatednessof factorsin theeconomyand that, insteadofviewingmarketsasisolated, she points out the importance of consideringother components of the economy like the politics andbureaucracies in the government, families andhouseholdsandresources in theenvironment.Afterall,theentireeconomy isembeddedwithin largersystems:society, the earth and the solar system (Breewood,2018). The concept of interrelatedness of life is verymuchpresent andpracticedby the indigenouspeoples.For them, their life and their existence is inseparablyinterconnected with their lands, rivers, forests,communities and even the entire ecosystem (Bayod,2020).

3. NurturehumannatureRaworth (2017) emphasizes themany facets of humannaturesuchasourdesiretohelpothers,ourvaluesanddecisions to participate in different collective projectsfor the common good as well as our concept ofinterdependence on others. For liberal societies thatchampionindividualrights,thismightbechallengingbutit does not mean, it is impossible to achieve. Forcommunitarian societies like the indigenous peoples,this is not a problem. In fact, they have practiced a“communist” way of life (Bayod, 2018). Despite theencroachmentandthepenetrationofliberalcultureandneo-liberal economies that advocated individual rights,responsibilities and achievements, still a lot ofindigenous peoples preserved their communal way oflife.

In the Philippines, this is practiced by manyindigenous communities during this pandemic. Asidefromtheirindigenousculturalpracticeoflockdownandcommunityquarantine,theyalsopracticedsharingtheirfood and other resources to their fellow IPs who haveless in order that thewhole community can hurdle thechallenge brought about by Covid-19pandemic.Duringextended community lockdowns, these traditionalcommunities have practiced and enforced theirtraditional culture such as exchange of labor wherecommunitymembers, especially, those who havemorewillextendhelptothosewhoareindireneed,andalsothe concept of ayyew, meaning to not waste anythingfromfoodtowater(Kasiyanna:CutluralSurvival,2020).


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Sinceindigenouspeoplesarenostrangerstodiseaseanddisaster,theyhaveestablishedresponsesandcopingmechanisms to different circumstances affecting theircommunities. These are grounded in traditionalknowledge, customs and practices and founded on onefundamental principle - to ensure that the communitysurvives (Kasiyanna: Cutlural Survival, 2020). Theirconcept of community even transcends from theirimmediate community or village to the largercommunity. In fact,during thisCovid-19pandemic,onemunicipality in Luzon, Philippines, which ispredominantly an IP municipality, chose not to acceptthe aid from the national government saying that theycan still survive because of their spirit of bayanihan(helping each other). Thus, it would be better that thesaid aid will be given to those who are in dire need.Sadly,thisisnotcommontomanycapitalisticsociety.Incapitalistic society, people are driven by the idea ofaccumulationofwealthandresourcesforthemselves.Itisseldomthattheywillconsidertheneedsofothers.

4. GetsavvywithsystemsRaworth considers the economy as a complex andconstantlychangingsystemincontrasttomodelswhichview markets as simple, stable systems (Breewood,2018). Since economy is a complex system, there areother factors to consider in terms of economic growth.One of these is the steady supply of resources in abalanceandhealthyecosystem.Butinoldeconomicanddevelopment model, the health of ecosystem is notconsidered. It is a-well-accepted fact that the currentglobaleconomicsystemandtheglobalcorporationsandbureaucracies that are its driving force, cannot besuccessfulintheirdevelopmenteffort,andworse,cannotsurvivewithout the steady supply of natural resourcessuch as forests, minerals, oil and natural gas, wildlife,fresh water, arable land, among others, which areusually, if not always, present in the indigenouscommunities. However, in an economicmodelwhich isonly based on exponential growth, all of these naturalresourcesarebeingrapidlydepleted,somuchsothatitsdepletion has already led to wars and other forms ofconflicts in many parts of the world and in manyindigenous communities (Mander and Tauli-Corpuz,2004;Gaspar,2011;Tauli-Corpus,2008).

Indigenouspeoples’conceptofdevelopmentisbasedon a holistic philosophy underpinned by the values ofreciprocity, solidarity, equilibrium and collectivity,understandingthathumansshouldlivewithinthelimitsof the natural world (Shiva, 2012; Gaspar, 2011).Becausetheyaresoattachedwithandinfact,inacloserelationship with nature, indigenous peoples’ values,cultures and traditions often entail a holistic andspiritually-basedapproachtowealthandwell-beingthatstress harmonywith nature, self-governancewith theircommunities, priority of community interests overindividual interests, security of land and resources,culturalidentityanddignity(Beek,2000).

5. DesigntodistributeRaworthdemolishestheinfluentialnotionthateconomicgrowth is a pre-requisite to reducingwealth inequalityand insists that we need to intentionally designeconomic systems that distribute income, wealth, time

and power right from the outset (Breewood, 2018). Inotherwords,she isnotbuyingthe ideathatweneedtohave economic growth first to solve the problem ofinequality. Since we are part of the whole economicsystem, we might as well design an economic ordevelopment model that distribute income andopportunities right from the start. This is verychallenging because the reality of our society today isthatthereissomuchdisparitybetweentherichandthepoor.Someeventhebuytheideathatthepoorarepoorbecause theyare lazy.While there is some truth in thisclaim and while there are stories of poor people whobecome rich because they worked hard, there are alsoevidencesthatprovethatthepoorarepoorbecausetheyhave been deprived of opportunities to advance in life.Social structures brought then to their miserableconditions.

To be able to provide solution to the problem ofdistributive justice, John Rawls insists on the idea ofarranging social structures in the society to benefiteveryone, especially the worst-off (Rawls, 1971). ButwhileRawlsiansocietysupportsthepromotionofpublicgoods and services, its primary concern is that ofprotecting individual welfare and does not adequatelyconsider the shared commitment of communities andcultures to protect and secure goods that are basicallycollective.Rawls’DifferencePrinciplecanjustbeseenashis way of telling the poor people not to cry becausetherewillbehelpcomingfromtherichbutthetruthofthe matter is that, he is encouraging the rich to growricher. Amartya Sen also presents his concept ofdevelopment as freedom (Sen, 1992). Sen is concernedwith fair distribution of opportunities and capabilitiesforthepeopletomaketheirlivesbetter.Whilethismightstillbeproblematicinmanysocieties,thismightnotthecase of the IPs.While there is inequality in power andinfluence in many tribal communities as the “datus”(chiefdoms) are the most influential in theircommunities,thepeoplearehavingnodifficultyintermsof distribution of benefits and burdens as they arepracticingacommunallife.

6. CreatetoregenerateAstudyonlocalairandwaterpollutionshowedthat,forsome countries, pollution increased as the countrystartedtoclimboutofpovertybutthendecreasedasthecountry became even richer (Breewood, 2018).However, Raworth (2017) shows that these findingshave been overgeneralized and misused to prioritizegrowth over environmental protection – when, in fact,morerecentdatashowthatmaterialuseisstillgrowinginrichcountries.Thus,insteadofusingabusinessmodelthateatsupresourcesandspitsoutwaste,Raworthsaysthatbusinessesneedtotakeamore“circular”approach,turning waste back into valuable goods (Breewood,2018). Then, beyond simply reducing harm, businessescanstartaskingwhatotherbenefitscantheyprovidetothecommunitiesaroundthem.

7. BeagnosticaboutgrowthIs economic growth necessary for human well-being?Does economic growth necessarily harm the planet?Raworth suggests, rather than aiming for a particularrate of growth, we should design an economy that


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provides sustainable human welfare regardless ofwhether it is growing, staying the same or evenshrinking (Breewood, 2018). This might not be thetrajectoryofstateeconomiesinthePostCovid-19world.Here, in the Philippines, there had been cases oftermination of employees and other cost-cuttingmeasuresbymany institutionsespecially in theprivatesectorinorderto“survive”.Someinstitutionshavebeenobserved to display blatant deception and irony whenthey claimed that they do not have enough money tofinance the needs of their employees whileinfrastructureanddifferentconstructionworkscontinueto operate. In short, they focus on preparing theirestablishmentsforfutureeconomicgrowthevenifintheprocess, theyhave to cut down salaries andbenefits ofthemost important assets in theorganization –humanresources.

Theeconomyindifferentgovernmentsnowisreallystruggling.InthePhilippines,thegovernment’sdecisionto shift fromenhancedcommunityquarantine (ECQ) togeneral community quarantine (GCQ) and modifiedgeneral community quarantine (MGCQ) was seen bymany analysts as the government’s effort to save thesagging economy of the country and not because thecountry is already safe from the virus. Despite theincreasing cases of Covid-19, some establishments arenow allowed to open, people go back to their work,public transport gradually start to operate and liquorbanisnowliftedinsomemunicipalities.Allthesetokeeptheeconomymoving.

ChallengestoEcologicalHealthinthePostCovid-19But our main concern now is what will happen to theenvironmentifindustriesaregiventhegosignaltofullyoperateaftertheyhadbeeninhiatusforthreemonths?Theincreasedpressuresontheearth’sresourcesmostlyintheruralareasareexpectedtopersistuntileconomiesrebound and governments are able to refocus onconservation.Thismeans,wemightgobacktothefalseimpression that theprotectionofnature is a secondaryconcern in any economic model even if it has alreadybeing proven that there is a correlation betweenenvironmentaldestructionanddiseaseoutbreakscausebyvirusmutationfromonespeciestotheothersandtohuman beings (Vidal, 2020, Diprose and Neal, 2020).When will people heed the message of nature? Alongwiththemanydisastersthatoccurredsuchastyphoons,floods,extremeheat,forestfires,Covid-19mightalsobethenature’smessengersendingusimportantmessage–thatifwewillnottakegoodcareofMotherEarth,itwillresulttohumanandeconomicloss.

This idea of taking care of Mother Earth is alreadypart of the life, philosophy and epistemology of theindigenouspeoples. For example, among theAustralianindigenous peoples, we can see different indigenousquotessuchas:“Wecallcountrythemotherbecauseasamother cares for her children so does the land care forus.”(TyroneBellinPascoe,2018),“Webelongtothelandbecause Mother Earth feeds us and births everything.”(Harrison, 2013: 97), “Thespiritsshowthemselvesintherocksandtrees innatural forms.Thesespiritscomefromthelandthesameasus.Thespiritisinthatrock,thespiritis in that tree, because it is born from Mother Earth,there’snoseparationbetweenus.” (Harrison,2013:121),

and“Thelandisthemotherandweareoftheland;wedonotownthelandratherthelandownsus.Thelandisourfood,ourculture,ourspiritandouridentity.”(Foley,nd.)

The same concept is embraced by the indigenouspeopleshereinthePhilippines.Myownfieldworkswiththe different IP tribes and communities in Mindanaorevealed that their existence and the ecosystem areinseparable,meaning, a symbiotic relationshipbetweenthem exists. ATagkaoloelder said tome “forus,landisour lifeand ifyoudestroyour land,youdestroyour life.”(Interview # 14, October 22, 2020).A Banwaon triballeader also shared to me that they have developed anAncestral Domain Protection Program (ADOPP) toensure securityandprotectionof their lands, “WithourADOPP,youcan’tsellyourlandbecauseyoudon’townit,youjustgiventherighttosafeguarditasstewardsbutyoucannotownit.Therefore,youcannotsellit.Ourlandisourlife. Our land is like our Mother” (Interview # 1,December 21, 2018). The same concept is sharedwiththeB’laan tribal leader, “ourancestrallandsareourlife.That’ where we get all our food andmedicine, bury ourdeadandalsoperformourrituals.Iftheywilldestroyourancestral lands and our forests, it’s like they reallywantingtokillus”(Interview#2,March31,2019).Evenamong the IPs who became professional and hasexperienced amodernway of life in the city, they stillconsider their landas sacred.ATagakaolo teacher saidtome, “environmentalprotectionisveryimportantforusIPs because our life and our identity is inseparablyconnected with our environment. It is in our lands andmountains thatwegetour foodandperformour rituals.As a teacher, it is also very important forme to educatethe young people to love the environment because if ourenvironment is destroyed, it will be the end of us all”(Interview#4,October21,2019).Speakingofhowtheoutsiders who encroached in their territories havedestroyednotonlytheirenvironmentbutalsoculture,AManobo tribal leader also shared to me, “First, theydestroyourenvironment.Theydidnotshowrespecttothelands, trees and rivers. These are all sacred for usBanwaons and Manobos. They came here without thecommunity’s approval. Second, because of their coming,ourculturewasdestroyedbecausetheyintroducedawayof life that is something new to us” (Interview # 6,February 17, 2019). A Bagobo also shared to me hisfrustration with the government leaders in handlingtheir environmental concerns, “the only concern of thegovernmentnowishowtohavemoney fromthetaxessotheywillalwaysallowandevenencouragecorporationstoput up businesses here. They don’t care whether thesecorporationswill destroy the environment or the lives ofthe lumads here as along as these corporationswill givethemmoney”(Interview#9,March23,2019).

My interviews with the five indigenous tribes inMindanao, namely, the Tagakaolos, the B’laans, theBagobos, theBanwaons and theManobos confirmed thein-depth study of Brother Karl Gaspar, a redemptoristmissionarybrotherandananthropologistwho isbasedinMindanaoandwhoconductedin-depthstudiesamongthe IPsespeciallyamong theManobosinArakanValley,North Cotabato, that indeed, for the IPs, their land istheir life and their existence is inseparablyinterconnected with their land (Gaspar, 2011). The


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connection is like an umbilical cord that connects themotherandthechild.

But there is still a long way to go since capitalisteconomieshavebeensuccessfulnotonlyinwagingwaragainsttheearthbutalsoagainsttheoriginalconceptionofthegoodlifeandtheirtraditionalandbeliefsystemsinrelation to their environment of many people. IndifferentIPcommunities,corporationsandbusinessmenandsomeof therulingelitespoisonedthemindsof theIPs that modernity, urbanization and industrializationwillbringthemsomuchhappinessandcomfort(Bayod,2020). As a result some of the IPs have facilitated orsupportedtheexplorationoftheirmountainsandriverstogettheresourcesthatwillbringdevelopmenttotheircommunities.

Since companies cannot operate without approvalfrom the people, the National Commission forIndigenousPeoples(NCIP)andsometriballeadershavefacilitatedtheirsmoothentryintoindigenousterritoriesinexchangeoflotsofbenefitsandprivileges.Becauseofthis, someof the IPs started to abandon their valuesofreciprocity and reverence to the earth as a livingbeinglike a mother (Bayod, 2020). The death of Earth as aliving and nurturing mother in the minds of some IPshavesupported thesecompanies inwagingwaragainsttheir environment. After all, since the earth is nowtreatedasdeadandlifelessobjecttobeexploited, then,nothingisbeingkilled(Shiva,2016).ThenurturingearthimagebeingembracedbytheIPssincetimeimmemorialwasconsideredbythesecompaniesandcorporationsasa cultural barrier on the exploitation of nature (Bayod,2020).

Themastery and domination framework created bythe modern science and technology removed thesecultural barriers to facilitate the exploitation of nature(Shiva, 2016). Thewar beingwaged by companies andcorporationsagainst thespiritualandculturalvaluesofthese indigenous peoples started in removing thesecultural barriers and destroying their wholistic andsystemic concept of life to entice them valueaccumulationofwealth tosustain theirgreeddisguisedas the modern standard of living and good life (Shiva,2016).Hence,thedestructionofnaturetobuildmodernfacilities and infrastructures to support the growingeconomic demands of the society was justified on thegroundsthattheseareallforthe“benefits”ofthepeopleandthecommunity(Bayod,2020).LearningfromthedoughnuteconomicsIt is important to reflect now how to balanceenvironmentalprotectionwithsocialjusticeespeciallyinthe aspect of redistribution of resources. While someeconomistsmightarguethatspendingmillionsofmoneytorestorehealthoftheailingnatureisdetrimentaltothepoorasthemoneycanbeusedtouplifttheirstandardsofliving,Iwillarguethatrestoringthehealthofecologyisnecessarynotonlyforeconomicsustainabilitybutalsofor human and societal well-being. When ecology ishealthy,thepeopleexperiencepeaceandwell-being.ForShiva, recovering and protecting the commons such asforest, rivers, mountains is vital to making peace withthe earth, maintaining peace within and betweencommunities (Shiva, 2016). Having an inner peace ispreconditionfortheattainmentofwell-being.Whenthe

peoplearehealthy,theycancontinuetousetheirtalentsandskillstoimprovesocieties.

Raworth (2017) has already pointed out the socialjusticelineintheinnercircleofthedoughnutwhichnooneshouldfall,andtheplanetarydestructionlineintheouter circle of the doughnut which human impactsshould not rise. The social justice line includes foodsecurity, adequate income, clean water and goodsanitation, effective healthcare, access to education,decent work, modern energy services, resilience toshocks, gender equality, social equity and a voice indemocraticpolitics.Thedestructionlineortheplanetaryboundary includes climate change, biodiversity loss,nitrogen and phosphate use, ozone depletion, oceanacidification, freshwater use, changes in land use,particles in the atmosphere and chemical pollution(Rockstrom,et.,2009).

For Raworth (2017), the goal of development oreconomicpoliciesandprogramsshouldbetoget insidethe doughnut which is the “safe and just space forhumanity”where every human has access to at least aminimum level of dignity and health withoutjeopardizingecologicalhealth.Goodpolicywill raiseupsocial indicators into the doughnut without pushingecological indicatorsoutof it,orviceversawhilepolicywillpushonesideat theexpenseof theother(Roberts,2012).Raworthsuggestsmechanismonhowtoachievethis.Shenotes,thatintermsoffood,meetingthecalorieneeds of the 13% of the world’s population facinghungerwouldonlyrequirejust1%ofthecurrentglobalfood supply. In terms of energy, bringing electricity tothe 19% of people who currently lack it could beachieved with less than a 1% increase in global CO2emissions. Lastly, in terms of income distribution, shenotesthatendingincomepovertyforthe21%ofpeoplewholiveonlessthan$1.25adaywouldonlyrequirejust0.2%ofglobalincome(Raworth,2017).Formany,thisiseasiersaidthandone.Certainly,thisrequiresaretrievalorthebasicfundamentalhumanvaluesofcaringforoneanotherandcaringforourcommonhome.Thesevalueswere already practiced by the IPs since timeimmemorial.

