Aside from the fact that the biggest chunk was not used specifically for the COVID-19 response, it is the taxpayers who will suffer the most in paying off these debts.
Majority of COVID-19 loans not used for pandemic response
Category: Special Reports
IN-DEPTH: Public education sector, neglected even more in the time of pandemic
With the pandemic still raging on, the crisis in the Philippine educational system has been further exposed. Instead of addressing the concerns of the education sector, the Duterte administration has chosen to neglect it even more by not providing enough budget for distance learning.
Students with special needs being left behind in distance learning
The learning modalities recommended by the education department are not suitable to students with special needs.
Not enough protection and care for teachers amid the pandemic
Public school teachers spend for their basic protection such as alcohol, face masks, face shields and gloves. The Department of Education admitted that there is no budget allocated for the hospitalization of teachers who will be infected by the virus.
#SONA2020 | Bulatlat Special Coverage
President Rodrigo Duterte will deliver his fifth State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 27. Bulatlat examines Duterte’s policies on the economy and foreign policy, his COVID-19 response and track record on human rights and the attacks on press freedom and expression since the lockdown.
Duterte’s COVID-19 response, no sense of urgency
With the cases increasing, concerned government agencies are swamped with backlogs, particularly on validating COVID-19 cases and an overwhelmed public health system.
#SONA coverage | COVID-19 hastens PH economic decay
As COVID-19 wipes out whatever is left of the limited opportunities for Filipinos to earn a living, the Duterte administration’s lacking response, combined with an oppressive political environment, creates conditions for a perfect storm of social unrest.
Oil firms profiteer from returning jeepneys, motorists as pandemic rages on
Oil firms-imposed price adjustments are higher than what should be – by P 2.41 per liter for diesel and P4.76 per liter for gasoline, based on a DOE-recognized formula. The Big Three, a Duterte backer and other oil firms, rake in tens of millions of pesos daily from profiteering.
PGH as COVID-19 center: Capacities and Implications
While they understand the urgency to address the COVID-19 pandemic, their hearts go to thousands of Filipinos relying on services only the likes of a government tertiary hospital can provide.
Under a fragmented health care, Philippines is ill-equipped in combating COVID-19
From 2016 to 2019 alone, the public health program’s total budget allocation has been reduced significantly, varying from 15-percent to 28-percent cut.
For one, the budget for Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, the lead public hospital in the government’s effort to address the looming outbreak, has been slashed from P263 million in 2019 to P115 million in 2020.
How the legal system is used to attack political dissenters
“The police and military have mastered the art of preparing false documents to justify the filing of fabricated charges.”