Most Filipinos disapprove govt’s Covid response–survey

MORE than half of Filipinos, in a recent online survey, disapproved of the government’s response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

The “State of Southeast Asia 2021” survey from Nov. 18, 2020 to Jan. 10, 2021 said 53.7 percent of the respondents registered their disapproval, 25.4 percent approved and 20.9 percent were neutral.

The survey also said that the Philippine government should have encouraged more scientists and medical doctors to contribute to public policy discussions regarding the pandemic.

The survey, published by the Asean Studies Centre at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies – Yusof Ishak Centre, collected online responses from 1,032 respondents from 10 member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

Of the 1,032 respondents, 67 or 6.5 percent came from the Philippines.

Almost 60 percent of the local respondents, or 59.7 percent, came from the academe, think tanks or research institutions; 19.4 percent from government; 13.4 percent from regional or international organizations; 6.0 percent from civil society, non-government organizations, media; and 1.5 percent from business and finance.

The top three challenges in Southeast Asia among Filipino respondents were the Covid-19 pandemic, unemployment and economic recession, and intense weather events resulting from climate change.

Of those who said that they disapproved the country’s response to the pandemic, 72.2 percent said that the government should have listened to the scientists and medical doctors in its Covid-19 response, while 58.3 percent said that the government should have invested in early warning systems for outbreaks and research and development for virus testing and vaccine development.

Meanwhile, 76.5 percent of those who registered their approval said that the government was able to implement public health measures to mitigate the pandemic, while 58.8 percent said that it was able to provide financial relief and support to affected citizens and businesses.

Filipinos thought that Singapore and Vietnam provided the best pandemic response in the Asean region. The Philippines was ranked third in the 10-nation group.

The respondents also thought that China, at 20.9 percent, provided the most help to the region during the pandemic, followed by the European Union and the United States at 16.4 percent, Japan at 11.9 percent, and Australia at 9 percent.

Reacting to the survey, the Department of Health said that it recognized the findings and values the voice of the Filipinos, adding that the department has continued to take steps in improving the health system.

It added that the DoH’s plans, policies and actions had been guided by science through their expert groups such as the Technical Advisory Group, the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group and the Health Technology Assessment Council.

‘Better than perceptions’
Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda said on Thursday that “there is no point in fixating on approval ratings” and that outcomes “are better than perceptions.”

In a statement, Salceda said in part that the survey “does not reflect the sentiment of the man and woman on the street.”

“That said, there is no point in fixating on approval ratings. Outcomes are better than perceptions. Our jobs as elected officials are to bring outcomes. What we can do is learn from these survey results and see how we can deliver better outcomes,” he said.

Salceda cited bills he filed in response to calls for early warning systems for future pandemics and outbreaks.

“I am principal author of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Bill (HB 6096, the first COVID-19 response bill ever filed), and the charter of the Virology Institute of Science and Technology (HB 6793), which is a ‘Build, Build, Build’ priority,” he said. HB is House Bill.

For Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Ferdinand Gaite, the survey was “very indicative” of the true situation.

Source: ManilaTimes