Conclusion Wehavealreadyenough framework tore-calibrateandre-tool our development of economic model. But whatwe need now is a kind of “Metanoia”, a radicalconversionofmindandheart.Moneyandwealthwillnotnecessarily give us health and well-being. But healthyecology will surely give us not only human health butalso economic health. The Doughnut Economics ofRaworthalreadyshowsushowmyopic thegoalsof themany economic models. They are only focused onendlesseconomicgrowthforgluttonousconsumptionofindustries and people. But government leaders mightstill be reluctant to question this paradigm of endlesseconomicgrowthespecially in thepostCovid-19world.Industries and business companies often assume thattheironlymission isaccumulationof capital andprofit.Toreformtheeconomicsystem,therefore,itmighthelpthat we will continue to question and challenge someassumptions as regards to economy, development andthe good life, and then, develop new paradigms that


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focusonharmonyandbalancebetweenecologicalhealthandeconomichealth.

In Shiva’s “Making peace with Earth”, she said thatmanaging ecosystem must begin in our minds and itinvolves changing our paradigms andworldviews fromthosebasedonwarwithnatureto thosethatrecognizethatweareall interconnected inonewebof life(Shiva,2012). The Covid-19 pandemic has really revealed usimportant lessons. The world will certainly betransformedafterthispandemic.Butoureyesshouldbefocused on what will happen to our ecology andeconomy after this crisis. The word crisis, in Greek,“krisis”isnotreallysomethingnegative.Infact,itimpliesdecisionmaking.Whateverdecision-makingprocessitis,it might be good that it should come from collectivediscernment.Animportantcomponentinunderstandingecologicalandeconomiccrisisarethedecisionstakenbystateleaders.Stateleadersmustconsiderinputsnotonlyfrom the scientists and technocrats but also the localpeople and other stakeholders in the crafting andimplementationofpoliciesandprograms.

InKumar(2013)newtrinityof“Soil,Soul,Society”,heuses three words to describe the interrelatedness,interconnectedness and interdependence of livingorganisms here on earth. In short, for Kumar, it is atrinityofwholenessandunityoflifeinitsmyriadforms.Sinceweareallinterconnected,itmightbegoodthatwestartworkingtogetherandnotcompetingeachotherinour programs and projects to ensure ecological andeconomichealthwhichisnecessaryforourwell-beingasapeopleandnation.References Bayod, R. (2018). “The Future of the Environment and theIndigenous Peoples in the Philippines under the DuterteAdministration”, Social Ethics Society Journal of AppliedPhilosophyDecember2018,pp.229-253.

Bayod,R.(2020).“CommuningwithMotherEarth:IndigenousWay to Care and Manage the Ecosystem”, Social EthicsSocietyJournalofAppliedPhilosophyApril2020.

Breewood,H.(2018).“DoughnutEconomicsbyKateRaworth:3 lessons and 3 questions”,http://www.theprogressmotive.org/doughnut-economics-by-kate-raworth-lessons-and-questions/

ClimateCouncil.(2020).“Infographic:howdoesclimatechangeaffect bushfires?” https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/resources/infographic-how-does-climate-change-affect-bushfires/

Diprose, Kirsten and Neal, Matt (2020). “Jane Goodall saysglobal disregard for nature brought on coronaviruspandemic”,ABCNews, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-11/jane-goodall-says-disregard-for-nature-has-brought-coronavirus/12142246

Foley (n.d). “Connection to Country”,https://www.commonground.org.au/learn/connection-tocountry

Gaspar, K. (2000). The Lumad’s Struggle in the Face ofGlobalization.Manila.Philippines

Gaspar, K. (2011). Manobo Dreams in Arakan: A peoples’StruggletokeeptheirHomeland.AteneodeManilaUniversityPress.QuezonCity.

Harrison,MaxDulumunmun(2013),MyPeople’sDreaming:anAboriginal Elder speaks on life, land, spirit and forgiveness,HarperCollinsPublishers,Sydney

Juniper, T. (2012). “Beyond Capitalism? Lecture PlymouthBusiness School”, https://www.tonyjuniper.com/content/beyond-capitalism-lecture-plymouth-business-school

Kasiyanna-CulturalandSurvival(2020).“Particularchallengesof indigenous peoples in facing covid19”,https://www.culturalsurvival.org/news/kasiyanna-particular-challenges-indigenous-peoples-facing-covid19

Kumar, Satish. 2013. Soil. Soul. Society: A New Trinity of OurTime.LeapingHarePress.

KesslerM,BeckerD,PeelA,JusticeN,LunnT,CrowleyD,etal(2018). “Changing resource landscapes and spillover ofhenipaviruses”,AnnalsoftheNewYorkAcademyofSciences,https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.13910

Martin G, Yanez-Arenas C, Chen C, Plowright RK, Webb RJ,Skerratt LF (2018). “Climate Change Could Increase theGeographic Extent of Hendra Virus Spillover Risk”.EcoHealth, 2018; https://doi.org/10. 1007/s10393-018-1322-9.

Mander, J. and Tauli-Corpuz, V. (2004). “Paradigm Wars.IndigenousPeoples’Resistance topEconomicGlobalization.ASpecialReportoftheInternationalForumonGlobalizationCommitteeonIndigenousPeoples.”

Pascoe,Bruce (2018). “MotherEarthwithBrucePascoe,”EricRolls Memorial Lecture, https://www.nla.gov.au/stories/audio/mother-earth-with-bruce-pascoe

PlowrightRK,EbyP,HudsonPJ,SmithIL,WestcottD,BrydenWL,etal(2015).

“Ecological dynamics of emerging bat virus spillover”,Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 282(1798),20142124,https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.2124

Raworth, K. (2017).TheDoughnutEconomics:7Waystothinklike a 21st Century Economist, https://www.amazon.com/Doughnut-Economics-Seven-21st-Century-Economist/dp/1603586741

Rawls, J. (1971).ATheoryofJustice. Cambridge,MA: HarvardUniversityPress.

Roberts, D. (2012). “The doughnut of justice: A new way tothink about growth”, https://grist.org/climate-change/the-doughnut-of-justice-a-new-way-to-think-about-growth/

Rockström, J., Steffen, W., Noone, K., Persson, Å, Chapin, F.,Lambin, E., . . . Foley, J. (2009). Planetary Boundaries:Exploring the Safe Operating Space for Humanity.Ecologyand Society,14(2). Retrieved August 4, 2020, fromwww.jstor.org/stable/26268316

Sen,A.(1992).InequalityReexamined.Cambridge,MA:HarvardUniversityPress.

Shiva, V. (2016). Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature andKnowledge,Berkeley,California.

Shiva, V. (2012). Making Peace with the Earth, Vandana,SpinifexPress,NorthMelbourne.

Vidal, John (2020). “’Tip of the iceberg': is our destruction ofnature responsible for Covid-19?” TheGuardian AustralianEdition, 18 March, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/18/tip-of-the-iceberg-is-our-destruction-of-nature-responsible-for-covid-19-aoe

Walsh,MG,Wiethoelter, A,HaseebMA (2017). The impact ofhuman population pressure on flying fox niches and thepotentialconsequences forHendravirusspillover.ScientificReports, 7(1), 8226, https:// doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-08065-z,

WWF World Wildlife Fund https://www.wwf.org.au/get-involved/bushfire-emergency#gs.46obrq


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Deaths without goodbyes: deprivation of dignified death and objectification of dead bodies during COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines -AlbertC.Albina,PhDNegrosOrientalStateUniversity,PhilippinesEmail:[email protected] Aside from the health, social, economic, and financialdamagesbroughtaboutbytheCOVID-19pandemic,oneof the most painful aspects of this phenomenon is thedeath of patients who succumbed to the coronavirusdiseasewithouttheir lovedoneshavingtoat leastviewtheirdeadbodiesandaccordthemtheusualfuneralandburialritesasdictatedbytradition,culture,andreligion.I first outline the guidelines that comprise dignifiedmanagement of dead bodies from internationalorganizations, and the Philippine legal mandatesregarding the matter. I then argue that there isincongruence between the legal mandates and realevents regarding the dignified management of deadbodies of persons who died from COVID-19 in thecountryas evidencedby someanecdotal accounts.Asasubjectandnotanobject,deadbodiesofhumanbeingshaveinherentworthandvaluethatshouldberespected;theirlovedonesshouldnotbedeprivedtohavethelastviewandsaygoodbyetoCOVID-19victims'deadbodies.Finally,IofferwaystoimprovethemanagementofdeadbodiesinthecountrytoensuredignifieddeathofCOVID-19 victims and offer loved ones the opportunity for adignifiedsend-off,andpavewayforbetterresponsestofuturerelatedcrises.Introduction Aside from the health, social, economic, and financialdamagesbroughtaboutbytheCOVID-19pandemic,oneof the most painful aspects of this phenomenon is thedeath of patients who succumbed to the coronavirusdiseasewithout their loved one having to at least viewtheirdeadbodiesandaccordthemtheusualfuneralandburialritesasdictatedbytradition,culture,andreligion.As of June 24th, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hasrecorded an unprecedented death toll with 477,584globaldeaths,and1,186deathsinthePhilippines(JohnsHopkinsUniversity).

Before the strict implementation of precautionarymeasures to contain the spread of COVID-19 in thePhilippines, including the cancellation of massgatherings or public assemblies, the death of a personusually means a reunion of family members, relatives,and friends. Funeral wakes and burials are both socialevents. Peoplewhowish to condolewith the bereavedfamilywouldpay a visit to thehouseor funeral chapelwhere the dead person is lying in state. Inmost cases,severalnightsarespenttoreciteprayersfortheeternalrepose of dead persons before they are finally buried.However, with the coming in of COVID-19 pandemic,everythingrelatedtohowadeadpersonishonoredhastotallychanged,making itdoublypainfulon thepartoflovedones.

According to Channel News Asia (May 3rd, 2020):"Families of COVID-19 victims in the Philippines arebeingdenied traditional death rites in favorof hurried,impersonal cremations, with virus restrictions oftenmeaning they are forbidden a last look at their lovedones.Itisapainfulanddisorientingprocessforboththefamilies and crematory workers that has upended thePhilippines' intimate rituals of laying the dead to rest.BurialisthenormintheCatholic-majoritynation,anditusually follows a days-long display of the embalmedbodyathomeorinachapel."

Thisissuebecomesverydishearteningonthepartofthedistraughtlovedonesofthepersonwhodiedduringthis COVID-19 pandemic. It undermines the dignity ofdeadpersonswhich is inherentnotonlywhen theyarealivebutcarrieswithitevenwhentheyaredead.Thisisthe issue that Iwould like to argue and amplify in thispaper.

Social science studies on the COVID-19 pandemichavetendedtofocusonthewell-beingofcliniciansandpatients. Particularly in the Philippines, little to nostudieshave focusedon the impactof thepandemicondeath,dying,andbereavement.Hence,thispresentstudyaddressessuchagap.What comprises dignified management of deadbodies?On March 24th 2020, the World Health Organizationpublished an interim guideline on Infection PreventionandControl for the SafeManagement of aDeadBody intheContextofCOVID-19. Many important points can bedrawnfromthisdocumentincluding:o Itisacommonmyththatpersonswhohavediedofacommunicable disease should be cremated.Cremationisamatterofculturalchoiceandavailableresources.

o To date, there is no evidence of persons havingbecome infected from exposure to the bodies ofpersonswhodiedfromCOVID-19.

o The dignity of the dead, their cultural and religioustraditions,andtheirfamiliesshouldberespectedandprotectedthroughout.

o Hasty disposal of a dead from COVID-19 should beavoided.

o Authorities shouldmanageeachsituationona case-by-case basis, balancing the rights of the family, theneed to investigate thecauseofdeath,and the risksofexposuretoinfection.

o If the family wishes only to view the body and nottouch it, theymaydoso,usingstandardprecautionsat all times including hand hygiene. Give the familyclearinstructionsnottotouchorkissthebody.

o Peoplewhohavedied fromCOVID-19canbeburiedorcremated.

o Family and friends may view the body after it hasbeenpreparedforburial,inaccordancewithcustoms.

Moreover, the Managing Infection Risks when

Handling theDeceased:Guidance for theMortuary,Post-mortem Room and Funeral Premises, and duringExhumation (2018) released by the Health and SafetyExecutiveofUnitedKingdomrecommendsthefollowing:


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o Suitablewaitingareas,includingtoiletfacilities,andaviewingroomforfamiliesorfriendswishingtoviewthedeceased,shouldbeprovided.

o Whenfamiliesandotherswishtoviewthedeceased,you should advise them whether there is a risk ofinfectioniftheytouchorkissthedeceased,aswellasany controls they should take after contact, e.g.,washingofhands.

o Certain infectious diseaseswill present a significantrisk,soyoushouldinformthefamilyabouttherisksinvolvedandprovidethemwithPPEifappropriate.

o Alternatively, viewing could take place either at adistance or by using a viewing panel in the coffin.Anotheroptionistouseaviewingroomwithaglassscreen.

TheManagementofDeadBodiesafterDisaster:AField

ManualforFirstResponders(2016) jointly published bythe Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), WorldHealthOrganization(WHO), InternationalCommitteeofthe Red Cross (ICRC), and International Federation ofRed Cross and Red Crescent Societies recognizes theimportance of proper anddignifiedmanagement of thedead in disasters, including even those who died frominfectiousdiseases.Assuch,"thepropermanagementofthe dead also includes acknowledgment and assistanceto their bereaved families, friends, and communities."Thisdocumentdetailsthefollowing:o Thedeadandthebereavedshouldberespectedatalltimes.

o Honestandaccurateinformationshouldbeprovidedatalltimes.

o A sympathetic and caring approach is owed to thefamiliesthroughouttheprocess.

o Psychosocial support for families and relativesshouldbeconsidered.

o Culturalandreligiousneedsshouldbeborneinmindthroughouttheprocess.

o Undignified handling and disposal of dead bodiesmay further traumatize relatives and should beavoidedatalltimes.Carefulandethicalmanagementofdeadbodies,includingdisposal,shouldbeensured,including respect for religious and culturalsensitivities.

o Before starting any procedure, the family must beprepared, with the burial process and all stepsexplained, especially with regard to dignity andrespect for the deceased person. Once agreed andunderstood, the burial can be performed. No burialprocess should take place until an agreement isobtained.

Philippine legal mandates on the management ofdeadbodiesThe Philippines, through the Department of Health,issuedonFebruary3rd2020DepartmentMemorandumNo. 2020-0067 which provides the Guidelines on theDisposalandShipmentoftheRemainsofConfirmedCasesof 2019 Novel Coronavirus Acute Respiratory Disease(2019-nCoV ARD). This memorandum is furtherreiterated inDepartmentMemorandumNo. 2020-0158dated March 22nd 2020 which outlines the ProperHandling of the Remains of Suspect, Probable, andConfirmedCOVID-19Cases.

Specifically, Department Memorandum No. 2020-0158 states, among other things, the followingguidelines:o Alwaysapplytheprinciplesofculturalsensitivity.o Wakesorany formofpublicassembliesshallnotbeallowed.

o If the family of the patientwishes to view the bodyafter removal from the isolation room or area, theymay be allowed for as long as standard precautionsarestrictlyfollowed.

o The procedures for burial and cremation shall bedonewithin12hoursafterdeath.However,burialofremains should be in accordance with the person'sreligionandculturally-acceptablenorms,tothemostextent possible (e.g., in Islamic rites, cremation isforbiddenor"haram").

o Largegatheringatthecrematoriumorburialgroundshouldbeavoided.

o Forthosethatwillbeburied,onlyadultmembersofthefamilyofthedeceasedmaybepermittedtoattendthefuneral.

o For those that will be cremated, cremains shall bereducedtothesizeoffinesandorashesandpackedina cremains containerbefore theyare turnedovertotherelativesofthedeceased.

Also, the Department of the Interior and Local

Government of the Philippines issued MemorandumCircular No. 2020-063 dated March 27th 2020 on theInterimGuidelinesontheManagementofHumanRemainsfor Patient under Investigation (PUI) and ConfirmedCoronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Cases. Thismemorandum states, among others, that “viewing [ofhuman remains] in funeral parlors and hygienicpreparations [e.g., cleaning of the body, tidying of hair,trimming of nails, shaving, and embalming of theremains]arenotallowed.Directcontactwiththehumanremainsisnotallowed”.

TherationalebehindtheselegalmandatesrelativetothemanagementofhumanremainsintimesofCOVID-19pandemic is to prevent further transmission andinfection to others as long delays before burial andcremationmayposeanotherrisktopublichealth.

Except foronepoint thatburial andcremation shallbe done within 12 hours after death, the overall legalmandates in thePhilippines regarding themanagementof dead bodies during a pandemic are in consonancewith the universal and fundamental right to dignifiedmanagementofthedeadbodies,andtherightoffamiliestoviewthedeceasedforthelasttime.Thesaidrightsareassured to be protected and observed through theaforementionedlegalmandates.DeprivationofdignifiedmanagementofdeadbodiesTruth to tell, actual situations on the ground appear tocontradict with what the legal mandates promise touphold.Ithenarguethatthereisincongruencebetweenthe legal mandates and real events regarding themanagement of dead bodies of personswho died fromCOVID-19 in the Philippines as evidenced by someanecdotalaccounts.

