Note:

Stopping the pandemic is not a top-down or bottom-up approach.

It is an all-fronts approach.

The things individuals do (hygiene, social distancing, face masks and face shields, staying home except for essentials) help stop this.

1/n

But government also needs to pull its weight by executing people-first policies, hasten delivery of services, develop necessary healthcare infrastructure, improvement of their integrity, and eliminating corruption.

2/n

Why would people practice non-pharmaceutical approaches when officials and agents of government do not do the same, continue to be untrustworthy, break their own rules, make foolish policies, do corrupt acts, and is unjust?

3/n

The Filipino people has been patient with reducing their activities & practicing many norms of non-pharmaceutical approaches to combating the virus, as many reports have shown:

Google Mobility Report: https://gstatic.com/covid19/mobility/2020-08-11_PH_Mobility_Report_en.pdf

Imperial College London: http://coviddatahub.com 

4/n

Then what do you see government officials and agents do?

Have parties.

Organize mass events.

Lag in providing services and infrastructure.

Short change our healthcare workers and relevant COVID-19 staff.

5/n

On big businesses, they should also step up as well.

I have heard personal stories from friends in which:

1) workers forced to still go to workplaces even after a case is found and disinfection after some days, when the firm CLEARLY can make them WFH

6/n

2) workers suddenly retrenched without proper time for transition esp'ly that the job market may be practically nonexistent for specific fields of work due to COVID-19

3) lack of healthcare benefits

4) employment has become project-based.

7/n

I do pity small businesses especially when there is little support from government and they are forced to adapt.

Big businesses, however, I have no pity since they have golden parachutes only accessible to the top bosses and the rank and file are the first chopped off.

8/n

Big businesses should step up by investing in digitization, encouraging WFH arrangements, humane scheduling of work that respects social distancing, and accessible facilities for healthcare from washrooms to health insurance.

9/n

A tool accessible for everyone especially for businesses, by good colleagues from the UP Pandemic Response team: https://datastudio.google.com/reporting/1uGMQnM_ky_NQ_mnA7tiQ118wYIxQ_wMR/page/k4rNB

10/n

Overall, this pandemic involves everyone; individuals, businesses, and government, to act in stopping this pandemic.

My opinions are not necessarily shared by my affiliations, but I do wish they did.

11/11