Philippine government response to the COVID-19 pandemic

[2][3] The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on March 9 issued a directive ordering retailers to only allow the sale of two bottles of each type of disinfectant per person as a measure against hoarding.

929 declaring a state of calamity throughout the country for six months, bringing into effect the following:[5] President Duterte signed administrative orders providing daily hazard pay[7] and additional special risk allowance to front line government officials and employees including health workers.

This was effectively a total lockdown, which had restricted travel and transportation, imposed strict home quarantine among all households, and closed all non-essential private establishments within the island group.

[28] For the second tranche of the SAP, the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte changed the responsibility of distributing cash aid from the local government units to the military and police amid complaints of slow delivery and misuse of funds meant for certain areas.

[33][34] The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced it would initiate a cash assistance program worth ₱2 billion ($39 million) for workers in both the formal and informal sectors across the country affected by government-imposed quarantines.

[10] The office of Vice President Leni Robredo raised about ₱28.8 million ($564,551) to purchase 64,367 sets of PPE and donate it to front line health professionals across the country.

[46] On February 2, a ban was introduced on all foreign travelers who visited China, Hong Kong, and Macau in the past 14 days;[47] Philippine citizens and holders of permanent resident visas were allowed in the country but subjected to a mandatory 14-day quarantine.

[66] PNP Chief Archie Gamboa tasked his agency to increase their visibility in various communities and to arrest individuals and groups "without warning" involved in activities that violate quarantine protocols on physical distancing and mass gatherings.

[67] Border checkpoints maintained by the AFP, PNP, and the Philippine Coast Guard were installed in areas with community quarantine to control the traffic of people and goods and ultimately contain the spread of the virus across regions during the pandemic.

[72] Following the rise in violations by the public to adhere to quarantine protocols, President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened for both the military and the police to "take over" in enforcing the social distancing and curfew guidelines in a similar fashion to martial law.

[74] Since April 20, the AFP has deployed its field kitchens in various locations around the country to provide free meals for homeless people, stranded workers and students, informal settlers, and families in "depressed communities" affected by the quarantine impositions.

[citation needed] Drawing on the work of medical anthropologist Gideon Lasco,[78] a report from The Lancet in September 2020 described Duterte's leadership during the pandemic as an example of how 'medical populism' undermines an effective public health response.

[113][114] Senate President Tito Sotto, an uncle of the mayor, criticized the move in a tweet, stating "NBI will be well advised to be cautious in their interpretation of the law I principally authored.

[115] Liberal Party president and Senator Francis Pangilinan also questioned the NBI's actions, stating the unconstitutionality of criminalizing an act committed before the law was passed.

[citation needed] Social media users criticized the NBI for allegedly singling out the mayor, pointing out that Senator Koko Pimentel violated quarantine protocols a few days before but was given consideration by the government.

[121] Local police dispersed protesters assembled along E. Delos Santos Avenue in Barangay Bagong Pag-asa, Quezon City, arresting 20 in the process for staging a rally without a permit.

[128] Senator Risa Hontiveros asked the human rights sector and the police to investigate Ragos's death at the hands of law enforcement officers and said that there is no excuse for brutality and violence towards persons with mental illness and the powerless.

The Philippine Army said it coordinated with Ragos's mother to extend honors to the soldier and proceed with funeral and burial arrangements at the Libingan ng mga Bayani on April 26, 2020.

The incident occurred when Police Senior Master Sergeant Roland Von Madrona and Bantay Bayan personnel Esteban Gaan were patrolling the village and saw Parra's housemaid, Cherilyn Escalante, watering plants outside his property's perimeter without wearing a face mask.

[136] Despite a ban on mass gatherings amidst enhanced community quarantine, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) personnel celebrated the birthday of their chief Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas on May 8, 2020, at Camp Bagong Diwa.

[149][150] The dish made news nationally in March 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, after a video surfaced on social media showing a delivery rider affiliated with GrabFood being denied access in Muzon, San Jose del Monte.

A female barangay official claimed that the rider violated the curfew rules amid the reimplementation of the enhanced community quarantine in the Greater Manila Area, and alleged that lugaw was "not essential".

[151][152][153] Initially the official stood by her decision, saying their curfew rules only permitted the operation of food businesses from 5 in the morning to 6 in the afternoon,[154] but later apologized for the incident and said she never meant to offend anyone.

[155] A returning Filipina OFW named Gwyneth Anne Chua[156][157] gained widespread media attention after skipping the mandatory quarantine upon arrival in the Philippines from Los Angeles, California, United States, on December 20, 2021.

[163] On January 5, 2022, the DOT suspended the accreditation of Berjaya Makati Hotel for three months over breaching the quarantine policy, giving them 15 working days to appeal the decision.

[157] In 2020, members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG), Cabinet officials, a senator, and the Special Envoy for Public Diplomacy to China received vaccines without clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the Department of Health (DOH).

[185][186] However, amid reports of red-tagging by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and alleged profiling by police,[187] Ana Patricia Non, fearing for her safety, temporarily ceased operations of her pantry.

[191] On September 10, 2021, a video of Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque berating the doctors who opposed the implementation of general community quarantine (GCQ) during the IATF meeting was released to the public.

[210] On April 11, 2020, GMA News anchor Arnold Clavio alleged through his social media account that one hospital in Metro Manila was told not count COVID-19 deaths.

[220] Duterte's cancellation of his weekly national address triggered the hashtag #NasaanAngPangulo (#WhereisthePresident) on April 7, 2021, with which netizens aired their speculations over president's health and his whereabouts.