Morgues, funeral parlors, and crematoria alike areoverwhelmedbythespikeofCOVID-19fatalitieswhosenumbergoesbeyondtheircapacitytohandle.Thereisa


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plethoraof cases in thePhilippineswherein lovedonesof persons who died from COVID-19, and even thosenon-COVID-19-related causes were deprived of even alast view of the latter’s dead body. This deprivationamong familymembers, relatives,and friends tohavealastviewoftheirlovedone’sdeadbodyistruenotonlyto COVID-19 victims but also to non-COVID-19-relateddeaths.

OnecaseisthatofthefatherofLeandroResureccionIV. Aside from the acceptable protocol that hewas notallowedtovisithisfatherinthehospitalwhilethelatterwas confined due to COVID-19 infection, his family,according to Channel News Asia: “wasn't able to saygoodbye could probably be the secondmost tragic thingthat happened after my dad's death. It makes the griefslower.”

AnothercaseisthatofMikeConstantino'sfatherwhosuccumbed to cancer. According to ABS-CBN News:"Nobody was allowed to accompany the cadaver, andnobodywasallowedtobethereforthecremation.It’ssadthatwecouldn’tbetherefordadduringthosemoments.”

Thesame is truewithMaricarBautista’s fatherwhodied of a heart illness during the COVID-19 pandemic.Still, according to ABS-CBN News: "Not being able toembrace, kiss and even talk to our Dadmakes it all themore difficult for the family. His passing has completelyleft his family and relatives devastated and utterlyheartbroken.ButwetakecomfortknowingthatDaddy isinamuchbetterplacenowreunitedwithourCreator,ourLordGodAlmighty.”

AsimilarcaseisthatofMaximinaBautista’shusbandwho had Parkinson’s disease and died due to stroke.Maximina was not able to bid goodbye and see herhusbandone last timebeforehewas turned intoashes.According to GMA News: “Wala na kamingmagagawadahilsasitwasyonngayon‘dinapuwede‘yongkwankayanoong isinalang siya, ‘di na namin nakita ‘yong mukha,naka-zipper na ‘yong katawan tapos diretso na sa apoy.Pero masakit talaga sa kalooban. (We have no choicebecause the situation right now prohibits [massgathering].Wewerenolongerabletoseehisfacebeforehewasplacedinthefurnace.Itisreallypainful.)Despitenot being infected, her husband was still immediatelycremated following the local government unit’sordinance,preventingburials.”

The aforementioned anecdotal cases of familymembersandrelativesdeprivedofhavingthe lastviewandsaygoodbyetotheirlovedone'sdeadbodyarecitedas risk factors that contribute to complicated grief(Burke&Neimeyer,2013as cited inMayland,Harding,Preston&Payne,2020).Concomitantly,familymembersandrelativesthemselvesare“unabletodirectlysupporteach other through their grief” (Leong et al., 2004 ascited in Mayland et al., 2020) because of certainlimitationsbroughtaboutbylockdownmeasures.

Apparently, there are instances of hasty disposal ofCOVID-19 and non-COVID-19 dead bodies throughimmediatecremation in thePhilippines. Itappearsas ifthere are no other options of disposing dead bodiesother thancremationwhen in fact, theycanEITHERbecremated OR buried (WHO, 2020; New Hampshire,Division of Public Health Services, 2020) though withrestrictions on the number of attendees and strictimplementationofhealthandsafetyprotocols.

Further, hasty disposal of a dead from COVID-19outrightlyviolatestheguidelinesetbyWHO.Infact,theCenter forDisease Control andPrevention (CDC, 2020)affirmsthat“thereiscurrentlynoknownriskassociatedwith being in the same room at a funeral or visitationservicewith the body of someonewho died of COVID-19.”Nevertheless, touching thebodyof thosewhodiedfromCOVID-19isstronglynotadvised.ObjectificationofdeadbodiesAhumanbeingisasubject,notanobject.Iwouldliketoargue that this remains the case even until a humanbeing dies orwhen the body is already dead; hence, itshould not be treated as a mere object. As a subject,humanbeingshaveinherentworthandvaluethatshouldbe respected. We never lose this worth and value themomentwe die. The ethical issue comes inwhen deadpersons’bodiesarereduced to the levelofanobjectorthingwhenhospitalsimmediatelytransportdeadbodiestocrematoria,andcrematoriawouldthrowdeadbodiesin the furnacewithoutallowing their lovedonesabriefand private moment to say some prayers and partingwords. This objectification of dead bodies is notuncommon during this COVID-19 pandemic in thePhilippines.

The act of throwing human bodies in furnaceswithoutgivingtheir lovedonestheopportunitytoviewthem for the last time, either physically or at leastvirtually, and say someprayers is a clearmanifestationofobjectificationofhumanbodiesortreatingourbodiesasobjects,andnotassubjectswith inherentworthandvalue.End of life (EOL) care: technology-mediated familysupportandfarewellsWhenever possible, in consideration of availablepersonalprotectiveequipment,closefamilymembersofCOVID-19 patients who are terminally ill and nearingdeath should be provided the option and restrictedopportunitytophysicallyvisittheirlovedones.Thisideais part of New Hampshire’s Department of Health andHuman Services, Division of Public Health Services,Bureau of Infectious Disease Control in its documenttitled End of Life Considerations for Persons withSuspected or Confirmed COVID-19 (2020). The saiddocument recommends that “when a person withCOVID-19 has imminent death, facilities must have anequitable policy regarding visits by close familymembers, bereavement counselors, clergy.” It alsosuggests that “alternative mechanisms for interactionssuchasvideo-callapplicationsmustbeconsidered.”ThisideaonvideoconferencingisaptlysupportedbyGaussetal.(2020)asoneoftheprimarypragmaticlessonsfromtheSARS-COV-2pandemicfromFrance.

Onehospital in thePhilippines (referring toMedicalCityOrtigas)hasaverylaudablepracticeindealingwithCOVID-19 terminally ill patients and fatalities. In aninterview with GMA News, Dr. Sally Mae Abelanes,Emergency Medicine Physician of the hospitalmentioned above, narrated that “because familymembersarenotallowedtovisittheirlovedonesduringtheirlastmoments,doctorsnowtaketheextramiletobewith theirpatientsandpray for them. In the ICU,videocallswithfamilymembersareallowed. It is forthemto


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take one last look of their loved ones before they passaway.IntheERmeanwhile,theyletthefamilymemberssaytheirlastwordstopatientswhoaredyingthroughatwo-wayradioorwalkietalkie.”MoralimperativesIt is amoral imperative thathospitalswhereCOVID-19patients die to communicatewith their loved ones andarrange for thesafe finalviewingofdeadbodiesbeforethey are cremated or buried. Besides, Philippineguidelines permit "adult members of the family of thedeceased and other persons whose attendance isnecessarytoattendthefuneralandburialofthehumanremains”.Evenwhendeadhumanbodieswillafterallbeturnedintoashesthroughcremationorburiedbelowtheground, it is alsomorally and ethically imperative thatprayers from their immediate families and religiousleadersshouldberecited.Conclusion FamilymembersofpersonswhodiedofCOVID-19havethe right tomournandgrieveover the latter’sphysicalbody.Thisisafundamentalhumanrightthatwecannotdeprive anyone regardless of the situation. A person'sdeath happens only once; it is irreversible. Thoughgovernment laws duly recognize this fact and allowfamily members to view their loved ones dead bodybefore it is cremated or buried as long as necessaryhealthprecautionsarestrictlyobservedtopavethewayfor adignified send-off, actual situationson thegroundshow the exact opposite of what the legal mandatesintendtouphold.

The following pointsmay be considered to improvethe management of dead bodies in the Philippines toensure dignified death of COVID-19 and non-COVID-19victims and offer loved ones the opportunity for adignifiedsend-off,andpavewayforbetterresponsestofuturerelatedcrisesasawhole.o Periodic monitoring of the implementation of legalmandatesregardingthemanagementofdeadbodiesduring a pandemic should be conducted to avoidviolationsfromoccurringontheground.

o During hospital confinement, hospital managementshould provide the necessary technology to allowCOVID-19 patients and their loved ones to see eachother via teleconference, even before the formerbecomesterminallyillanddies.

o Since public transportation is suspended duringcommunity quarantine, the government shouldprovide free transportation to bereaved families ingoing toand from the facilitywhere their lovedonedies.

o Amourning tent should be set up in every hospitalwhere COVID-19 patients are admitted. This issimilar towhatMayland et al. (2020)mentioned intheir study. This mourning tent will allow familymembersto"sayafinalgoodbye"tothedeadperson.

o Hospital and health facility managements shouldestablishwaitingareasorviewingroomswithaglassscreen for the family of those who died during apandemictoviewthedeadbodiesoftheirlovedones.

o Makingtheheadportionofthebodybagtransparentmayalsobeconsidered toallowbereavedpeople tosee their departed loved ones physically. Doing sowould make mourning and final goodbyes more

personal and intimate rather than randomly seeingdead bodies fully unidentifiable because of non-transparentbodybags.Or,“viewingofthedeadbodyby unzipping the face end of the body bag (by thestaffusingstandardprecautions)maybeallowedforthe relatives to see the body for one last time”(Governmentof India,MinistryofHealthandFamilyWelfare,2020).

o Cultural, traditional, and religious rites related tofuneralandburialshouldnotbeabsent.Theymaybemodified through the institutionalization oftechnology-based support services before and afterthepatient'sdeath.

o Training of hospital human resources on pre- andpost-bereavement support services to pave thewayfor the provision of appropriate palliative care thataims to "improve the quality of life of patients andtheirfamiliesfacingtheproblemassociatedwithlife-threateningillness"(WHO).

References Bigtas,J.A.(2020,May4th).FamilymembersofdyingCOVID-19patientssaytheirgoodbyesthroughawalkietalkie.GMANews. At: https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/familyandrelationships/736714/family-members-of-dying-covid-19-patients-say-their-goodbyes-through-a-walkie-talkie/story/

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. CoronavirusDisease 2019 (COVID-19): Frequently Asked Questions. At:https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html#funerals

Cordner,S.,Coninx,R.,Kim,H.-J.,Alpen,D.V.&Tidball-Binz,M.(Eds.), Management of Dead Bodies after Disasters. A FieldManual for First Responders, Second ed.. InternationalCommittee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the World HealthOrganization(WHO),thePanAmericanHealthOrganization(PAHO) and the International Federation of Red Cross andRed Crescent Societies (IFRC), 2016. Geneva. At:https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/assets/files/other/icrc_002_0880.pdf.

Health and Safety Executive. (2018).ManagingInfectionRiskswhenHandlingtheDeceased:GuidancefortheMortuary,Post-mortemRoomandFuneralPremises,andduringExhumation.At:https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/hsg283.pdf.

Garcia, M.A. (2020, April 5th). Widow heartbroken afterhusband'sbodysentstraighttocrematorium.GMANews.At:https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/metro/734200/masakit-sa-kalooban-wife-says-after-husband-who-died-of-stroke-was-immediately-sent-to-crematorium/story/

Gauss, T., Pasquier, P., Joannes-Boyau, O., Constantin, J.-M.,Langeron, O., Bouzat, P. & Pottecher, J. (2020). Preliminarypragmatic lessons from the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic fromFrance. Anaesthesia Critical Care & Pain Medicine. ISSN2352-5568,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.accpm.2020.05.005

Government of India, Ministry of Health and FamilyWelfare,Directorate General of Health Service (EMR Division).(2020).COVID-19GuidelinesonDeadBodyManagement.At:https://www.mohfw.gov.in/1584423700568_COVID19GuidelinesonDeadbodymanagement.pdf

Johns Hopkins University. COVID-19 Dashboard. Retrievedfromhttps://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html.

Masakayan,T.A. (2020,April3rd).Grievingwithoutgoodbyes:Families turn to faith tomourn loved oneswho died duringLuzon lockdown. ABS-CBN News. Retrieved fromhttps://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/03/20/burial-cremation-in-the-philippines-luzon-lockdown-not-covid19-coronavirus-death


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Mayland, C.R., Harding, A., Preston, N., & Payne, S. (2020).Supporting Adults Bereaved Through COVID-19: A RapidReview of the Impact of Previous Pandemics on Grief andBereavement. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management,S0885-3924(20)30388-2. Advance online publication.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2020.05.012

New Hampshire. Department of Health and Human Services,Division of Public Health Services, Bureau of InfectiousDisease Control. (2020, March 29th). End of LifeConsiderations for Persons with Suspected or ConfirmedCOVID-19. Aty: https://www.nh.gov/covid19/resources-guidance/documents/covid-end-of-life.pdf.

Republic of the Philippines, Department of Health. (February3rd 2020). Department Memorandum No. 2020-0067:Guidelines on the Disposal and Shipment of the Remains ofConfirmedCasesof2019NovelCoronavirusAcuteRespiratoryDisease (2019-nCoV ARD). At: https://www.doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/health-update/DC2020-0047-Reiteration-of-DM2020-0067-Guidelines-on-the-Disposal-and-Shipment-of-the-Remains-of-Confirmed-Cases-of-2019-nCoV-ARD.pdf.

RepublicofthePhilippines,DepartmentofHealth.(March22nd2020). Department Memorandum No. 2020-0158: ProperHandlingof theRemainsofSuspect,Probable,andConfirmedCOVID-19 Cases. At: https://www.doh.gov.ph/sites/default/files/health-update/dm2020-0158.pdf.

Republic of the Philippines, Department of the Interior andLocal Government. (March 27th 2020). MemorandumCircularNo.2020-063:InterimGuidelinesontheManagementofHumanRemains forPatientunder Investigation (PUI)andConfirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Cases. At:https://ulap.net.ph/ulap-news/advisories/445-dilg-mc-no-2020-063-interim-guidelines-on-the-on-the-management-of-human-remains-for-patient-under-investigation-pui-and-corona-virus-disease-2019-covid-19-cases.html.

'Second tragedy': Cremation traumatizes in virus-hitPhilippines. (2020, May 3rd). Channel News Asia. At:https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/philippines-cremation-burial-covid-19-family-12697758

World Health Organization. (October 2017). How to conductsafe and dignified burial of a patient who has died fromsuspectedorconfirmedEbolaorMarburgvirusdisease.At:https://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/ebola/safe-burial-protocol/en/.

World Health Organization. Definition of Palliative Care. At:https://www.who.int/cancer/palliative/definition/en/.

World Health Organization. (March 24th 2020). Infectionprevention and control for the safemanagement of a deadbody in the context of COVID-19: interim guidance. At:https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/infection-prevention-and-control-for-the-safe-management-of-a-dead-body-in-the-context-of-covid-19-interim-guidance.

Fears and Hopes of Indigenous Students in Southern Mindanao During Covid-19 Pandemic -RogelioP.Bayod,Ph.D.CorJesuCollege,thePhilippinesroger.bayod@gmail.com-JennyP.MoranteDepartmentofEducation(DepEd)DavaodelSur,thePhilippinesEmail:[email protected] TheCovid-19Pandemicisoneofthegreatestthreatstothe education of children especially to poor countriesandcommunities.Ascountriesimposedalockdownandcommunityquarantine,schoolswereforcedtocloseandshift instantly to on-line teaching and learning. In thePhilippines, while schools are given the permit tocontinue the education of students for the next schoolyear,thegovernmentinsiststhattherewillbenoface-to-face education as long as there is still an imminentdanger of virus transmission. As educators,we alreadyexperienced and witnessed how difficult for ourstudents,especiallythepoorandtheindigenouspeoples,tocopewiththedifferentmodalitiesoflearningandthecountry toprovide theneeded support to students andteachers during this new educational set-up caused byCovid-19 outbreak. This present paper focuses on theperception and experiences of indigenous students inSouthernMindanao, Philippines in relation to Covid-19pandemic and their fears andworries concerning theirlives and their education in the so-called new normal.This paper will further offer practical suggestions togovernmentandeducational leadersonhowtoaddressthe educational needs of the students, especially theindigenouspeoples.Keywords: Indigenous students. Education in Covid-19.NewNormal.PhilippinesIntroduction Covid-19 pandemic has changed many things in theworld.Oneof the industries thatwasput into a virtualstandstill is the education industry. As governments inmanycountriesimposedlockdown,schoolswereforcedto close over due to COVID-19 (Toquero, 2020; Viner,Russell, Croker, Packer,Ward, Stansfield,&Booy2020;Reimers, Schleicher, 2020). However, to continue theeducationofstudents,someschoolsimmediatelyshiftedto on-line and distant teaching and learningmodalities(Toquero,2020).SometeachersrecordedanduploadedtheirlessonsonlineforthestudentstoaccessandsomewereevenmoreinnovativeandusedGoogleClassrooms,WebQuest, and other online sites, but most wereunprepared (Fox, 2007). As educators inMindanao,wehave witnessed how challenging this new educationalset-upistomanystudentsespeciallythepoorandthoseliving in the far-flung areas for lack of gadget andequipment for on-line classes and also internetconnectivityproblem.Themodularmodealsoprovidedmany challenges ranging from lackof transportation todifficulty in crossing from one town to the others


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becauseofsecurityandhealthprotocolsimplementedbydifferentlocalgovernmentunits.

