Facing Challenges_Philippines amidst the Pandemic, Assignments of Sociology

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THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD

SUMMATIVE PAPER 1

Instruction: Students will be tasked to write a critical paper addressing the contemporary condition of the Philippines by applying both the economic relations and the country’s status in battling the COVID-19 Pandemic. How has the world economy and the global pandemic influenced the state of the Philippines’ economy?

Facing Challenges: Philippines amidst the Pandemic

Today, the most significant crisis in the Philippines that is needed to be resolved is the severe impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic. This global pandemic has caused different effects on the various sectors of the Philippines, but what it has primarily affected are the country’s health and economic sector. The fact that this disease was unfamiliar and there was no cure present at the time it started definitely shocked the country’s healthcare system. Furthermore, because of its rapid growth, it has also caused a significant recession in the economy’s standing, which has led to the adversity experienced by most Filipino families. In addition, many industries cut expenses by retrenching their employees, and some shut down their businesses due to the safety measures and protocols enforced by the government to lessen the effects of the pandemic. As a result, the unemployment rate has also increased to 17.7%, totaling 7. million unemployed Filipinos. Alongside these effects, compensation received by the workers is also cut down because the number of working hours per week is reduced from 41.8 hours to 35 hours. Research has made projections of the effects of the global pandemic on the social and economic aspects of the country. In the first half of 2020, the Philippine economy declined by 9 percent. Followed by a report in June 2020 that the country had experienced its highest percentage of contraction recorded in the Philippine economy, with a 16.5 percent recession. However, it is expected that the country will start to recover in the second half of the year slowly. In an article released by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the ADB Country Director for the Philippines, Mr. Kelly Bird,

stated, “ADB has thrown its full support to the government’s COVID-19 response, delivering a combination of loans and grants to help finance measures aimed at lessening the pandemic’s impact on lives and livelihoods.” The ADB has provided loans and grants to support the country’s fight against COVID-19, which will allow the citizens to receive social security and livelihood support to help in the reduction of the impacts of the pandemic. After the community quarantines of various cities and provinces, in July 2020, the employment rate is gradually improving. From a 17.7% rate of unemployment, it decreased by 7.7% in the said month. The Philippines has also experienced a crisis in agriculture, specifically on the farmers’ side. The price of the rice grain decreased from 7 pesos to 12 pesos per kilogram. Most farmers are forced to sell their rice grain at a much lower price to support their family’s daily needs in the middle of the pandemic. This crisis was caused by the Rice Tarrification Law, which aims to have a lower price for rice. This allows the neighboring countries to import more rice into the Philippines, and because of these importations, the citizens are more likely to consume imported rice than the local rice. Also, with the pandemic still happening, various calamities have challenged the Filipinos, wherein typhoons consecutively hit the Philippines, which has caused the devastation of properties from the different parts of the country. It has pushed the country’s inflation rate to 3.3%, which equals to 21-month higher. Moreover, in the health sector, an article that was written by Mrs. Anna Malindog- Uy, entitled “Philippines’ Latest Response To The Pandemic,” discusses how the Philippine government took action in responding to the situations brought by the COVID-19 Pandemic. It presents the different measures, protocols, and laws put into action by the state to handle the current situation faced by the country and its fellow citizens. Malindog-Uy concludes, “Though far from perfect, the national response of the Philippines against the COVID-19 crisis has gained some milestones and relative successes, particularly in saving millions of Filipino lives.” To strengthen the country’s healthcare system, the Philippines loaned from the World Bank to provide funds for the government’s projects in responding to the pandemic. The loans from the World Bank were used to purchase personal protective equipment and provide additional funds for

education, emergency subsidies, and assistance to displaced workers. Also, to fund the various quarantine facilities and other expenditures such as transportation, contact tracings, and COVID-19 testing. Today, the recent assessment of the World Health Organization (WHO) is that the attempts of the Philippines to build up its health capacity are highly effective in saving lives. The industries slowly returned to their operations as time passed and are still trying to cope with what they call “the new normal.” After all the community quarantines, lockdowns, strict community protocols, etc., the Philippines is gradually recovering from the impacts of the pandemic. Although there is no doubt that the Philippines’ rate of COVID-19 patients has been decreasing for the past months, the country’s economy is still suffering and is still one of the lowest-ranked economies. The global pandemic has primarily impacted the economy as various industries in the Philippines were cut while some were shut down, and the unemployment and inflation rates have risen, too. This decreased the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Moreover, the country’s reliance on developed countries in terms of the global exchange of goods has affected the country’s economic growth rate as local products are less patronized. In contrast, imported products are the ones that are being consumed. Although we can say that the Philippine economy is recovering today, most Filipino people still cannot feel and experience this so-called “recovery.” They are still struggling to put their lives back to normal. References: Asian Development Bank. (2020, September 15). Philippine Economy to Decline Further in 2020 Amid COVID-19, With Recovery in 2021. Retrieved from Asian Development Bank website: https://www.adb.org/news/philippine- economy-decline-further-2020-amid-covid-19-recovery- Staffing Industry Analysis. (2020). Philippines – Unemployment rate hits record high 17.7% in April due to pandemic. Retrieved from Staffingindustry.com

website: https://www2.staffingindustry.com/row/Editorial/Daily-News/ Philippines-Unemployment-rate-hits-record-high-17.7-in-April-due-to- pandemic-54065? fbclid=IwAR3ZaSjk7jB7scLLFdwxraJ7xpVQDhsvuXDk3Lv_1moo_hx0_K1b azjqFio Malindog-Uy, A. (2020, September 27). Philippines’ Latest Response To The Pandemic. Retrieved from The ASEAN Post website: https://theaseanpost.com/article/philippines-latest-response- pandemic ANC 24/7. (2020). PH registers highest inflation rate among ASEAN countries | ANC [YouTube Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=6ThoNMZUcYs&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR23q90OMzl2jx6jO-d- j543hS_Qbjip0URt8xZWT43_2SCYp_Gs1plAr_Q ABS-CBN News. (2020). Recession: Ekonomiya ng Pilipinas sumadsad kasabay ng pandemic lockdown | TV Patrol [YouTube Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=F9p8f6lAfE4&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR309MKfwz811ptZ- W6r0xTd2C3hRDKQs_VeSiBKJUNp6KfIMmYk36lZeT GMA News. (2020 ). Saksi: Mga magsasaka, umaaray sa farm gate price ng palay na mas mababa pa sa SRP ng face mask [YouTube Video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QRiNfSeiRc&t=118s