Reasons Cholera COVID-19

Overcrowding The Americans could not Similarly, when the COVID-19

contain cholera in highly outbreak reached its peak,
Much like during the time of populated barrios as there were hospitals and medical centers
the cholera outbreak circa 1902- more chances of people immediately became
1904, there is still a lot of encountering each other sick or overcrowded due to the rapid
overcrowding in the Philippines not. There were no sources of increase of patients affected by
especially in impoverished sanitary water in poorer COVID. In addition, when
areas like slums and squatter villages, most relied on the vaccines were first developed
hotspots until today, this factor same water sources such as and distributed, Filipinos were
contributed to the spread of Pasig River and lakes which in a rush in taking their
Covid-19 in the country as there cholera spread easily through vaccines, resulting to an
is more person-to-person bodily fluids and excrement that immediate overflow of hospital
contact. was not properly disposed of. residents, causing a super
spreader event.
P.128 “Overcrowding,
sanitation, and poor diet in >Hospitals at Full Capacity
certain districts of Manila were
the primary cause of the Based on the article written by
malignancy of the cholera Jaymalin & Romero (2022),
among the lower classes.” DOH confirms that Manila’s
biggest hospitals have already
P.138 “In comparison to reached full capacity not only
Manila’s poor districts where because of the admission of
overcrowding and intense COVID patients but also
government surveillance because of non-COVID patients
imposed additional pressures who are delayed of their
and additional fears on the treatments prior to the
inhabitants, there were fewer pandemic, most who came from
horror stories in provincial beyond Metro Manila. The
towns.” overcrowding of hospitals were
caused due to the COVID
P.140 “People were packed outbreak being a main priority
even closer together, making a for most health facilities,
mockery of sanitation and causing patients of chronic
vastly increasing the chances of ailments besides those affected
infection.” by COVID to fill all of the beds
within every hospital due to
delayed care. Thus, most
hospitals are only filled with
patients afflicted with severe
stages of chronic diseases and
under critical conditions due to
COVID.

>Vaccination sites as super

spreader areas.

When rumor spread that those

who won’t get vaccinated,
would not receive government
aid, people immediately rushed
to vaccination sites in order to
get vaccinated just for the sake
of receiving help from the
government. According to De
Leon (2021), this resulted to an
immediate overflow of
admissions within the
vaccination sites within Las
 Pinas, caused by the disorderly
process of admitting patients
and misinformation of not
receiving government aid.
Misinformation When COVID stemmed into the
With the spread of information Philippines, facts about the
During the Covid-19 pandemic, increasingly against their virus and its treatment have
misinformation spread even efforts, Americans struggled been later deformed into
faster than the virus itself as even further to make the misinformation. The result of
there was the internet, where Filipinos follow the sanitary the misinformation made
people could share information protocols that they caused Filipino citizens to
without verifying it. This led implemented, Filipinos in fear waste money on false cures,
the people to try different of hospitals chose to hide cases believing that they are effective,
remedies that were not instead of reporting them as while other forms of
medically proven or even they believed that going there misinformation lead to vaccine
logical to begin with, the would mean certain death. hesitancy and mistrust to the
Americans faced the same issue Filipinos also did not trust the government.
with the Filipinos as word of Americans in burning their huts
mouth spread, they became as they thought it as a move to >Claimed cure for COVID-19
unwilling to follow the health expand land available for them debunked.
and safety procedures that were to use.
set to combat cholera because Ivermectin has been debunked
of them believing it not to be P.135 “It was said that on as a COVID cure and
for medical purposes or that arrival, patients were given emphasized by DOH that the
they were being killed poisoned vino and instantly said drug is used to treat the
intentionally by Americans. dropped dead.” virus but its effectiveness is
very uncertain. According to
P.135 “Compounding the the article labeled ‘FALSE:
traditional aversion were some Ivermectin approved as
terrifying rumors, current COVID-19 cure in the
Manila to Cebu, of horrible Philippines’ (2021), the claim
abuses in the detention camps, of the drug as an official cure
and of deliberate murder ‘of originated in YouTube and
patients at the cholera Facebook, gaining the people’s
hospitals’”. attention. To prevent further
misinformation about
P.136 “Resistance to burnings Ivermectin, the DOH proved
took the form of rumours, that the drug is not safe for use
‘widely circulated’, that houses as an official cure for COVID
of the poor were burned in and is only used in one hospital
order to make room for the due to emergency reasons.
‘future dwellings and
warehouses of rich Americans’. >Vax Misinformation