Theintentionofthepaperistoexplorethedifferentperceptions of indigenous students in Davao del Surabout the Covid-19 pandemic and also their fears andworriesinrelationtotheirlivesandalsoeducation.Weinterviewed seven indigenoushigh school students andthree indigenous college students for this paper. Thesestudents are living in the far-flung areas of Davao delSur. We asked them the following questions: what aretheirperceptionsonCovid-19pandemic?Whatdidtheircommunitydotoavoidbeinginfectedbythevirus?,whatare their worries and concerns as students?, andwhathelpdo theywant from thegovernment? In thispaper,wewanttosharetheirexperiences,fearsandworriesasindigenousstudents.Indigenousstudents’perceptionsontheoriginsandcausesofCOVID-19pandemicWe wanted to know about the perception of theindigenous students about the covid-19 pandemic. Wefoundoutthat,althoughallofthemdidnotreallyknowtherealcauseofthevirusasmostofusdo,mostofthemperceivedthatcovid-19wascomingfromChinabecauseof their behavior to eat exotic food. One of ourparticipants said, “sa akoa lang pud ni kay gikan sapagkaon sa Chinese kay bisan unsa lang pagkaon nila.”(This is only frommy own point of view, it is comingfromtheChinesepeoplebecausetheyjusteatanything).Another participant said that, “kungmubasitasabalitagikanjudnisiyasamgakinaonsatao,kungtanawnilamakaon na, kaonon pud nila, wala sila nag tan aw saeffectsanangpagkaonngailanggikaon.”(Ifwe based itwithnews,it’sreallycomingfromthefoodofthepeoplebecause they just eat what they see as can be eatenwithoutconsideringtheeffectsofthefoodthattheyeat).It’s interesting that some of them point out that theorigin of the virus was from exotic food that Chinesepeople eat. Study of Bhagavathula, Aldhaleei, Rahmani,Mahabadi,&Bandari,(2020)alsoshowsthateventwo-thirds of doctors and half of alliedHealthcareWorkersbelievedthattheoriginofCovid-19arefrombats.ManyIPsalsoeatexotic foodssuchassnakes,wildpigs,deerand others but they really cooked their food well. Theinfluence of the socialmedia and the local news aboutthe behavior of some Chinese people as one of thepossible reasons of the Covid-19 outbreak haspenetratedintotheconsciousnessofsomeIPstudents.

However, despite this influence, some IP studentsalso perceived that theremight be other causes of thevirus aside from the eating behavior of the Chinesepeople. One IP college student said, “ingonnila tungoddaw kay pataka lang ug kaon ug hayop ang mga tagaChinaperosaakoabasinugnaamensaheangGinookayang taowala na nag atiman sa kinaiyahan” (They saidthatit’sbecauseChinesepeoplejusteatindiscriminatelythatiswhythereisthisvirusbutforme,IthinkGodhasamessagebecausethepeopledonotalreadytakecareofthe environment). An IP high school students also saidthat “gikanmandawsaChinaperoparasaakoamuragchallengelangningagihatagsaGinootungodsasiyudaddaghan na og kahilayan ug wala nay time sa pamilya.Karon nagpuyo na sa balay.” (Accordingly, it’s comingfromChina but forme this is just a challenge given by

Godbecauseinthecitythereareplentyofdebaucheryorvicesandthatpeopledonothavetimefortheirfamilies.Now they are forced to stay at home). This is also theperceptionofanother IPcollegestudentwhenshesaid,“siguro tungod sa Chinese nga pataka ra ug kaon ughayopbasinnasukoangkinaiyahansailaha” (Maybe it’sbecausetheChinesepeopleindiscriminatelyateanimals,perhapsthenaturegotangrywiththem).Thisisalsothethought of Romero – a Costa Rican IP leader when hesaid in an interview that the virus, he believes, wasunleashedbyhumangreedandilltreatmentoftheplanet(Nuwer,2020).WhatdidtheircommunitydotoavoidthevirusInmanyIPcommunitiesinthePhilippines,especiallyinLuzon,theyhaveimposedtheirowntraditionalconceptof community quarantine and lockdown called bydifferent local names such as tengao, te-er, to-or, sedey,far-e, ubaya, or tungro depending on their ethno-linguisticgroups,inordertosparetheircommunityfromthe virus ( Lapniten, 2020). We also wanted to knowwhatdid theircommunity inDavaodelSurdo toavoidthe virus. We found out from their sharing that, theyhave not done many traditional rituals already exceptsome meetings to discuss and agree on sharing andhelping eachother.Most of the things theydo to avoidthe virus are the usual things that all of us do likewearingmask,washingourhandsandstayingathome.“Permentihon lang ang paghugas sa kamot. Dili maggawas-gawas sa balay” (We just wash regularly ourhands andwe just refrain from always going out fromthe house), “Always lang jud mag wear ug mask” (Justwear mask always), “Sa amoa kay kanang bawal judmugawas saamoangbalay.…isa langkataoangmuadto,pananglitan mamalit ug kanang grocery…” (For us it’sreally prohibited to go out from the house…only oneperson will go out like to buy grocery). These are notonly commonresponsesbut thesearemandated thingsto do from the government. However, one Bagobocollegestudentshared,“naamiritualugpag-ampounyawala mi ginapagawas sa balay” (We have ritual andprayerandweareprohibitedtogooutfromthehouse).In addition,ATagakaolocollege student also said, “nagritualmiugnaamimeetingunsabuhaton.Nagsabotmina isa ka tao lang jud mogawas sa balay. Sa amongkomunidad,nagsabotpudmiugnagtabangaykungkinsaangwala’ypagkaonugwala’ymasugomamalitpagkaonnaa dayonmotabang sa ilaha” (we have ritual and wehavemeetingwhattodo.Weagreedthattherewillonlybe one person to go out from the house. In ourcommunity,wealsoagreedthatwewillhelpeachother.Whoeverlacksfoodandthosewhodonothaveanybodytobuyfood,therewillbesomebodywhowillhelpthem).Indeed,asidefromtheusualthingsthattheydo,someIPcommunities also performed rituals and prayers andagreed to help each other to ensure that the viruswillnotonlygetintotheircommunitiesbutalsotoeachonewillhave food toeatduring the lockdownperiod.Asofthiswriting, there are no IP communities here that gotinfectedwiththevirus.UnitedNations–DepartmentofEconomic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) said that,Indigenous peoples are seeking their own solutions tothis pandemic. They are acting, and using traditionalknowledgeandpracticessuchasvoluntaryisolation,and


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sealing off their territories, as well as preventivemeasures–intheirownlanguages.Worries and concerns of IP students in the time ofpandemicAs educators, we really wanted to know what are thefearsandworriesof the IP students in relation to theireducation during this time of pandemic.We found outfromtheiranswersthattheyarenotonlyworriedabouttheir education but they are also worried about theirlives.Infact,aB’laanhighschoolstudentsaid,“nagworrykoifmakaeskwelapabakotungodkaynaglisodnamankaayomikaron”(Iamworried if I canstill go to schoolbecause we really suffer and are in dire need now).Bacellisco, a Filipino parent strongly disagree on theopening of classes, when she said, Education can wait.I’mnotriskingthesafetyofchildrenwhentheygoout.Ifearthatwhentheyattendschool, theywillcomehomeinfectedwithCOVID-19(Magsambol,2020).

We also found out that their worries are alsoconnectednotonlytotheirintellectualcapacitiestocopewiththenewmodalitiesofeducationbeingimplementedby thegovernmentbut also to their financial capacitiestobuy theneededgadgetsandequipment tobeable toparticipate in the on-line classes. A Bagobo college IPstudentshared,“anangifmagon-lineclasskaywalamankoylaptopunyawalapudsignalsabukid”(If there ison-lineclass,Idonothavelaptopandthereisalsosignalinthemountain).AB’laanhighschoolstudentalsoshared,“nagoolkoifmakayabankoangon-lineugmodularclasskay wala man mi internet ug wala pud ko laptop unyaniuli ko sa bukid lisod kaayo ang sakyanan ugmag cgebaba adto skul kuha samodule kay gasto pud kaayo” (Iam sad if I can endure the on-line and even modularclassbecauseIdonothaveinternetconnectionandIdonot also have laptop and because I went home in themountain, it’s very difficult to look for vehicle if I willalwaysgodowntogetthemodulesintheschoolandit’sveryexpensive).Whileonlinelearningisonlyoneoptionfortheblendedapproach,unfortunatelydatashowsthatnotallhouseholds in thePhilippineshaveaccess to theinternet. Citing data from the NationalTelecommunicationsCommission,DepEdsaidthatasofDecember2019,67%of thePhilippinepopulationhaveaccesstotheinternet(Magsambol,2020).However,theCovid-19pandemicreallyforceseducationalinstitutionsto look into different modes of delivery of lesson andlearningmedia.ForAbdelhafiz,etal. (2020)knowledgeis gained mainly through novel media channels. Novelchannels including, social media platforms, and theinternet represented the most important sources ofinformation.

ButfortheIPstudentswhoarelivinginthefarflungareas, on-line and even modular mode of education isstillverychallengingforthembecauseoflackofgadgets,equipmentandinternetconnectivity.Theirproblemsarereally connected to their economic conditions. Some oftheseIPstudentsarestudentscholarsandbecausethereare no more face-to-face classes, they are not alsoneeded.Thus, theyareterminated fromthescholarshipgrantsinorderfortheschoolsespecially,privateschoolsto also survive. UNESCO said that the lack of access totechnology or fast, reliable internet access can preventstudentsinruralareasandfromdisadvantagedfamilies.

Lack of access to technology or good internetconnectivity is an obstacle to continued learning,speciallyforstudentsfromdisadvantagedfamilies.

The study of Bao, Qu, Zhang, Hogan, (2020) showsthatstudentsgainslowerduringschoolclosuresthanina business-as-usual academic year. UNESCO said thatwhenschoolsclose,parentsareoftenaskedtofacilitatethe learning of children at home and can struggle toperformthistask.Inrelationtothis, it isfoundoutthattheyalsohavefearsandworriesonhowtocopewiththeacademic demands with the new educational set-up.Many of them said that they even encountereddifficultiestounderstandthelessonsduringface-to-faceclasses, how much more during on-line or modularclasseswheresupervisionofteacherswouldbeminimal.A B’laan college student shared his fear, “isa sa akonggikabalak-an nga ako nag-eskwela sa college unya angamongenrolment iskarongJuly15naunyanabalakakokaysaamongsubjectkaysecondyearnamuragsugodnaogkalisod.Nabalakakongadilimahatagsaeskwelahanang quality education nga dapat nila matudlo sa amoakay lageonlineunyadilimainsakto’gtudlosaamoa.Thesame atong summer class kay giagi rag online class, dinvideo,muragself-studyragani.Lahirajuddiliparehosaunangafacetoface”(one thing I’mworried about as acollege student and our enrollment is already set thiscoming July 15, I’m worried because our subjects insecondyearmightstarttobedifficulttounderstand.I’mworried if the school can really give the qualityeducationthattheyshouldteachusbecauseitisalreadyon-lineandtheymightnotgiveustheexactknowledge.Just like last summer class because it was just donethough on-line, we only watched videos, it’s like self-study.It’sreallydifferentifwehaveface-to-faceclasses).Another participant shared, “basigdilinamatarongangklasekywalakaayosignaldiridinmagonlinenamanguddaw. Unya basig dili me kaapas sa klase sa amongmaestro ky hinay man kaayo ang signal diri. Usahaymobabapaganimearonmakakuaogsignal..”(the classmightnot bedonewell becausewehaveproblemherewiththesignalbecausetheysaidourclassisalreadyon-line.Wemightnotbeable to catchupwithour classesbecausethesignalhereisveryweak.Sometimewewereforcedtogodowntogetsomesignal).Thesameconcernissharedbyanotherparticipant,“nabalakangamaswalanuon koy masabtan dili man kafocus samot na kanangwala koy connection unya kana bayang bukid namudirihinaykaayougsignal”(IamworriedthatImightnotunderstand the lesson well because I cannot focusbecauseof internetconnection.Our locationhereinthemountain has very weak signal). Baloran (2020)commented that though the Philippines is still at thestageofembracingtheparadigmshiftinourpedagogicaldelivery, schools should start training students andteachers on the application of online-blended learningapproachand improveInformationandCommunicationTechnology (ICT) resources and capacities of bothteachersandstudents.Thesecouldappeaseourlearnersworriesonteaching-learningprocess.

Thereworriesandconcernsabouton-lineeducationare centered on the possibility that they cannot learnwellbecausetheylackofgadgetsuchaslaptopandalsosignal.Understandably,on-lineeducationisnewtomanyschools in the Philippines. While there are schools,


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mostly in the cities, that started on-line or distantlearning,theyareveryfewandmostofthemarealreadyinhighereducation,notbasiceducation.Thereareonlyfewstudentswhoenrolledinthatprogram.Butinmanyschools, especially in the provinces, wheremost of thestudents are poor, the on-line and distant learningschemes really bring a lot of challenges to students,especially the poor and those living in far-flungcommunities that do not have stable internet signal.According toastudy,schoolguidelinesandpractices toenhance teachingand learningusingdigitaldevices aremore often observed in socio-economically advantagedschools than disadvantaged schools (Reimers, &Schleicher,2020).Evensomestudentswhohavegadgetsand are financially capable, they still haveworries andconcernswiththenewmodeofdeliveryineducationinthe country. Thus, an unwillingness with the online-blended learning approach was observed (Baloran,2020). Even to some students who have gadgets likecellphones and laptops, they also have difficulty inmakinguseoftheirgadgetstoparticipateintheon-lineeducation using different platforms such as moodle,google meet, zoom, skype and others. Thus, skillstraining on ICT is necessary not only for students butalso for teachers. Baloran (2020) suggests that thegovernment should have subsidy and educationalsupport that include capacitating Filipino learners inusing online tools. Fox (2007) added that an ongoingtechnical support to help train the teachers also isimportant. In addition, the students need also to beinducted into the use of ICTs in order to optimize thepotentialoftheir learningexperiences inthismodeandtheirefficiencyinusingit.WhathelpIPstudentswantfromthegovernmentDespite their worries and concerns, many IP studentsreally wanted to continue their studies. Thus, theycontinue to hope and wish that the government willsupport them in their education by giving them thegadgets that they need such as laptops and others. ABagobo college student said, “unta naa wifi ug laptopipang provide sa students” (I hope wifi connection andlaptopwillbeprovidedtostudents).ThisisbeingechoedbyaTagkaolocollegestudentswhenshesaid,“untanaafree internetaccess toBarangaysand ifpossible, supportin buying laptops” (I hope there will be free internetaccess tovillagesand ifpossible, theywill givesupportinbuyinglaptops).AB’laanhighschoolstudentalsosaid,“unta naa free laptop ug unta naa internet sa amonglugar”(Ihopetherewillbefreelaptopandtherewillbeinternetaccessinourplace).

Someof themevenwentbeyondtheconcreteneedsto have gadgets needed in the on-line education tosupport about their entire economic situation. AB’laanhigh school student said, “amoang gusto unta kay saamoangmgaginikananmangudkaymaglisodnasilaugtrabaho karun kay samot na nga naay virus. Mao ngauntakananeednamo saamoangpag skwelaugkanangpagkaonpudnamo”(wehopeandwewantthattheywillhelp us in our needs in school and also in our foodbecauseourparentshavedifficultylookingforjobsnowbecauseofthevirus).AnotherB’laanhighschoolstudentalsosaid,“Kanangfinancialjud.KanangnaasilayparehagudanangsaSAP.”(It’sreallyfinancial.IhopetheyhavelikeSAP).

Whileon-lineandmodularclassesarenotreally thenormalmodeofdeliveryofeducationinmanyschoolsinthe Philippines, Covid-19 pandemic has forced them toembrace this mode of delivery as the “new normal”.Aside from the fact that schools need students tocontinue their jobs, students also wanted to continuetheirstudiesinthis“newnormal”.Sinceeducationoftheyoung is needed for the future of the country, thegovernment must continue to provide support to theeducationsector.Thiswillbeachallengingtimeforthegovernment considering the huge budget they havealready spent to subsidized the poor during theimposition of lockdowns or Enhanced CommunityQuarantine (ECQ). Leadership skills of politicians andeven educational leaders in this time of pandemic istested. Some localgovernmentunits in thecapitalhaveresponded to the challenges of providing gadgets(laptops,cellphones,wifi)totheirstudentsandteachers(Hallare,2020;Ornedo,2020;Malipot,2020).Othersarestill thinking how to do it given their budgetaryconstraints. Reimers & Schleicher (2020) suggest thatthe government can also ask for partnershipswith theprivate sector to extend their resources and otheropportunities for on-line education, seminars andtraining.Infact,DepEdUnderSecretaryAlainPascuahasrecommended minimum specifications for laptops,desktops, tabletPCs, tablets, smartphones, and internetservicesthatwillbedonatedtopublicschools,teachers,and/orstudents(Malipot,2020).Conclusion The Covid-19 pandemic has drastically changed theeducational landscape of the Philippines. The mostvulnerable groups that are affected because of thesechanges are the poor students and those living in theperipheries such as the indigenous peoples. While IPcommunitieshereinDavaodelSurarestillfreeofCovid-19,thepossibilityoflocaltransmissionisveryrealwhenschools will open and teachers from the lowlandcommunitieswillcomeupthemountainstoteachtheIPstudents. Strictly speaking, since there are still noschools for the indigenous peoples (IPs) that haveteachers who are really IPs living in the communitiesand implement a strict curriculum for the IPs like thecommunityschoolswhereranandmanagedbytheNon-Government Organizations (NGOs), IPs were reallyforced to enroll into the mainstream schools thatimplement a standardized curriculum under thesupervision of the Department of Education (DepEd).During this time when the DepEd was forced toimplement on-line and/or modular education, the IPstudentshavetoendurethechallengesanddifficultiesofthisnewmodeofeducationinthecountry.

To be able to help them, it might be good thatgovernment and educational leaderswill listen to theirstruggles and dialogue with them on how to addresstheirworries and concerns. If they cannot be providedwith cellphones and laptops as well as internetconnection, the schools might assign teachers to reallygotothecommunities tobringthemodulesandcoursepack. The module or course pack must containeverything that the students need to know such asreadingsmaterials, exampleson theexpectedoutputofstudentsandthedetailedinstructionsonwhattodo.


