Collective Suffering and Survival in Pandemic Philippines
Volume 18 | Issue 15 | Number 6 | Article ID 5435 | Aug 01, 2020 The Asia-Pacific Journal | Japan Focus Misplaced Priorities, Unnecessary Effects: Collective Suffering and Survival in Pandemic Philippines Nastassja Quijano, Maria Carmen (Ica) Fernandez, Abbey Pangilinan trouble, Abstract: Despite one of the world’s strictest or occasions where there's violence and your and longest lockdown policies, the Philippines’ lives are in danger, securitized approach to containing the COVID-19 pandemic has led to unnecessary shoot them dead," suffering, especially in poor communities. This -Rodrigo Duterte, President of the article explores how the Philippine Philippines government’s prioritizing of punitive policies such as detaining quarantine violators or April 1, 2020, during the president’s weekly attempting to decongest Manila by sending late-night address to the nation poor families to neighbouring provinces, magnifies existing socio-spatial inequalities and and Day 21 of the global pandemic further spreads disease. In many of these communities, poverty is a co-morbidity. As local governments struggle to provide frontline health and social welfare services, high-profile arrests, media shutdowns, and the proposed The president’s orders were clear—the Anti-Terrorism Bill spark concerns about Philippines’ response to the COVID-19 restrictions on free speech while movement is pandemic would be led by the military and the curtailed. Nevertheless, community and private police instead of the beleaguered civilian health sector efforts around localized healthcare, food ministry. Thus, the Philippine Inter-Agency security, and inclusive mobility indicateTask Force on Eradicating Infectious Diseases potential paths towards a ‘better normal’ that and its implementing bodies would not be led goes beyond just survival.
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