A retired professor from the

University of the Philippines
has claimed in an interview that
the COVID vaccines are
dangerous to the people. As
stated in the article ‘Vax
misinformation hurts efforts to
overcome pandemic: DOH’
(2021), The said professor and
his claim were later debunked
by the government, who state
that his claim only increases the
severity of the pandemic upon
the Philippines, despite
evidence available that vaccines
against the virus are safe and
effective. Thus, the government
emphasized the effectiveness of
 the vaccines and further
misinformation on the
pandemic and the treatments
would worsen the situation in
overcoming the event.

Mismanagement by the Despite having prior knowledge During the COVID pandemic, it
Government on what to do, the US medical was very similar to how the
forces contributed partially to Americans handled the situation
Information about epidemics the spread of the Cholera when it came to Cholera as
have been recorded before, outbreak in the Philippines. when during the pandemics,
methods and steps to be taken Some of their troops carried the there were inconsistencies when
have been made in the past. Yet bacteria to uninfected areas they it comes to quarantine
the American government were supposed to protect; they implementations. During the
failed to follow through to also had a hard time monitoring COVID pandemic, distributions
prevent the spread of cholera, their platoons for the infection of government aid were
rather they even help it spread. and sent them far and wide only inconsistent and privileged,
The same can be said about the to spread the disease further. with LGUs failing to organize
Philippine government about the proper distribution of
Covid, late 2019, news had P.127 “A military transport financial aid to the targeted
already spread about a new vessel carried it to the city of families. In addition, the
virus that has been spreading Nueva Caceres, in the government administration was
from country to country and yet southeastern part of Luzon, also inconsistent in terms of
it did not close its borders until from which source it was implementing quarantine
it was too late and it had transmitted to a large number of policies and when to declare a
already entered the country via pueblos in that section.” state of quarantine.
a Chinese tourist.
>Inconsistency and inequality
P.135 “When the epidemic was of financial aid distribution.
first discovered in the Farola
district, Worcester’s platoons During the pandemic
attempted to cordon of the are throughout 2020, there have
to isolate the stricken and been inconsistencies when it
whoever had had contact with came to providing low-income
them. However, ‘the disease families with financial aid.
spread rapidly among the According to Abad (2021),
imprisoned people and a distributions of financial aid
continuation would have been have been inequitable to those
inhuman’. who belong to the low-income
class. Some families who are
classified as low-income should
have received financial aid but
have reported that being
included in receiving the aid is
more of a privilege than an
actual act of charity. In
addition, it has also been
reported that distribution
centers are crowded due to the
lack of crowd control and
inconsistency to health
protocols. Thus, the reasons
behind the said financial
distribution inconsistencies are
mainly caused by inequality and
lack of management and
possibly other factors leading to
financial aid distribution
inconsistency.
>’No Vax, No Ride’ policy
contradicts aim to protect the
well-being of the public during
the pandemic.

