Blog 4- COVID-19 in the Philippines: Bouncing back under the ‘New Normal’

The Philippines has taken several measures to contain the COVID-19 spread and reduce its impact on Agriculture. However, many believe that these measures might further deepen the rich-poor divide, opines Virginia R Cardenas

CONTEXT

The COVID-19 pandemic is both a public health and a food crisis issue that has encircled the world. Governments are exhausting resources to address both these issues. Resources are growing thin as more of it are shifted to the health sector and social amelioration programmes, leaving the agriculture sector in a crunch. This has resulted in the Philippine Department of Agriculture having to re-prioritize, refocus programmes and realign budgets to fund new initiatives to ensure food security amidst the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

DEALING WITH THE CHALLENGE

The great warning occurred when Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, placed the whole of Luzon Island, and later the whole country under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) from March 15-May 31, 2020, to curb the growing spread of the deadly disease. This resulted in the lockdown, suspending classes and work from offices, urging for work from home arrangements, banning any form of public transport and strict installation of checkpoints and other forms of barriers to deter people’s movement from inter-barangay (ward), inter municipality, province and regions. Lockdowns have prevented movement of food and some medical supplies.

IMPACT ON AGRICULTURE

Given that few migrant labourers were available and limited transport services to bring perishable farm produce to the market, the distribution of food supply has been affected leading to unequal distribution of food supplies – scarcity in one place, and surplus in another. This logistical problem resulted in food wastage and post-harvest losses, at the farm level for both agriculture and fishery sectors, which led to income losses among farmers. This is especially true among farmers having no transport facilities of their own to bring their produce to consumer centres. Added to this, food distributors given quarantine and travel passes, have to go through long queues and waiting time at numerous checkpoints along the way. Perishables more often than not deteriorate in quality.

As a consequence of the pandemic, the productivity of the agriculture sector declined by 2%, and has contracted by 0.4%. The pandemic further exacerbated poverty among farmers and fisher folk to 34%. This percentage of poverty is higher than the average national poverty incidence of 21%. With the increase in food prices during these difficult times, the poor (lower bottom 30% of the population) are the ones badly hit, since they spend 58% of their income on food, which is much higher than the nearly 42% national food average expenditure. This is much higher than the US and the UK where it is only 10%. This could be explained by the high dependency ratio in the Philippines which is close to 58% (Philippine Statistics Authority 2018).

Since the Enhanced Community Quarantine which was declared from March 16 to May 30, 2020, businesses are closed resulting in job layoffs, lack of income to many, and therefore hunger and malnutrition among the urban poor who were badly hit. The complete shutdown of all economic activities, except essential services, has been creating an economic crisis and misery for the poor, with massive job losses and rising food insecurity at the household level.

The Philippines is the second largest producer and exporter of pineapples in the world ©Glen de Castro

More than 44,000 Filipino overseas workers returned home adding to the already 2.5 million unemployed affected by the COVID-19 pandemic who now constitute the ‘new poor’. The cost of providing cash subsidies, relief goods, and the need to fund social amelioration programmes required substantial funds from the government. Much worse is the potential decline in school enrolment at all levels this coming school year because of layoffs, and the limited capability of most parents, Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and the ‘New Poor’ to send their children to school. The Commission on Higher Education has already reported a decline in their enrolment.

PHILIPPINE RESPONSES TO FOOD CRISIS

The analysis conducted by Dr Fermin Adriano, noted Filipino economist, policy adviser, and international consultant, revealed that while there is enough food supply, the problem is logistics, which means moving food commodities from farm production areas to where it is needed most, that is the urban centres. It is worth noting that 67% of COVID-19 cases are from the National Capital Region (Metro Manila) and the other bigger cities.

To ensure the collaboration and coordination of all national agencies, President Duterte enacted into law the Bayanihan (Cooperation) to Heal as One.[1] The Department of Agriculture (DA) under the leadership of its Secretary, Dr William D Dar, is a member of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to implement the law. The task group on food security has mobilized the agriculture and related sectors to lay down the fundamentals of a sustainable and inclusive food security programme in order to address the challenges posed by the pandemic (as described earlier).

An umbrella programme for enhancing food production was aimed at survival, rebooting, and growth of Philippine Agriculture. This is being realized through the Ahon Lahat, Pagkain Sapat Kontra sa COVID-19 or ALPAS COVID-19 (Sufficient Food for All Against COVID-19); this is further to the department’s existing programmes. This food production programme’s objectives are: food availability, accessibility, affordability, price stability, and food safety.

Specific Projects under the ALPAS Program include – Rice and Corn Resiliency Program, High Value Crops, Urban Agriculture, Livestock, Fishery Resiliency, Crop Insurance, Information Communication Project, SURE Aid, and Social Amelioration Program for Farmers. Issuance of road passes to food suppliers helped improve the delivery of quality food produce to urban centres. Organizing producers into food cluster distribution centres around big cities improved distribution and accessibility. Urban Agriculture has encouraged many to engage in it with free seedlings provided and the use of digitized extension services (e.g., webinars and using the Facebook and other social media platforms) by the Agricultural Training Institute of DA. This has to be done in adherence with physical distancing and other quarantine public health and safety protocols.

To improve food accessibility, Kadiwa stores or mobile stores were established in the urban areas or consumer centres. E-kadiwa has a dedicated App that was developed to deliver food items from food suppliers to the comfort of one’s home. The Department is continuously working on innovative practices through its COVID-19 Management Committee and working in coordination with other task groups to address new challenges emerging along the way instantly.

The government-to-government import of rice is challenging since many of our Asian neighbours are cutting their exports so as to take care of their own domestic needs during these times. Owing to the big population in the cities and high unemployment rate, another huge programme is the ‘Balik Probinsya’ (Return to the Province) National Program/Campaign where incentives to entice people to go back home to their provinces are being worked out. There is a plan to establish resettlement areas around the industrial zones closer to where alternative employment could be found. In some areas, corporate farming is planned to help farmers organize themselves and work with private sectors as a source of inputs, technical and managerial skills as well as for marketing their produce.

Meeting with indigenous communities on potential agri-based livelihood in Negros Island ©Glen de Castro

DEEPENING THE DIVIDE?

While the lockdown status has been relaxed in some areas, to allow some industries to re-open, and people to start work, many of these measure are apparently seen by many as ‘anti-poor’. Only car owners can report to work due to suspended operation of public transport system. Poor labourers have to walk many kilometres to work and back home. Employers are allowed to open if they can provide transport services or housing facilities close to the work place to their employees. But some are still rethinking if this is going to be profitable or not.

Opening of classes with online modality is set for August 24, 2020. This is also seen as apparently anti-poor because not all students in urban and rural areas own laptops or desk computers, and steady internet connectivity is an issue, if it is available at all. Above all only 20% of teachers are ready to teach online courses.

How well and cost effective are these responses? The Monitoring and Evaluation group, also created under the Department, has to look into this as well. We do not know how long and how capable we will all be in curbing the COVID-19 pandemic. While there is talk of a second wave and a third wave of the pandemic looming, we remain hopeful about bouncing back because we already have learned some lessons and safeguards are in place to move us forward under this ‘new normal’.

[1]The Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, officially designated as Republic Act No. 11469, is a law in the Philippines that was enacted in March 2020, granting the President additional authority to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines.^[1] The word ‘bayanihan’ is a Tagalog word for communal work.

Virginia R. Cardenas is an advisor to PhilEASNet and a Member of the Board of APIRAS (Email: vrcardenas@up.edu.ph)

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