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The school authorities, in partnerships with localleadersmust also explore othermeans of reaching thestudents in the far-flung communities like using localradio stationswhere teacherswill discuss their lessonseither once or twice a week so that students in themountaincanstilllistentothem.Thelocalleadersmightalso consider putting up a mini-library or educationcenterinthelocalitywherestudentscangetthemodulesorcoursepackfromtheirteachersandcanalsomeettheteachers forshort individualorsmallgrouporientationor discussion on important and difficult topics orassignments.The Covid-19 pandemic as a crisis entails importantdecision making from school and governmentauthorities. Decisions have to be made in consultationandconsiderationsof those thatwillbehighlyaffected.In times of crisis, people are called to offer sacrifices.Whiletheteachers,schoolandgovernmentleadershavetoshowexamplesofwalkingtheextramiletobeabletoreach thoseat themarginsof society, thepeople in theperipheries also need to offer sacrifices if theywant tocontinue with their education. The IPs have beensacrificingalot.Theyarestillwillingtodoanotherformof sacrifice for them to continue their studies. Sinceonlineordistantlearningmightbethefuturedirectionsofmany schools in thePhilippines, government leadersmight consider building the needed infrastructure andothermeansofsupportasearlyasnow.References Abdelhafiz, A. S., Mohammed, Z., Ibrahim, M. E., Ziady, H. H.,Alorabi, M., Ayyad, M., & Sultan, E. A. (2020). Knowledge,perceptions, and attitude of Egyptians towards the novelcoronavirus disease (COVID-19). Journal of CommunityHealth,1-10.RetrievedJuly1.

Baloran, E. T. (2020). Knowledge, Attitudes, Anxiety, andCoping Strategies of Students during COVID-19 Pandemic.Journal of Loss and Trauma, 1-8. Retrieved June 19, 2020https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15325024.2020.1769300

Bhagavathula,A.S.,Aldhaleei,W.A.,Rahmani,J.,Mahabadi,M.A., & Bandari, D. K. (2020). Novel coronavirus (COVID-19)knowledgeandperceptions:asurveyonhealthcareworkers.MedRxiv.

Bao,Xue;Qu,Hang;Zhang,Ruixiong;Hogan,TiffanyP.(2020-05-13). "Literacy Loss in Kindergarten Children duringCOVID-19 School Closures". Retrieved June 21, 2020https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/nbv79/

Covid -19and IndigenousPeoples.Retrieved last July1,2020from https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/covid-19.html

Fox, R. (2007). SARS epidemic: Teachers’ experiences usingICTs. Retrieved June 19, 2020https://www.ascilite.org/conferences/perth04/procs/pdf/fox.pdf

Hallare, Katrina. (2020, June 5). Manila Govt. to ProvideGadgetsforstudents,TeachersforDepEDBlendedLearning.Inquirer. Retrieved July 1, 2020 fromhttps://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1287090/manila-govt-to-provide-gadgets-for-students-teachers-for-depeds-blended-learning

Lapniten, K. (2020). “In a Philippine indigenous stronghold,traditionskeepCOVID-19atbay”,retrievedJune18,2020athttps://news.mongabay.com/2020/04/in-a-philippine-indigenous-stronghold-traditions-keep-covid-19-at-bay/

Malipot, M.H. (2020). DepEd setsminimum specifications fordevices, Internet services for distance learning. Manila

Bulletin. Retrieved July 1, 2020 fromhttps://news.mb.com.ph/2020/06/09/deped-sets-minimum-specifications-for-devices-internet-services-for-distance-learning/

Nuwer, Rachel. (2020, May 4). The Indigenous CommunitiesThat Predicted Covid-19. BBC Travel Retrieved last July 1,2020 from http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20200503-the-indigenous-communities-that-predicted-covid-19

Ornedo, Julia Mari. (2020, June 10) Binan LGU distributesLaptops, TVs to schools for online learning. GMA News.RetrievedJuly1,2020fromhttps://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/regions/742080/binan-lgu-distributes-laptops-tvs-to-schools-for-online-learning/story/

Reimers,F.M.,&Schleicher,A. (2020).A framework toguidean education response to the COVID-19 Pandemic of 2020.OECD. Retrieved April, 14, 2020 fromhttps://teachertaskforce.org/sites/default/files/2020-04/A%20framework%20to%20guide%20an%20education%20response%20to%20the%20COVID-19%20Pandemic%20of%202020.pdf

Toquero,C.M.(2020).ChallengesandOpportunitiesforHigherEducation amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: The PhilippineContext.PedagogicalResearch,5(4).RetrievedJune19,2020https://www.pedagogicalresearch.com/download/challenges-and-opportunities-for-higher-education-amid-the-covid-19-pandemic-the-philippine-context-7947.pdf

UNESCO. 2020. Adverse Consequences of School Closure.Retrieved June 21: https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse/consequences

Viner, R. M., Russell, S. J., Croker, H., Packer, J., Ward, J.,Stansfield, C., ... & Booy, R. (2020). School closure andmanagement practices during coronavirus outbreaksincluding COVID-19: a rapid systematic review. TheLancetChild&AdolescentHealth.

Couple educators’ mission during COVID-19 pandemic: ensuring a meaningful and relevant learning for students while staying at home -ChristineMayD.BayodDepartmentofEducation(DepEd)SaranganiProvince,thePhilippinesEmail:[email protected],thePhilippinesEmail:[email protected] The educational situation of the Philippines, for thecurrent school year (SY 2019-2020), has changedbecause of COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, thePhilippinesbecameoneofthecountriesworldwidethathas suspended their classes. As couple educators, thisscenarioforcedustoadeepreflectiononhowtoensurethat education of children will not be hampered evenwhen they are forced to stay at home. Since onlineeducation is already practiced in many countries, wethoughtthatitmightbebesttoexploreonthispossiblemode of education. We designed an assisted learninginstruction where learners are given opportunities tolearn using the available new learning platforms. Itstarted with a simple call through an advertisementposted on Facebook where eighteen (18) childrenparticipatedinthisfree-onlinetutorialprogram.Thisisa


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five-week e-learning programutilizing theGoogle toolssuch as Google Classroom and Google Meet. Specifictasks and activities are provided where learners areexpected to complete by the end of theweekwith thehelpandguidancefromtheirparentsorguardians.Thispaper discusses the assessment on the strengths andweaknessesof thisprogramas reportedby theparentsofourstudents.Resultsconfirmedthatthetransitionoflearning to online education became helpful andbeneficialwheregainedexperiences canbeused in thefuture.Thispaperalsopresentsimportantandpracticalinputs to teachersandeducationalheads forpolicyandprogrammaking in theeducationof students in theso-callednewnormal.Introduction TheCovid-19pandemic has threatened the educationalsituations of schools around the globe. Variousinstitutionswereforcedtosuspendandpostponeclassesdue to rapid spreadof viruswhich canbadly affect thesecurityandhealthofeveryschool-communitymember.Because of this, alternative and flexiblemechanisms tocontinue learning and studying are being promoted indifferentnations.

Audrey Azoulay, Director General of the UnitedNations Educational, Scientific, and CulturalOrganization, said in a recent statement (“CoronavirusUpdate,” 2020), “While temporary school closures as aresult of health and other crises are not new,unfortunately, theglobalscaleandspeedof thecurrenteducationaldisruptionisunparalleledand,ifprolonged,couldthreatentherighttoeducation”(Vlachopoulos,D.,2020).

To address this emerging problem, governmentsacross the globe have considered virtual learning,through online education, as one of the learningmodalitiestoensurecontinuityoflearning.AccordingtoBasilaia and Kvavadze (2020), considering onlineeducationasalternativefromtraditionalwayoflearningis one of the answers to the rising problem wherestudents are not allowed to go to school. Moreover,Vlachopoulos (2020) mentioned in his study that theCovid-19 crisis has provided opportunities for manyonline education researchers and practitioners tosupportbothstudentsandinstitutionsbyfillingthegapleftbytheconventional face-to-faceeducation.Throughthisnewnormalwayoflearning,educatorsandstudentscan still continue teaching and learning from anylocationwithoutinterruption.

InthePhilippines,wherenationwidecaseofCovid19positive reached 27,799 as of June 19, 2020, theDepartment of Education provides opportunities forschoolstochoosetheappropriatelearningmodalitiesfortheopeningofthenewschoolyear.UndertheLearningContinuityPlanoftheDepartmentofEducation(DepEd),thedistance learning,whichisdeliveredthroughonlineplatforms is being considered as one of the learningmodalities to ensure the continueddelivery of learning(Malipot,2020).Furthermore, inasurveyconductedbytheDepEd, 80percent or 700,000of the teachers havelaptopsanddesktopsintheirhomes.Giventhisdata,theDepEd is optimistic and confident that distant onlinelearningwillworkinthePhilippines(Uy,2020).

As educators in Mindanao, we have witnessed howanxiousandworriedarethestudentsandparentsaboutthe so-called new normal way of learning, mostespecially that we are not used to this distant onlinelearning.Thoughresources,suchasgadgetsandinternetconnectivity are present, parents and students haveproblems on how to effectively and meaningfully useonline learning platforms since our local schools areoriented with the conventional face-to-face learning.With the given situations, we pilot tested an onlinetutorial program to assess the readiness of our localcommunitiesinembracingthisonlinelearningmodality.InterventionIn oneof thewebinarswe attendedduring thepeakofthis pandemic season, we were able to explore andnavigatetheuseofGoogleClassroomasoneoftheonlinelearning platforms in this so-called newnormalway oflearning.After completing the session,wewere able torealizehowmeaningful andhelpful could this be if ourstudents are given the chance to explore and navigatethismedium.Moreover,itgaveusmuchexcitementandenthusiasmtosharethisplatform,sinceourstudentsoftodayarealreadyexposedtotechnology.Theycanspendmuchtimeusingthesocialmediaandotheronlinesitesfor gaming and entertainment. However, they lackopportunities on how to use it in their educationalendeavors.

Howitallstarted?The Online Tutorial Program started through a simpleadvertisement posted on Facebook where we werelooking for at least five (5) potential tutees to enrol inourGoogleClassroom.Afterseveraldays,manyparentsextended their intention to enrol their kids in theprogram so they can spend their stay-at-homeproductively. From five (5) students, it has reachedeighteen (18) students who shown willingness toexplorethedistantonlinelearningplatform.

After days of planning, we launched the “LearningwithTeacherTine”onMay18,2020.Thisisafive-weekonline tutorialprogramadvocatinganassisted learninginstruction, where parent’s involvement is primarilyneeded.Theinterestedenrolleeswereaskedtopreparethe necessary tools so they can participate in this newlearning approach. These tools are as follows:smartphones or personal computers, internetconnectivity,GoogleClassroomApplication,GoogleMeetApplication, registering in BookWidgets, Quizziz andNearpod. Moreover, it was strongly suggested thatparents, guardians, elder siblings or any availablelearning partners should be present and help theenrollees in navigating, exploring and completing tasksandactivitiesinthisnewlearningapproach.

After acquiring, downloading and registering thenecessary tools to be used in this approach, studentswereinstructedtojointheclassinthee-classroomusingtheir respective class codes. Furthermore, this OnlineTutorial Program offers four (4) classes depending onthe appropriate learning needs and interests of thestudent.Thecoursesofferedineveryclassarelistedonthetablebelow.


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Section ClassCode CoursesOffered

LittleSunshine(ages4to5,Preschool)

fbofdcj Literacy(Reading&Writing),Numeracy,ScienceandArts

BlueSky(ages6-7or

Grade1&Grade2)

olt4ghy English(Reading&Writing),

Math,ScienceandArts

BrightFuture(ages8-9orGrade3&4)

r4cdad3 English(Reading&Writing),

Math,ScienceandArtsSilverLining(ages10-11orGrade5&6)

7fvkhee English(Reading&Writing),

Math,ScienceandArtsTable 1. Courses offered with their respective classnameandcodeOurrolesase-educatorsWeplayedtherolesastheClassManagersandLearningFacilitatorsofthisOnlineTutorialProgram.Everyweek,we gathered necessary learning materials aligned withthe basic competencies appropriate for the specific ageand needs of the students. These materials includedreadings,non-gradedexercises,assignments,videos,andelectronic charts. By the end of the week, a gradedsummative assessment is provided in every course toassessthe learningperformanceofeverytuteeenrolledinthisprogram.Furthermore,parentswereencouragedtotakephotosandvideosoftheirdailyaccomplishmentstorecordtheiroutputs.TheprogrampromotesflexiblelearningSince this is an assisted learning approach, parents orlearning partners play significant roles to guide theirchildren in completing the activities offered in eachcourse. We took collaborative partnership with theparents or learning partners in delivering meaningfulandsignificantlearningexperiencesforeverychild.

Tomake it more comprehensive a weekly schedulewas developed to guide the parents on how toaccomplisheachtask.And,theseareasfollows:1) Monday:We,asclassmanagers,wepostedmaterials,such as videos and non-graded exercises everyMonday.ThechildmaycompletethesematerialsfromMonday-Thursday.Parentsorlearningpartnerswereencouraged to assist their children to manage theirtime effectively. They were instructed to render atleast 30 minutes or an hour daily to complete eachtopic. They can consider having English on Monday,MathonTuesday,ScienceonWednesdayandArtsonFriday, depending on their most desired andconvenient time. Furthermore, we highly suggestednottofinishallthetopicswithinthedaysoitwillnotcauseexhaustiononthepartofthechild.

2) Friday: We regularly provided Graded SummativeAssessmentonthisday.Sincethisisagradedactivity,wehadsetduedateforsubmissionoftheiroutputs.

3) Every other Wednesday, each student wasencouraged to participate in an hour Live LearningSession using the Google Meet. This is done sostudents can have time for socialization orKumustahan (in our local language) with their e-classmates. We also provided practice and readingtestduringthismeeting.

Figure 1 below records the important datesparents should consider in the delivery of thisonlinelearningapproach.

Figure1.OnlineTutorialProgramClassSchedule

RewardsystemEveryendoftheweek,weawardedbadgesforstudentswho completed all the tasks and activitiesprovided forthem. This is a simple motivation which inspired thestudents to take active participation in the OnlineTutorial Program. Completion e-certificates are alsoprovided for all students who completed the Week 5courses.Meanwhile,forthosewhohavenotsuccessfullyreachedtheweek5duetosomeconstraints,acertificateofparticipationwasalsoprovided.ResultsThis section of the paper discusses the assessment onthe strengths and weakness of the Online TutorialProgram as reported by the students and parents. Weasked our clients, especially the parents the followingquestions:Whatcanyousayabout theprogram?Was ithelpful?Why?;Whatdoyou likemost?;Whatdoyou likeleast?;andWhatcanyousuggestorrecommendforfutureonlineclasses?.What parents and their children say about theprogramWhenaskedwhatcantheysayabouttheprogram,mostoftheirresponsesfallintothefollowingthemes:learningisfacilitatedwhilefamilybondingisenhanced,Learningisfun and ignites students’ interests, and it promotesindependentlearning.”Learning is facilitated while family bonding isenhanced. The parents say that the program ensuresthat learning is still present while they are staying athome. This is beautifully captured by a mother of ourstudent who is a public school teacher, when she says“virtual schoolsworkbetterwhenparents takeanactiverole in their child’s learning. We have to look at theconfluence of “relationships” within the household, and,thus,theserelationshipsmustensurechildren’slearningisfacilitated for a better tomorrow.”Another parent whoworks as a clerk in a private hospital also says, “theprogram is good because it promotes bonding withparents and children. Parents really give time to theirchildren to learn and in the process, bonding is alsoenhanced”.As educators,we find it interesting and alsoaffirming that our parents were able to highlight the