A law imposed by President

Rodrigo Duterte has resulted to
the restriction of non-vaccinated
individuals to access of public
transportation. The procedures
of the law reported by the
article titled ‘Manila’s ‘no vax,
no ride’ public transit policy
comes into force’ (2022), are
that individuals are to be
inspected on whether they are
vaccinated or not, and if the
latter, they are further inspected
if there is a valid reason behind
the decision to not be
vaccinated. Human rights and
labor groups express outrage
over the restrictive policy,
claiming that the policy is a
threat against the life of those
who are not vaccinated and
those who are classified as
under the poverty line.
However, the government
rebutted this, claiming that it is
 more threatening against the life
of non-vaccinated individuals if
they let them go free as COVID
continues to spread quickly
throughout the country.
Lack of Facilities Although the US had faced a Despite the growing number of
cholera outbreak before and had vaccinations, the Philippines
The Americans of course could prior knowledge from German has often experienced shortages
not accommodate all the and French microbiologists, of COVID vaccines, medical
infected as there were not there unable to contain the supplies, and medical facilities,
enough facilities in the spread and cure the infected resulting to an increasing
Philippines at the time of the populous because of the lack of number of people infected by
outbreak and thus could not hospitals in the Philippines at COVID. The lack of supplies
contain the bacteria in a certain the time, as well as the lack of and vaccines are often cause by
place only. The Philippines had medical supplies, most of which various factors, such as
established more facilities since needed to be imported from the mismanagement, global
that time but were still US to the Philippines. scarcity, and fictitious beliefs of
underequipped to deal with the the people, resulting in
sheer number people that were P.128 “Americans, Spaniards wastages and later on,
getting infected with Covid, the and Chinese had well-equipped shortages, resulting in an
American and Philippine hospitals catering specially for accelerated rate of infections.
government in both epidemics them.”
were forced to set up tents as >Vaccine shortages decreases
makeshift quarantine wards P. 138 “Although the Insular Philippine Resiliency against
which yielded varying results. board of health did not COVID.
recommend cremation for the
provinces, this did take place. The Philippines has been
There were times when the ranked second to the lowest in
board had to order it to be terms of resiliency against
stopped because none of the COVID. One of the main
provinces had proper facilities reasons behind low resiliency is
for it.” that the whole globe is facing a
shortage of vaccines, along with
a competition against other
countries in terms of developed
healthcare. In addition, Dela
Cruz (2021) pointed out that the
DOH secretary claimed that the
Philippines is having difficulty
keeping up is because most
developed countries secured the
most amount of vaccines.

>Philippines experiencing nurse

shortage due to underpayment
and poor working conditions.

As the Philippines has been hit

hard by the pandemic, due to
the poor conditions and lack of
financial support to be provided
by the government, a sufficient
number of nurses have resigned
by 40 percent according to
Ratcliffe (2021). One of the
main reasons behind the nurses’
resignation was the lack of
government support such as not
fufilling up to their promise in
providing nurses additional
benefits. Another factor behind
the resignations is the poor
 working conditions of the
workers where nurses are
forced to work abroad to find
better pay and better work.
Thus, the nurses that remain
within the Philippines threaten
to quit if the government does
not provide the benefits and
support that they have promised
to the nurses.

Superstitions/ Beliefs Filipinos for the most part were When COVID became heavy
converted by the Spaniards to for the citizens, people despised
Filipinos were and still are Christianity, their perception of more on the hospital costs and
afraid of fire, or rather the flames and hell were ingrained the hassle of getting vaccines
depiction of hell. The main into their minds. This is why through the long queues.
choice of body disposal that Filipinos were unwilling to burn Citizens who couldn’t risk or
Filipinos choose is burial rather the bodies of the deceased want the vaccines seek other
than cremation, this made it a infected despite it being the best alternatives, some of which are
challenge for the American way to eliminate the microbe. not FDA approved, while others
government to eradicate cholera They also had pre-existing are proven effective but only up
as the best way to remove it is negative superstitions about to a certain extent. But despite
via burning. During the Covid hospitals which kept them from these facts, Filipinos held a
pandemic, some Filipinos going there to get treated. strong belief that herbal
trusted that praying would be alternatives and drugs are the
enough to be able to cure them P.135 “For one thing. Hospitals only way to cure or at least
and did not opt to get treated in during the Spanish regime were prevent COVID contraction.
hospitals, some even chose to regarded as places ‘where
go to albularyos (witch doctors) people so unfortunate as to have >Herbal alternatives to COVID
as they were the cheaper option no homes to die in might go to treatments
and are believed to make the end their days.”
sick healthy again. In both cases As COVID pushed the Filipinos
Filipinos were unwilling to P.137 “No Filipino in his right to their limit, some would reach
sacrifice their superstitions for mind approved of cremation. out to more herbal alternatives
their own safety. An American teacher, that would help aid in treating
convinced that the ‘ideal way’ COVID symptoms. According
of disposing bodies was ‘to to an article authored by Dela
burn them’, discovered that the Pena (2021), DOH has tested
‘the very mention of such a that herbal treatments, such as
thing aroused a storm of Lagundi Syrup and Virgin
superstitious opposition.” Coconut Oil, help treat
symptoms of COVID or at least
P.138 “’Owing to the religious speed up recovery time from
prejudices of the people against the virus. However, they only
the cremation’, and the provide temporary relief as
consequent concealment of these treatments have not been
cases, families and friends of tested on the actual virus and
persons dying of cholera in has provided no significant
Manila could henceforth bury effect against COVID. More
their dead in simple wooden effective treatments have been
coffins placed in lime-filled offered to Filipinos but due to
graves seven feet deep.” these being expensive, Filipinos
would resort to these as an
alternative to the actual
treatment or cure.

