As I struggle to finish this piece on April 17, 2020 the Philippines has so far recorded 5,660 Covid-19 positive cases, 362 deaths, and 435 recoveries, topping the volume of positive cases amongst other Southeast Asian Countries over Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. It has been a month since March 15, the start of the lockdown in Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon to contain the spread of the virus. A month earlier, on February 13, at the University of the Philippines Diliman where I teach, classes were suspended and employees were advised to stay home.
While professors and staff transcended the technical challenges of online meeting platforms, attempts at online classes were saddled by lack of access to stable internet connection by many. Our students protested the resumption of classes via online platforms, stating the inequality of internet access for different students will only advance the education to some but not to others, a persistent inequality among the profound socioeconomic inequalities in Philippine society. Moreover, students argued they were not in the “right headspace” at a time of anxiety and uncertainty. Little do they know that their professors also struggle to finish half-done research writing or attend online faculty meetings. Urging the university to devote its resources and energies to help end the pandemic instead of reaching for its academic targets as if it’s business as usual, the students demanded to end the semester and mass promote students with a grade of “pass” for all.
How has Covid19 affected the life of Filipinos? Slowly and significantly. The first case came from one of the approximately 8.2 million tourists who come to enjoy the warmth of our tropical islands, many of which depend much on the tourism industry. News and social media outlets reported that tourists from China flew into the country in late January despite concerns about the coronavirus outbreak. The number of positive cases were few and far between in February, but rapidly rose by March. Filipino migrant workers from abroad and middleclass families coming from vacation were quarantined. Meanwhile travel permits of government workers such as myself were revoked as the University mourned the death of a professor, an expert on Chinese studies who died from complications of the coronavirus, which she was believed to have contracted iwhen she attended a conference in Paris.