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importanceofparents’support,especially,intheformofestablishinggoodrelationshipwiththeirchildren,whilethe latter continue their educational journey and facedifferenteducationalopportunitiesandchallenges.ThisissupportedbyElias(2006)whostressedoutthatwhatbuiltoncaringrelationshipsbetweenachildandparentsare effective, lasting academic learning and socio-emotional learning. Thus, parents take a bigresponsibility to support their children in terms oflearningandacquiringnewthingsandskills.Moreover,Landry (2014) mentioned that parent’s specificresponsiveness behaviors best supports a child’slearning.Learning is fun and ignites students’ interests. Theparentsalsosharedduringourinterviewwiththemthattheprogram ignites interestsof theirchildrenand that,their children is having fun while learning. Anotherparent who is also a public school teacher says, “theprogramisconvenientandinterestingespeciallyonthepartofthe learner,aswhat Ihaveobservedwithmysonsincehe isverycuriousaboutthethingshewantedtolearn,throughthisprogram it boostsmore the interest of the learnerswith thevideolessons,colorfulillustrationandquizzesgameswiththetimerandrankscores.Itisabighelpalsotothelearnersnottoexposeorbeingaddictononlinegamesbuttolearnsomethingnewandtaughtthemtoberesponsibleindoingtheirweeklyassignedtask.”The same observation is shared by anotherparent who is a high school teacher, “the program washelpful…it promotes fun in teaching kids new lessons.”Another parent also says, “I like so much the processbecauseithasmanydifferentsubjectsandduringquizzes,it seems like students are just playing.” Indeed, manyeducationaltheoristssaythatlearningisbestfacilitatedinanenvironmentoffunandenjoymentwhilestudentsexploreandsatisfytheircuriositytolearn.Furthermore,the “fun-value” in learning has a positive effect on thelevelofmotivation,recognizingwhatwe learnandhowmuch of which we do retain. After all, learning isn’t aone-off event, instead it requires repetition anddedication. If a learner experiences fun along with thelearning processes, then he will stay curious and keepcoming back for more:https://www.growthengineering.co.uk/why-fun-in-learning-is-important/.It promotes independent learning.With our free on-line tutorial program, the parents said that they haveobserved their children being responsible in keepingtrackwiththeir lessonsandassignments.Aparentwhoworks as a Covid-19 frontliner says, “the program hashelpedmyboyalottokeeptrackandcontinuelearning.”Anotherparentalsosays,“theprogramthatyoudeliveredtomychild ismeaningfulandcanboosther independentlearning.”One parent also says, “theprogram ishelpfulbecause through the daily given activities she (herdaughter)iseagertodoitindependently.”Indeed,oneofthe best features of on-line learning is really thepromotionofself-autonomyandpersonalresponsibilityamong the students. Since learning is not situated in arigidclassroomstructure,on-linelearningpromotesnotonly independent learning but also sense of maturityamong the students. In their paper, “Online Learning”,DhullandSaskhi (2016)mentionedsomeopportunities

brought by online education which promotesindependentlearning.Throughonlinelearning,studentsareabletoworkandlearnattheirownpacewithoutthetimerestriction.Moreover,theyaddedthatthisplatformallowsa learner tocompletehiscourseworkaccordingto his own will where he can take much time as herequires without being termed as slow by his peers.Thus, this makes self-directed learning as the newmantraforbetterandmeaningfullearning.WastheProgramHelpful?Wealsoaskedthemiftheyfindtheprogramhelpfulandwhat they likemost about theprogram.Thereanswersto these questions can be clustered to the followingthemes: Meaningful and relevant time while staying athome,InteractiveandEngagingLearningandAPre-TasteoftheNewNormal.Meaningfulandrelevanttimewhilestayingathome.For most of our parents, they find the program veryhelpful in ensuring that meaningful and relevantlearningwill continue tohappenwhile theyarestayingathomeduringtheenhancedcommunityquarantineorlockdown period. In fact, one parent says, “Yes, theprogramisveryhelpfulbecauseinsteadofjustusingtheirgadget without meaning, my child has used her time inlearningandexploringnewideaswhileathome.”This isalsosupportedbyoneparent,saying,“itishelpfultoourkids because they learned new ideas while at home.”Anotherparentalsosays,“yes,itisveryhelpfulespeciallynowadaysthatweareexperiencingthiskindofpandemic,itallowsthelearnerstostayathomeandkeepthemsafe.Itgivesalsoachancetothelearnerstoexploremoreandlearn something new from the varied activities given bytheteacher.”Oneparent, teacherherself, evenprovidedwithplentyofexplanationswhyshefoundtheprogramhelpful and relevant nowadays, “yes, the program ishelpfulsinceithelpsthechildtobeanactivelearnerandmore independent aswell. It also helps in boosting theirconfidence,sincealotofkids,ifnotall,areveryshyfromasking questions in the normal class setting.With onlinelearning programs, this concern is taken care of. Theplatform comes with a certain level on anonymity, thuscreating a safety net for kids. Being a mother of onlinelearners,Ibelieve,onlinelearningprogramisofgreathelpinbuildingthechild’sconfidence.”

Children’s education needs to continue even whenthey are forced to stay at home because of differentpublicemergencysituations.Theuseofon-linelearningmodalityishelpfulnotonlytoensurethatstudentswillcontinue to learn but also to develop their other skillswhich are very much needed in the 21st centuryeducational landscape such as the proper and matureuse of information and communication technology andalso critical thinking. Garcia, Roy and Alotebi (2015)contend that blended learning, through the use oftechnology (in online settings) and inter-personalinteractions (in face-to-face settings), enables thedevelopment of critical thinking skills. Therefore, theeffective use of this blended learning does not merelyhelptoenhancethecriticalthinkingskillsbutalsohelpsto prepare the students for the demands of the 21stcentury work-force. In addition, De Abreau (2010)recognizes media literacy can help enhance students’


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critical thinking skills,whichare therebyof great valuein a globalized and technologically challenging 21stcentury. Therefore, there is a significant interplay oftechnology in educating and developing the criticalthinkingskillsofthestudents.Interactive and Engaging Learning. Earlier in thispaper, we already shared that parents found theprogramtoignitetheinterestsoftheirchildrenbecauseitpromotesanatmosphereof fun.During thecourseofour interview, they even qualified their answers bysaying that the program is helpful because it isinteractive and engaging. In fact, one parents says “Ireally like the program and its processes because it hasdifferenttopicsandactivities.Quizzesarealsointroducedlikeagamethatiswhymychildrenweresoengagedanddid not lose their interests. The topics are also advancethat can challenge the students. I rate the program as10/10.”Another parent also says, “yes, the program isvery helpful because the children learn to interact withtheir teachersandclassmatesusing theirgadget. It’s liketheyarejustplayingbuttheylearnedalotofnewthings.They can also get ideas on how to use their gadget toexploremoreinordertohavemuchdeeperlearning.”Thisisalsoattestedbyanotherparentwhenshesays,“whatIreally like about the program is that it has simplified acomplextopicand it introducesasimplewayonhowthestudents can learn a difficult subject while they are juststaying at home. The parents can also monitor theirchildren and the learning is very advanced because thestudentscandoresearchonthetopicsinadvance.”

According to Lim (2014), the rise of online learningenvironmentprovidesawiderangeofopportunitiesforlearnerstobecomemoreengagedandtakecontrolovertheir learning process. In fact during the course of thisOnline Tutorial Program, we, as class managers, had agreat time inpreparingandensuringthatactivitiesandmaterialsprovided forour studentsaredelivered inaninteractiveandengagingways.Tomakethisrealized,wetried exploring the online world by looking forinteractive sites such as Quzziz, BookWidgets andNearpod, where exercises and activities are providedthroughgamificationorgameplaying.Apre-tasteofthenewnormal.Formostofourparents,they said that our program is a pre-taste of the newnormal. They are already aware that in the incomingschool year, there will be major shift in the mode ofdelivery of teaching to their children. It will be acombination of on-line and modular learning methodsdependingon theircapacityandcompetency toavailofsuch methods. Thus, for them, the program that weintroduced to their children is already a pre-taste ofwhatwill happen in the next school year. According toone of our participants, “using platforms like this willpractice the students come a new learningmodalitywillbe used in the new school year.” Another parent says,“whatIlikemostisthat,itprovidesmoreflexiblescheduleand environment. This on-line learning that will beintroducedinthenextschoolyear,hasalsoadvantagesonthe part of the learner as he/she has given a chance toresearch more regarding the topics or assignmentassigned by the teacher. This program has alreadypreparedourstudents.But,besuretohavestronginternet

connectionalso intheareatobeabletoaccessthegiventaskbytheteacher.”

Indeed,thatisourintentionofcreatingtheprogram.Wewantedtopilot-testittodifferentlearnerswhohavesignified their intentions to avail of our free on-linetutorialprogram.WhattheylikeleastabouttheProgram?Wealsowanted toknowwhat they like leastabout theprogramsowecanreviseandinnovatesomething.Asidefrom the expected internet connectivity problem inmany places in the country, our parents’ answers arecentered on one theme: Needs time and guidance fromparents. This is beautifully captured by one of ourparents in her answer, “aside from the fact that theprogramreallyrequiresgoodinternetconnectionbecausee-learning is only made possible and effective in theinternet connection is good, it also requires timemanagementnotonly for thekidsbutalso theparents….forworkingparentslikeme,wereallyneedtoexertmoreeffort and spare their precious time amidst their busyschedules to guide their children during on-line classes.”Another parent also says, “learning online really needsguidanceandtimebothchildrenandparents.”Amotherwho also works as a front-liner during the Covid-19pandemic, also says thatwhat she liked least about theprogramisherlackoftimetosuperviseherchild.“whatIlikeleastisourtimetogetherbecauseit’slimitedduetomyworkstructure.Wehavearule inthehousethatkidscouldstayuponlyuntil9pm.Priortothattime,choresandprayersshouldbedone.IhopeIcanimprovemyscheduletoo.”

Wefinditinterestingaswellasintriguingthatalotofparents consider giving their time to monitor andsupervise the education of their children seemeddifficult. We understand that most of parents areworkingparentsevenduringpandemicasmanyofthemare also teachers likeus.Thismightbe the reason thatmost parents wanted to have face-to-face classesbecausetheycanjustsendtheirchildrentoschoolsandlet the teachers handle their children. But duringpandemic, they also did not go to school and attend tothe needs of their students. They just stayed at home.Whiletheyhaveworkstodoasdirectedbytheirbossesand employers, certainly, they have time (if they reallychooseto)fortheirchildren.Indeed,manyofthemsaidthat what they like about the program is that, theirchildren can still continue to learn and they alsoenhanced their bonding. But we find it intriguing whythey consider it “least”when they have to really spendtime to monitor and supervise their children whilelearning at home. In fact, instead of two live learningsession via googlemeet as planned,we onlymet themoncebecause theparentswere sobusy that they couldnotassisttheirkids.

Thereisalsooneparentwhosaysthatwhatshelikeleast about our program is that “some of the questionswererepeatedinthegame.”Indeed, she is right,wealsofoundoutthattherearequestionsthatwererepeatedinthe games. This parent really supervises the learningactivityofherchild.

Thereisanotherparentwhosaysthatwhatshelikesleastabouttheprogramisthat,“thisisn'tquitethesameas the social interaction with other pupils in a physical


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classroom setting. Sometimes, I believe that, some pupilssimplylearnbetterinacollaborativesettingthantheydoon their own. Factors affecting with this program if theparents cannot afford loads for Wi-Fi to have internetconnectionathome,andconsideringalsotheareawheretheinternetconnectionisverypoor.”Aside from internetconnectivityproblem,thisparentstillbelievesthatface-to-face learning is still better as compared to pure on-lineclasses.Parents’recommendationsandsuggestionsWhen we asked what are their suggestions orrecommendations for the government, the schoolauthorities and teachers as well as the community ingeneralinrelationtothefutureeducationalset-upofthePhilippines.Weclusteredtheiranswersaccordingtothefollowing themes: schoolauthoritiesandteachersshouldbe resourceful, parents should have time to guide theirchildren,anditshouldbeblendedlearning.

Schoolauthoritiesandteachersshouldberesourceful.Since many our parents are also teachers, they mighthave been very aware already of the pressing issuestoday in relation to the proposed on-line platform ineducation, such as, students lack the gadget andequipmentandlackofinternetconnectionandcellphonesignals. That iswhy one parent,who is a public schoolteacher assigned in a far-flung area of Saranganiprovince,says,“let’sexposelearnerstonewopportunitiesthat are missing in schools, in order to motivate themmore and engage this kind of modality…As teachers, wewillthinkofstrategiestohelplearnersfindtheirpassions,talents, and interests. We will help also the learners toexpose and connect them to others who love what theylove. Of course, as public teachers we all knew thatmajority of our learners cannot afford to have internetconnectionathome,allweneedtodo, istofindsponsorsandlinktoNGO’sandothergovernment/privatesectorstoprovideourlearnersforWi-Fiandloadsaswefacethesocalled “New Normal.” Another parent who is also ateacher says, “teacher-facilitator shouldbecompetent indesigningandpresentinghis/her lessonaccording to thelearners’ needs and interest. They should beknowledgeable enough in using any platforms to deliverthelessonseffectively.Schoolshouldalsoconduct“ParentsOrientation” program to forge effective communicationwithparents.”

Interestingly, there isonlyoneparentwhosaysthatteachers should link togovernment toprovidewifi andloadstostudents.Therestdidnotmentionit.Therearemany layers to interpretwhymajority of themdid notsuggesttorecommendthatschoolsshouldpressurethegovernment to provide the needed infrastructuresupportforeducationduringthispandemic.Forone,wecan just surmise that teachers have already seen theeffortofthegovernmenttoreallyhelpthepeopleduringthistimeofpandemic.Anotherlayerofinterpretationisthat, we can also posit that teachers have been tiredalready of asking support from the government whosetoppriority in termsprogramsandbudget isnot reallyeducation.Whateveristhereasonwhythereisonlyoneteacher who says that there is a need for schools toconnect with different sectors, especially thegovernment,itisveryclearfromtheirresponsethatthey

wantthatschoolauthoritiesaswellasteachersmustberesourcefultoensurethattheeducationofthestudentsunder the new normal will still be relevant andmeaningful.Parentsshouldhavetimetoguidetheirchildren.Theroleofparentsintheeducationofchildrenespeciallyinthe new normal has been recurring in most of theiranswersfromthedifferentquestionsthatweaskedthemduringtheinterview.Buthere,theyreallycallingforallthe parents to really take time to guide their children.For example, one parent says that “parents have toensurethatchildrenareeffectivelyengagedineducationalactivities.” Another parent says, “to enroll in on-lineeducation, the parents should put in their priority lists,time to guide their children.”This is also supported byone parent when she says, “classes during googlemeetshould only be limited especially with younger studentsand parents should really accompany and guide theirchildren.” Inorder toproperlyguide their children,oneparent says, “parents should be engaged in interactionsusingtechnology.”This iswhere theschools shouldalsoeducate the parents about this new learning modality.One parent says, “schoolsshouldreachouttoparentssothat they can also help the teachers in designing theteaching-learningmaterialsfortheirkids.”

Itisalreadyanestablishedfactthatparentsarereallyimportant partners of the teachers in the education oftheirchildren.Infact,theyplayedavitalrole.Thus,itisimportant to schools to really have home-schoolpartnershipprogramanddonotjustrelyontheParentsand Teachers’ Association (PTA) that are alreadyestablished in many schools here in the Philippines.AccordingtoTerry(2016),variousresearchonparentalinvolvement strongly suggests that students, of all agesand fromall backgrounds, aremost likely to succeed ifthey are given enough support and families activelyengaged in their learning. Moreover, Terry (2016)recognized home-school partnerships as a product ofcollaborativeeffortbetweenthehomeandtheschooltowork together in various ways and share theresponsibilityofbringingthebestforthestudents.It should be blended learning. Since the reality ofmany students in the Philippines is that they lackgadgetsandothertoolsforon-linelearning,parentsalsosuggest that schoolswill employblended learning.Thisisbeautifullyexpressedbyoneparent, “Theremustalsobemodular learning because it’s not also good that it ispurelyon-linebecausethestudentswillalwaysbeexposedto radiation and that, the students who do not havelaptops and internet access cannot really participate intheclasses.” Blended learningorhybrid learning caughttheattentionofeducational leadersasalternativewaystoensurecontinuityoflearning.Thisisanintegrationofconventional face-to-face,physicaleducationandonlineor virtual learning using available technology andautomation, topromoteactive learning, interactionanddevelop sense of creativity and deep sense ofunderstandingnewknowledge.Infact,blendedlearninghas identified threemajor advantages, and they are asfollows:1)flexibility;2)interestingandinnovativeformof learning; and 3) extended reach:


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https://www.futurereadyedu.com/blended-learning-opportunities-and-challenges-for-students/.

Conclusion The occurrence of global crisis brought by Covid 19pandemic has provided educational sectors to consideralternative learning modalities, replacing theconventional face-to-face instruction to avoid physicalinteractionbroughtby the immediateand rapid spreadof the virus. The term blended or hybrid learning isrecognizedastheso-callednewnormalwayoflearning,where exploring the use and integration of technologythrough the online education is considered to ensurelearningcontinuity.

Our FreeOn-line Tutorial Programwas launched toprovide opportunities for interesting and aspiringparents and students who wanted to explore andnavigate the online education using the e-classroom.Moreover, this 5-week free online program aimed to“testthewaters”andseeiftheproposedon-line/distantlearningschemebytheDepartmentofEducationforthenext school year will be effective given the differentsituationsandcontextsofthelearnersandtheirfamilies.Indeed,therewereadvantagesanddisadvantagesofon-line learning as pointed out by the parents. One of theadvantages is that on-line learning supports andenhances independent learning. With independentlearning, studentshave the freedomand luxuryof timetoexplore the internet toenhance theirknowledgeandskills and to also satisfy their curiosity. However, thedisadvantageofthisisthat,theymightalsousetheiron-line learning time toexploreother siteswhichmaynotnecessarily give them the right and appropriateeducation. Thus, the guidance of theparents ormatureadultsisverymuchcrucialhere.Lastly, since on-line learning requires not only time

and guidance for parents but also, on the practicalaspect,theneededinfrastructuresuchasstableinternetconnectionandalsogadgets like laptopsandcellphone,which are not always available to many poor familiesespecially in the far-flung areas, pure on-line learningmight not be really effective in this situation. Thus, ablended or hybrid learning approach might be theeffective approach in many communities, families andlearners in the Philippines in this time of globalpandemic.References Basilaia, G. and Kvavadze, D. (2020). Transition to OnlineEducation in Schools during a SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus(COVID-19) Pandemic in Georgia.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340560537Coronavirusupdate:290Millionstudentsnowstuckathome.(2020). UN News. March 5. At:https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/03/1058791Gilbert, B. (2015). Online learning revealing the benefits andchallenges. Educations Masters. Paper 3030.https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_ETD_masters/303Landry, S. (2014). The role of parents in early childhoodlearning. Children’s Learning Institute; University of TexasHealthScienceCenter,USA.Malipot, M. (2020). DepEd allows schools to choose‘appropriate’ learning delivery methods for new SY.https://news.mb.com.ph/2020/05/13/deped-allows-

schools-to-choose-appropriate-learning-delivery-methods-for-new-sy/Roy,M.andGarcica,R(2018).Theroleofparentalinvolvementand social/emotional skills in academic achievement: globalperspectives.SchoolCommunityJournal, 2018,Vol. 28,No.2.http://www.schoolcommunitynetwork.org/SCJ.aspxTerry, JaNiece M., "Establishing Effective Home-SchoolPartnershipsbyBuildingCapacity"(2016).Dissertations.174.https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/174Uy, A. (2020). “Blended Learning” In Virus-HitPhilippines.https://theaseanpost.com/article/blended-learning-virus-hit-philippinesVlachopoulos,D. (2020).COVID-19:Threatoropportunity foronline education? Higher Learning Research Communication,10(1),16–19.DOI:10.18870/hlrc.v10i1.1179“Why fun in learning works better that dull learning.”https://www.growthengineering.co.uk/why-fun-in-learning-is-important/ Challenges, difficulties, and opportunities of nurses during COVID-19 pandemic: an assessment of disaster nursing care experience -AngelineAnastacio,RN,MANChair,CollegeofHealthSciencesSt.PaulUniversityQuezonCity,PhilippinesEmail:[email protected] This is a descriptive qualitative study usingphenomenological approach involving 46 nursesworking in hospitals that cater to COVID-19 patients.ThiswasconductedinApril2020.ResultsshowthatthechallengesofnursesduringthetourofdutyinCOVID-19wards includes physical, procedural, psychological andprotection. Likewise, nurses uncovered some difficultywithregardtothe followingexperiences:struggletobeincompletePPEandwithlackofPPE,notalwaysbeingabletoprovidetimelycare,increasedworkload,nursingcare limitations, their risk to safety andhavinganxiety.Thismostoftenleadstosomeopportunitiesthatbridgesthe gap towards achievement of their personaldevelopment and professional growth, as such, nursesbecame more compassionate, confident, resilient andresourceful, altruistic, and develop a stronger faith inGod.Their leadershipskillswerealsoenhancedas theylearned new knowledge and developed skills througheducation, trainings and experience. All the challengesanddifficultiesbecameavenueforthenursestobeabletounleashtheirpotentialsandfurtherdevelopthemintoa God fearing and humane health care providers.Furthermore,thenursesbeingintheforefrontofhealthcareshouldbegivenassuranceofsafetyandprotection.Likewise, the nurse should closely adhere to standardprotocol designed for COVID-19 infection control. It isthus recommended that there should be effectivecommunication system to address issues and resolveconflicts. Lastly, emotional support and positivefeedback should be given to nurses during the criticalsituations in the ward and collaborative workingenvironmentshouldbeestablishedallthetime.