> Preferences of vaccines based

on origin

Due to the increasing vaccine

preferences, the government has
instructed all LGUs to only list
 down vaccines available on site,
not announced to the public, in
order to prevent further
decrease in vaccinations.
According to Venson (2021),
Vaccine preferences among
Filipinos are based on trust
since most Filipinos mostly
prefer vaccines coming from
the West than from the East,
such as vaccines from China,
which are least trusted by
Filipinos.
Resentment towards the The Philippines at this point During the pandemic, people
government having been colonized for have grown to have lost trust in
centuries by Spain falls under the government. The main
The Filipinos did not want to the control of America, of causes behind the people’s
listen to the Americans as to course Filipinos having had mistrust against the government
their eyes they were just tasted freedom again after so is the abuse of COVID funds,
another colonizer that wanted to long were unwilling to follow which resulted in shortages in
seek control of them, using the orders of yet another colonizer, supply and resignations from
cholera outbreak as ploy to albeit at the cost of their safety the medical fields. Another is
achieve that goal, this along and health, despite the the tightness of the quarantine
with the other reasons American government having restrictions in which authorities
mentioned above made it harder the well-being of the Filipinos often abuse their power,
for the Americans to enforce as their priority. resulting in people revolting
the measures needed to and not following quarantine
suppress the spread of cholera. P.134 “The American doctors’ protocol.
The Filipino government not use of such and other,
having the greatest track record unfamiliar, methods if treatment >Misuse of COVID funds by
of good governance had also only brought about an aversion the government.
made it a problem for them as in Filipino cholera patients.”
people were unwilling to abide A group of doctors, nurses, and
their rules, often having P.134 “Among them were some medical professionals, both
individuals deliberately ‘who had slight regard for the formerly and currently, are
disregard the safety protocols natives and who enforced the banding together, forming a
set in place, this made the already distasteful regulation in manifesto that is against the
Covid spread more rampant as an unwarranted manner, government’s misuse of
people were unwilling to follow increasing the popular COVID funds. While most of
orders. Both situations have opposition’. the said workers of the medical
Filipinos not follow rules field are supporting the
because of their resentment of movement, the Philippine
the government and being told Medical Association (PMA) are
what to do. distancing themselves from the
movement, claiming that they
cannot immediately join a
movement based on quick
accusations (Baclig, 2021). As a
result, a former DOH
professional accused the
association that the
association’s excuse as an act of
neutrality, in which can be
implied that the PMA supports
the government’s actions.

>Abuse of Power during ECQ

During the Enhanced

Community Quarantine, in-
charge officers and barangay
tanod have been shown to have
 used excessive force and abuse
of power upon curfew and
quarantine violators. There was
an instance were based on a
report article authored by Luna
(2021), a cyclist forgot her
helmet (which is required by
city ordinance during ECQ),
she was later detained longer
than she should. While others,
like food delivery drivers and
sometimes, the recipients of
said food orders, have been
beaten and detained, despite
following ECQ protocol. What
these cases have in common is
that the moment the said
victims brought out their
phones to record the abuse, they
were forced by the officers in-
charge to delete the videos,
strongly implying that what the
officers have done is unlawful.

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