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Introduction The world is struggling to control COVID-19 infectionthat has debilitated many people and has severelyaffected the health care systemof every country in theworld.Nursesareoneof the front liners inthestruggleagainstthispandemic,sincetheyareprimarilytheonesproviding holistic nursing care to patients and theirfamilies and act as nursingmanagement leaders in theward. Moreover, they are trained in disasterpreparedness and management, and this currentpandemic situation could be a venue to evaluate theirability to respond effectively, personally andprofessionally,tothecalloftheirdutyduringthishealthcareemergency.

Watson (2008) described nursing as reconnectingwith what is involved in the knowledge, values andpractices that are essential to the nurses and nursingitselftosustaintheenduringandtimelessgiftofofferinginformed,moral, knowledgeable, compassionatehumancaring-healing services to sustain humanity in thenurses’ daily work and in the world”. This definitionbest illustrates the holistic caring qualities and roles ofthenursesastheyprovideselflessservicetotheirclientssickorwell,across lifespan inanyeventwherenursingcareispossible.

For many years, nurses have been involved in theresponse to a broad range of natural disasters likeearthquake, typhoon, hurricane, volcanic eruption andanthropogenic disasters like industrial explosions,vehicularcrash,warandterrorism.Pandemic,asapublichealthemergency,canalsobeincludedasdisastersinceitcreatesathreattothehealthsecurityofthepeopleandthesocietyingeneral. Zoonoticdiseasesthatcancauseepidemic and pandemic can appear to be likeearthquakes; they emerge tobe randomacts of nature;theyarealsomorelikeatyphoonastheycanoccurmorefrequently and becomepowerful, if humanbeings alterthe environment in the wrong ways (Brown, 2020),affectinglargeportionsofpopulationanddistributedoroccurringwidelythroughoutaregion,country,continentor the entire world (dictionary.com). Nurses arepreparedforvarietyofchallengesastheyareexposedtoprovidingnursingcareandotherhealthcareservicestomultiple types of patients in different environment inwhichtheseclientsaretreated.Hence,theroleofnursesinvolved in disaster management is multifaceted withpractice, education, management, consultations,advocacy and research. This made nurses developvariety of specialty areas in nursing that brings hugeexpertise in attending to different types and levels ofpeople experiencing disaster (International Council ofNursing,2017).

Disaster is an occurrence disrupting the normalconditionsofexistenceandincreasingalevelofsufferingthat exceeds the capacity of adjustment of the affectedcommunity. (WHO, 2002) In any form of disaster, it isthepeoplewhomattersmost,disasterscanhappenevenin unpopulated areas since they are by naturedisruptionsofnature.Disasterisaseriousdisruptionofthe functioning of a community or a society causingwidespread human, material, economic orenvironmental losses which exceed the ability of theaffected community or society to cope using its ownresources(WHO,2020).Itmaycauseprematuredeaths,

illnessandinjuriesintheaffectedcommunity,generallyexceedingthecapacityofthelocalhealthcaresystems.Itmay also affect the psychological, emotional, and socialwell-beingof thepopulation in theaffectedcommunity.Depending on the specific nature of the disaster,responsesmayrange from fear,anxietyanddepressionto widespread panic and terror (Purijar, 2017). Thesearealsoexperiencedbythepeopleduringpandemicbutto a certain extent. In human history, there have beenmany significant pandemics documented and thepandemic related crises have caused massive negativeimpact on health, economies, and even the nationalsecuritiesintheworld(Qui,2017).

In previous years, the government becamepreoccupied with making necessary preparationspertinent to the occurrence of various naturalphenomena, specifically caused by natural hazards thatcommonly devastated some countries such as typhoonandflooding,severestormsurge,landslides,earthquake,hurricanes and volcanic eruption. The Philippines hasrecentlybeenaffectedwithnaturalhealthhazardssuchas severe storm surge in Tacloban, civil unrest inMarawi, earthquake in Bohol, volcanic eruptions ofMt.Mayon inAlbayandMt.Taal inBatangas,which shook,injuredandevenclaimedthelivesofmanyFilipinosanddamaged their communities. Furthermore, the small-scale disease outbreak of local epidemics like Measles,Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever, Polio, and Influenza hasaffected a good number of individuals and claimedsignificant number of lives also. Nurses play importantrolesinthemanagementoftheclientsthatwereseverelyaffected by these calamities whether at the hospital orcommunity levels.Someof themwereactively involvedinactivitiesandprogramsthataugmenttheneedsofthecommunity, like relief operation, medical mission,psychological interventions, and first aid amongothers.Likewise, nurses are actively involved in theimplementation of programs and activities that attendstoclients’healthneedsespeciallyduringtheseepidemicslike mass immunization, surveillance of cases, givinghealth education and providing health care services inthehospitals andcommunities. Theseevents thereforehave heightened recognition of the role of nurses indisastermanagementandresponse.

Previously,therewereepidemicsthatrapidlyspreadgloballyliketheH5N1Coronavirus,SARS,MERSCovandEbola infections that challenged the integrity andservices of nurses in affected countries. Recently theCOVID-19 infection has affected millions of individualsand killed hundreds of thousands of people andprofessional health workers worldwide. This samescenarioisarepetitionofthehealthcarechallengesthathappened way back 1918 during the H1N1 SpanishInfluenza pandemic which greatly affected the lives ofpeopleandkilledmillionsofyoungandhealthypatients(Meltzer,2006)fromaroundtheworld.

On March 11, 2020, the Director General of WorldHealth Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19situation as pandemic due to the alarming levels of itsspreadandseverity,likewisewiththealarminglevelsofinaction(WHO,2020).Thissituationsoughttheselflessservices of health care providers especially the nurseswho are in charge of the bedside care of severelyinfected clients. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome


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Coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2) is not an ordinary viruscausingsevererespiratory infection that canbe treatedeasily. This has affected individuals with low bodyresistanceespeciallythosewithotherunderlyinghealthconditions. This is a virulent infection that could easilyinfectpeoplethroughdropletspread.Moreover,thiscancontaminate thosewho are at the forefront of infectedindividuals, and those who are not practicing a goodinfectioncontrolprotocol.AresearchstudyrevealedthatSARS-CoV-2, likeotheremerginghigh-threatpathogens,has infected health-care workers in China and severalcountries including the Philippines, USA, UK and KSA(WHO,2020).Itcametoapoint,thatcaseshasreachedtothealarmingnumberwhereitcanhardlybecontainedanymore; and the health care facilities can barelyaccommodate the clients considering thedisproportionatenumberofmedicalequipmentandthestaffingofnursesandotherhealthcareworkforcewiththe number of cases who needs hospitalization andtreatment.

ThefollowingdatarepresentsanupdateonthecasesofCOVID19inthePhilippinesasofApril20,2020.Fromthe DOH DataCollect app Covid-19 Tracker, there are6,459 individuals as the Total Confirmed CasesNationwide, with 3,199 currently admitted, 63 newadmissions,428deathsofconfirmedcasesand613totalfacility-based recoveries and thosewho had completedthe 14-day home quarantine. Concerning the availablesupport systems as of April 12, 2020, there are 3,191total dedicated beds for COVID-19 hospitals, 1,474mechanical ventilators and 12,413 beds in identifiedcommunity isolation facilities across country. This datawasgeneratedfromthe48.6%ofhospitalsand52.4%ofinfirmaries that had reported on the DOH Data Collectapp.(DOH,2020).

OnMay13, 2020, there are 11,618 confirmed casesreported in thePhilippines and54%aremalewith themost affected age group 30-39 years (21.2%) followedby 20-29 years (16.9%). Out of 772 confirmed deaths,65% aremale with 70 years (36.2%) and 60-69 years(31.7%)asthemostaffectedagegroup.71.8%ofdeathsreported are from NCR. (DOH, COVID-19 Situationreport).ThereportonMay21,2020disclosedthatthereare4.97Millionconfirmedcases,1.89Millionrecoveriesand 327,000 deaths worldwide (COVID-19 alertstatistics).

Health care workers are among the group ofindividualswho are proven to be at risk of contractingCOVID-19infection.AreportonMay13,2020revealedatotalof2,125healthcareworkerswhohavebeentestedpositive for COVID-19, including 35 deaths in thePhilippines alone. According to the Department ofHealth, adherence to InfectionPreventionControl (IPC)and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) use and theneed for special surveillance and contact tracing forhealthcareworkersathospital level isnotenough.Theimportance of proper rest for health care workers hasbeen emphasized by the WHO, based from the reportthat physical and mental exhaustion are attributed toincreased risk of complacency with properprecautionarymeasures.(DOH,2020)

Inthefaceofdisasterandpublichealthemergencies,nursesareexpectedtoexecutethefollowingrolesbasedon the guiding principles of nursing during special

events from the International Council of NursingDisasterPreparednessandManagementwhichincludes:(1)Rapidassessmentofthelifesituationandofnursingcare;(2)Triageandinitiationoflife-savingmeasures;(3)The selected use of essential nursing interventions andthe elimination of nonessential nursing activities; (4)Adaptation of necessary nursing skills to disaster andother emergency situations. The nurse must useimaginationandresourcefulnessindealingwithalackofsupplies,equipmentandpersonnel;(5)Evaluationoftheenvironmentandthemitigationorremovalofanyhealthhazards; (6) Prevention of further injury or illness; (7)Leadership in Coordination patient, triage, care andtransport during times of crisis; (8) The teaching,supervision and utilization of auxiliary medicalpersonnel and volunteers; and the (9) Provision ofunderstanding,compassionandemotionalsupporttoallvictimsandtheirfamilies.(ICN,2017).Consideringthesecomplex functions of nurses in times of health careemergencies, executing these responsibilities can be ofgreatchallengetothem.

Nursesarehailedasreal-lifeheroesinthehonorabletaskofpromotinghealthandpreserving lives.Theyaretrained to be prepared in every battle even how toughand complicated itmay be. The effect of this pandemiconthepersonalandprofessionallifeofnursescanneverbe discounted, hence, this study. Specifically, the studywas focused on determining the personal andprofessional challenges experienced by nursesworkingin the COVID-19 health care facility; the difficultiesexperienced by nurses while taking care of COVID-19patients; and the personal and professionalopportunities that were opened to them during thispandemic.Methods This is a descriptive qualitative study using aphenomenological approach that allows exploration ofthe experiences of nurses as they attend to COVID-19patients.Theparticipantsincludedinthestudywere46nurses working directly in the private and publichospitals that cater toCOVID-19patients.Thesenursesareassigned invariousareas inthehospitals located inthePhilippines,Kingdomof SaudiArabia,UnitedStatesof America, Canada and United Kingdom. They wereselected using a purposive random sampling method.They were notified through email and Facebookmessenger and requested to fill-out the open-endedsurveyquestioner throughanonlineapplicationduringthe whole month of April 2020. A Survey Monkeyapplication was utilized as the data gathering toolwhereinopen-endedquestionswereuploadedtogathertheinformation.Likewise,oneononeinterviewwasalsodone to selected participants via messenger call tovalidate the results of survey conducted.Moreover, thedemographic data was analyzed using percentage.Likewise, thenarrativedatawerecollated,groupedandcoded to come up with specific themes that were thebasesofinterpretationandanalysis.TheoreticalframeworkThetheoryofJeanWatsononHumanCaringwasusedinanalyzingtheresultsofthisresearchstudy.Nursingisaprofessionthatrequiresthenursestobecomeequipped


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with utmost care. This theory emphasizes that it isthroughinterpersonalinteractionwherecaringcanonlybeeffectivelydemonstratedandpracticed.ItisguidedbycertainCarativefactorsthatmarksinthesatisfactionofparticular human needs. Individuals or family growthare promoted by effective caring. An acceptance of apersonfornotonlyasheorsheisnow,butaswhatheorshe may become is a reflection of a caring responses.Offering one’s potential while allowing the person tochoosethebestactionforhimselfatagivenpointintimeisanimageofacaringenvironment.Eventhoughcaringiscomplementarytothescienceofcuring;caringismore“healthogenic”thancuring,andcentraltonursingisthepractice of caring. (Current Nursing, 2012). The 10carative factors that guide nurses as they execute theirroles in caring are: formation of humanistic altruisticsystemofvalues(embrace);Instillationoffaithandhope(inspire);cultivationofsensitivitytooneselfandothers(trust);developmentofahelping-trustinghumancaringrelationships (nurture);promotionof acceptanceof theexpression of positive and negative feelings (forgive);systematicuseofthescientificproblemsolvingmethodsofdecisionmaking(deepen);promotionofinterpersonalteaching-learning (balance); provision for a supportive,protectiveandcorrectivemental,physicalsociocultural,andspiritual(co-create);assistancewithgratificationofhuman needs (minister); and allowance for existential-phenomenologicalforces(open).(Watson,2008).

Nurses, having been continuously taking care ofpatientsinthehospitalduringthisCOVID-19pandemic,are inasituationthatappraisestheircarativebehavior.Being in apublichealthemergency situation, thenurseexperiencechallengesanddifficultiesthattestshowwelltheyutilizethecarative factors inthewaythey interactwith the patients and their environment. They have toembracetherealityoftheirsituationinthehospitalanddealwithwhattheyhaveasareflectionofcare.Withthenumber of nurse-patient ratio, availability of suppliesandequipmentandhowtheyworkcollaborativelywithmembers of the health care team, the devastatingconditionoftheirpatientsandtheheavyworkloadsduetothedemandsofhealthcaretheyhavetoprovide,areall areas thatwould require thenurse tohavea strongsense of caring to herself, to her patients and to herenvironment. This most often leads to someopportunitiesthatbridgesthegaptowardsachievementofpersonaldevelopmentandprofessionalgrowth.

Figure1.Schematicdiagramofthestudy

Results and analysis of data The participants in this research study comprised ofnurseswhoarecurrentlyworkinginCOVID-19hospitals,with administrative position (26.08%) and staff nurses(73.91%) involved in direct patient care. They areworkinginthenursingserviceandinclinicalpracticeforan average of 10 years and 6 months. Most of theparticipants are single (50%), working in the public(60.87%)andprivate (39.13%)hospitals,mostof themare working from the NCR, Philippines (41.30%), USA(17.39%),andKSA(30.43%).Table1.DemographicprofileA.Position %Nurseswithadministrativeposition 26.08StaffNurse 73.91 B.AverageLengthofService 9monthsto3years 26.0820to40years 17.39 C.CivilStatus Married 45.65Single 50.00 D.WorkLocation Canada,Nevada 02.17Philippines,NCR 41.30UnitedKingdom,Gloucester 08.69USA,LA,California,Harlingen,Texas 17.39KingdomofSaudiArabia,Najiran 30.43 E.TypeofHospitalFacility Private 39.13Public 60.87The challenges that nurses encountered whileservinginaCovid-19healthcarefacilityTheresponsesmadebythenursesonthechallengesthatthey experiencedwhile serving in a COVID-19 hospitalhascreatedthefourthematicareas:

(1)Physicalchallengeswhichincludesthelimitationofresources bothmaterials such as “lack of PPE,medicalsupplies, testing kits and equipment”; and lack ofmanpowerwiththe“shortageofnurses”inthehospitalscauses “heavy workloads” among the nurses. Likewise,the nurses would also say that once in PPE they were“unabletourinateinan8-hourshift”.

(2)Proceduralchallengeswhichcomprisesinsufficientproceduresandprotocolsofhospital specific toCOVID-19 health care management as reflected in the “poortriagingandclassificationofpatients”andthelimitationofknowledgeofnursesonCOVID-19healthcaredueto“lackofhealtheducation”andinformationaboutCOVID-19.

(3)Psychologicalchallengeswherenurses regard thesituation as “emotionally draining to see patient dyingaloneandfamiliescouldnotcomein”.Thisalsoincludesfacingissuesandconcernsonthebehaviorandattitudeof patients and other staff nurses who are also with


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“anxiety”.Accordingtothem,“somenursesdonotwanttoworkbecauseoffearofbeinginfectedwiththevirus”.

(4)Protectionchallengeswhich involve threat to thepersonal safety of nurses. According to them, they“always have uncertainties of taking care of patientswhom they do not know if carrier or not” and theyencounterproblemsin“obtainingaccuratehistoryfrompatientsbecauseothersarenothonestenough”torevealthetruth.“ToomuchexposurefromCovid-19virus”leadthemtoagreaterrisk.Basedon therevelationof somenurses,“therewerenurseswhogotinfectedalreadyandare now in quarantine and cannot report for work”.However,apositiveattitude like“wealwayshavetobeready and creative to protect ourselves” and “hand inhandwewilleliminateit”,arethecopingmechanismsofnursestopushthroughwiththefightandfaceall thesechallenges.

Difficulties that nurses experience in taking care ofpatientswithCovid-19The key word STRAIN has emerged to represent theresponses of the nurses on the difficulties that theyexperiencedintakingcareofpatientswithCOVID-19.• Struggle:Nurses“StruggletobeincompletePPEfora prolonged period” and with “profuse sweat whiledoingnursingduties”aresomeofthedifficultiesthatnurseshavetobeartoprotectthemselvesfrombeinginfectedwithvirus.

• Timely care: This has to be provided to theirpatients while strictly adhering to the protocol of“changingandwearingofPPEinemergencysituationwhich is time consuming” as some nurses “cannotattend to patient immediately even during thepatient’s cardiac arrest because the nurse has to beproperlygearedupwithcompletePPEthattakesher3minutes”.

• Risk to safety: Due to “lack of PPE”, “exposure toCovid-19 patients”, “danger of being infected sinceonly when the symptoms show that fullimplementation of protocol is done” and “patientsfromcleanwardsnottogettested”.

• Anxiety:Most nurses said that they have “Anxiety”and other psychological symptoms due to“helplessness in managing deteriorating patients”and“lessemotionalsupport”thatisbeingreceivedbythe patients from the family. Likewise, with the“attitudeofotherpatientstorespondfavorablyasthenurse finds difficulty in explaining their need forisolation andpacify their emotionsof fearof havingthedisease”addstotheapprehensionofthenurseasshe tries to settle the patients and keep themcomfortable.

• Increased workload: Nurses said they have“Increasedworkloaddue to shortageofnurses” and“increased level of nursing care”. “Nurses finds itdifficulttoprioritizeeitherself-careorpatient-care”.Attendingtopatientsneedsbecame“laborintensive”and“overwhelmingdue toworkloadofnursingcareforCovid-19patients”.

• Nursing care limitations: As nurses said, theirinsufficientknowledgeonCovid-19isalsoamongthedilemma of nurses, they said that “we are just

learning about Covid-19 and are limited with whatwecandoforsafety”.

Opportunities of nurses leading to PersonalDevelopmentTheresponsesofnurseswereclusteredaccordingly,andthe acronym CARES sums up the expression of thepersonal development they have gained out of thechallenginganddifficultsituation.

C–compassion,confidenceA–altruismR–resilience,resourcefulE–empathyS–self-care,strongerfaithinGod

• Compassion and empathy, as reflected in theresponsethat,“atfirstIwasscaredandoverwhelmedbythetaskofhandlingCOVID-19patients,butwhenIaminfrontofthemalready , I felt thattheyarealsolikeothernon-COVID-19patients”,and“itfeelsgoodthatIwasabletohelpthemfeelbetter”.

• Confidencewasenhancedastheybecome“confidenttodealwithpatientswhoareCovid-19positive”.

• Altruism was developed, as nurses were “able tohelpallsortsofpeopleintheirownlittleways,withthe dilemma that they can also bring harm to theirfamily”isamanifestationofselflesscareinthemidstofdanger.

• Resilience as they become flexible in “providingnursingcaretoallpatients”.

• Resourcefulness and creativeness through theexpression that “I learned to make do of ourresourcesthatwehaveandmakethemostoutofit”.

• Self-care as suggested on the nurse’s realization offocusing on “self-care” and having “self-worth” topersonallyimproveoneself,“takingcareofmyhealthfirst”, also provides the nurses an “opportunity forself-reflection”.

• Stronger faith inGod, according to one of them, “Ihave faith inGod thathewillgivehishealinghandsandkeepusallsafe”.Theyconsider“Godasthegreathealer” Some of them said “our expertise is nothingwithoutHisguidance”,“myfaithbecamestrongerandmore stable”, “weneed to startourdaywithprayerthatwewillbeaninstrumentofhishealingpower”.

Opportunities of Nurses leading to ProfessionalGrowthEven how challenging and difficult the situation of thenursesmaybeas theyattendto theneedsofCOVID-19patients, these experiences have created an enormousimpact in theirprofessional growth.This is reflected inthekeywordCLEAN.

C–commitment,collaboration,competencyL–leadershipskillsE–experienceA–advocateN–newknowledgeandskills

• Commitment, as the nurse validated that thissituation“helpedmetounderstandmoreofwhatthe


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Florence Nightingale pledge is all about to dedicateand devote myself to humanity”.” Being able to domore and beyondmy job” and “always available tohelp others”is a reflection of being “dedicated” toone’smission.Thenurses said, “weare stretched todeterminehowwecanfurtherassistourpatientsandour employees”, and “gives us another reason torethinkwhywechosethiskindofprofession”.• Collaboration and communication skills haveimproved.Nurses“workcloselywithmembersofthehealth care team and became fully engaged” in thisfight and they said “to step up and be active inaddressing problems that arose in our unit duringthistime”,andbeable“toaccommodateinformationand instructions about Covid-19 due to frequentchangesinhospitalpolicy”.• Competency of the nurses in responding topandemic was improved since according to them,theyaregiventrainingsand“opportunitytorespondduring pandemic”. They also “develop a sense ofawareness and responsibility on what needs to bedoneoperationally”.• Leadershipskillsisenhanced,astheywere“abletoknowmoreandeducateothersaboutthevirus”,“abletostep-upandleadgroupwhendoingnursingtasks”.As theyaregiven the task to “activelyparticipate inaddressing and developing a suitable and bestalgorithmfortheirunitandengageindialogueswiththeir superior,doctorsandcolleagues”.Anursewas“givenachance to formulateand implementCOVID-19 task force inher/his floorandbecomea chairofcodebluecommitteewithuptodateguidelines• Experience, the situation gave the nurses “real lifeexperiences” andgave theman edge to “obtainnewknowledgeanddevelopskills”and“moreexperiencesin dealingwith patients in such situation”. They get“quickly trained to accommodate the differentspecialty”.• Advocate, as being “always available to help theunits”, “listen attentively to the needs of staff”, and“be on top of the guidance from DOH and CDC anddeliver the needs to staff on regular basis”must bedemonstrated. this experience “strengthened thepowerinmetobecomeanadvocateofhealth”.• New knowledge and skills through education andtraining, involvement are constantly available fornurses to augment the needed services in the units.Hospitalsgive“crosstrainingtonursestoexperiencedifferent specialties like ER, ICU and SDU” to equipthemwithnecessarycompetenciestobeassigned inspecial areas anytime as they advance their skills.“Online training is rushed to complete and supportthe needs of specialty floor”. They also gainedinformationthrough“healtheducation”.

Discussion Nurses are in the forefront during this health careemergency,astheyprovideholisticcaretotheirpatientsespecially thosewhoare infectedwithCOVID-19.TheircommitmentandloyaltytotheprofessioniscommencedthemomenttheyrecitetheFlorenceNightingalepledge:“I solemnly pledge myself before God and in thepresenceofthisassembly,topassmylifeinpurityandto

practice my profession faithfully… I will do all in mypower to maintain and elevate the standard of myprofession and will hold in confidence all personalmatterscommittedtomykeeping,andall familyaffairscoming tomy knowledge in the practice ofmy calling.With loyalty and endeavor to aid the physician in hiswork and devote myself to the welfare of thosecommittedtomycare”(Fowler,1984).

In this study, challenges, difficulties andopportunitiesofnurseswereuncoveredspecificallyhowthey dealt with their patients during this COVID-19pandemic.

The physical challenges were identified as the firstamong the four challenges of nurses. Among these isrelatedtotheirpersonalsafetywiththeuseofpersonalprotective equipment. According to WHO, additionalprecautions are required by health care workers toprotect themselves and prevent transmission in thehealthsetting(WHO,2020).However,evenhowprudentthenursesmaybe,dueto“lackofPPE,medicalsuppliesand testing kits and equipment” they find it hard tocomply.TheWHOalsoproposedthattheprecautionstobe implemented by health care workers caring forpatients with COVID-19 should include using PPEappropriately. This involves selecting proper PPE andbeingtrainedinhowtoputon,removeanddisposeofit.Health care workers involved in the direct care ofpatients should use the following PPE: gowns, gloves,medicalmask, eye protection (goggles and face shield)(WHO, 2020). However, when in complete protectivegear,thenurses“struggletobeinPPEforlongperiodofhours”, theywere also “unable to urinate in an 8-hourshift” and experienced “profuse sweating while doingnursing duties” which made them uncomfortable.Wearing such also test their being able to implementtheir timely care as they have to follow the properdonning”whichaccording to them“is timeconsuming”.Adhering strictly to the proper donning of PPE, somewould say that there was an incident that the nurse“cannotattendtoapatientimmediatelyevenduringthepatient’scardiacarrestbecausenursehastobeproperlygearedupwithcompletePPEthat takesher3minutes”toensureself-protectionfirst.Inadditiontothis,duetothe influx of COVID-19 patients in the hospital, theacceptable nurse-patient ratio becomes under strainthus resulted to the “shortage of nurses” in the wardsand specialty areas causing an “increased workload”.Likewise,thehigherdemandofnursingcareneededforCOVID-19 patients has resulted to “increased level ofnursing care” consequently, theirwork becomes “laborintensive” and “overwhelming due to workload ofnursingcareforCOVID-19patients.”.

Another dilemma that put nurses under pressure isthe challenge to protect themselves and others. Thisinvolves the threat of the nurses to personal safety,beyondtheproblemthatariseduetolackofPPE.Thesenurseshavea feelingof “uncertainties in takingcareofpatientswho,theyarenotsure,arecarriersornot”withthe predicament of “obtaining accurate history frompatientsbecauseothersarenothonestenough”torevealthe truth. Someof thenurses “got infected already andare now in quarantine and cannot report for work”.RelativetothestudiesonCOVID-19andotherinfectiousrespiratorydiseaseoutbreaks,personalorfamilyhealth


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in the face of direct contact with a potentially deadlyvirus and the stress of balancing this concernwith theethicalobligationsofcontinuingtoprovidecarereflectshighconcernamongnurses(Jiang,2020;Khalid,Khalid,Qabajah,Barnard&Qushmaq,2016;Kim&Choi,2016;Nickelletal.,2004;Maben,2020).Thisupsurgeofcasesandthenoveltyofdiseasewerenotanticipatedbymanyhospitals, that made nurses and other health careproviders at a loss, nurses would reveal that “poortriagingandclassificationsofpatients”andtheir“lackofeducation” and “insufficient knowledge on COVID-19”aresomeofthe“restrictionsfromtheireffectivenursingcare”. The unavailability of procedures and protocolsleads them to develop “anxiety”, especially when theydealwithpatientswithwhom“thenursefindsdifficultyin explaining their need for isolation and pacify theiremotionsforfearofhavingthedisease”.Havingbeeninasituationlikethishasaffectedthenursestofeel“helplessinmanagingdeterioratingpatients”and“lessemotionalsupportisbeingreceivedbythefamily”.Theyregardthissituationas“emotionallydrainingtoseeapatientdyingaloneandfamiliescouldnotcomein”.Nursesareusedtobe assisting the patients with their family as theyprovide bedside care. However, isolation with thepresence of family at the bedside is rarely possibleduring this time, and so, nurseswould stand in lieu offamilymembersfacilitatingremoteaccessforlovedones(Maben,2020).Furthermore,somenurses“donotwanttoworkbecauseoffearofbeinginfectedwiththevirus”.Nurses are not only experiencing an increase in thevolume and intensity of their work but have toaccommodatenewprotocolsand“newnormal”waysofworking which can be potentially highly stressful forthem(Maben,2020).

Guided by the Carative factors of Watson’s theory,this study proves that nurses, despite challenges anddifficulties during this time, have gained significantpersonal and professional development. The provisionfor a supportive, protective and corrective mental,physicalsociocultural,andspiritualorcaritasfieldwererealized through all the experiences of physical andpsychological development of nurses during this tryingtime.Thedifficultsituationsdidnotbecomeahindrancefor them to render quality care. Despite the lack ofresources and materials, nurses learn to becomeresilient, creative and resourceful “to make do ofresourcesthattheyhaveandmakethemostoutof it inorder toprovidenursingcare toall theirpatients”.Theutilization of creative self deepens the systematicmethods of decision making among them throughparticipationintrainingsandeducationalendeavorsthatpromotetheirunderstandinganddeveloptheirskills inaddressing their inefficiencies. From the lack ofexperience and knowledge, they were able to “obtainnewknowledge and skills” and gain “more experiencesin dealingwith patients in such situation”. This furthercreates balance on why, what and how to actaccordingly,thus,helpingthemachieveacertainlevelofcompetency and self-confidence. Moreover, theleadershipabilitiesofnursesespeciallyamongthenursemanagers became fully developed as they becomeknowledgeable with the protocols and proceduresrelevanttoCOVID-19andexperiencedhowtoproperlymanage the situations. The development of a helping-

trusting human caring relationship was also evidentthrough working collaboratively with other hospitalstaff, nurses, and doctors as they “work closely withmembers of the health care team and became fullyengaged” , “to step up and be active in addressingproblemsthataroseintheirunitduringthistime”.Theircommunication skills were also enhanced “toaccommodateinformationandinstructionsaboutCovid-19 due to frequent changes in hospital policy”.Moreover,theseexperiencesfacilitatedtheformationofhumanistic altruistic system of values among them asmanifestedfromtheirresponseofbeing“abletohelpallsortsofpeopleinmyownlittleways,withthedilemmathatIcanalsobringharmtomyfamily”.ThismighthavecreatedanxietyinthembutalsodrovethemtodevelopastrongerfaithinGod,astheyrealizedtheneed“tohavefaith in God that He will give healing hands and keepthemallsafe”and“theirexpertiseisnothingwithoutHisguidance”.Thismanifeststhenurses’deepenedsenseofspirituality .Thecultivationofsensitivitytooneselfandothers was developed through instillation of faith andhope. A nurse becomes aminister as he/she assists inthe gratification of the needs of her/his patients toreceivequalitycaredespiteallchallengesanddifficulties(Watson,2008). Conclusion During COVID-19 pandemic, nurses are faced withchallenges and difficulties that tests their level ofcompetencies and care such challenges would include:physical, protection, procedural and psychological thathas affected their level of performance and care.Likewise, the following: struggle, timely care, risk tosafety, anxiety, increased workload and nursing carelimitations are identified as the difficulties experiencedby thenurses in takingcareofpatientswithCOVID-19.Despite all these challenges and difficulties, severalopportunities were opened to them that addressed totheir personal development and professional growth.Their compassion, empathy, altruismand confidence intakingcareofCOVID-19patientswerefurtherenhancedas they gained competency from the education andtrainings given to them. They also learned to becomeresilientandflexibleandrealizedtheimportanceofself-care. Moreover, their faith in God became stronger asthey believed that God is mightier than anyone else.Likewise, their level of commitmenthas also improved.They realized the value of collaboration and effectivecommunication,andhasimprovedtheirleadershipskillsfrom the experience in dealing with situations duringpandemic and learning new knowledge and skills. Allthechallengesanddifficulties thereforebecameavenuefor them to be able to unleash their potentials andfurther develop them into a God fearing and humanehealthcareproviders.

Furthermore, based on the results of the study it isrecommended that the nurses being in the forefront ofhealth care should be given assurance of safety andprotection by their employer as they render theirservices through regular provision of PPE, properorientation, trainings and seminars, and swab test thatshould not be limited only for those who are showingsigns of infection. Likewise, the nurses should closely


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adheretothestandardprotocolsdesignedforCOVID-19infectioncontrol like theproperdonninganddoffingofPPE, thorough handwashing, social distancing andenough rest to ensure one’s protection and safety.Moreover, the nurse managers should ensure aneffective communication system in the unit andintervene to address issues and resolve conflicts bykeeping staff updated with current protocols andregulations.Theyshouldprovideemotionalsupportandpositive feedback to the nurses for the job well doneespeciallyduringthemostcriticalsituationintheward.Likewise,thehealthcareteamshouldcontinueworkingclosely in collaboration with one another for a moreeffective and efficient health caremanagement, to helpbuild each one through a good support system for thestaff, patients and their families and strengthen prayerlife through daily devotions. In addition to that, thehospital administrators should provide psychologicaldebriefingfortheirnursestoensureaqualityoflifeanda sense of wellbeing is maintained. And, the hospitaladministration should strictly adhere to therecommendednurse-patientratio inallunits,especiallyincriticalareasand todevelopaproactiveapproach topandemic.Similarly, thegovernmentandprivatehealthcareagenciesshouldcreateanetworkonhowtheycouldfill-in the gap between the needs of one another andshare best practices as bases in bridging the gap. Andlastly, the local government units should establishfacilities for every town that separates COVID-19 fromnon-COVID-19 patients thus preventing crosscontamination of cases. They should create laws,concrete policies and guidelines to address currentissuesandinpreparationforfuturepandemic. References Brown, K. 2020. The pandemic is not a natural disaster. Thecoronavirusisn’tjustapublic-healthcrisis.It’sanecologicalone. The New Yorker. Published April 13, 2020.retrieved May 18, fromhttps://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-inquiry/the-pandemic-is-not-a-natural-disaster

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