COVID-19: An Opportunity for Growth & Collaboration

November 11, 2020

Filipino citizens have been combatting the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. As our normal way of living came to a sharp halt, businesses either staggered or stopped operations. While for some, this was only a temporary or band-aid solution until the lifting of restrictions, for others, it meant permanent closure. All industries were disrupted resulting in the crashing of our economy

 

All throughout this crisis, Filipino consumers and businesses complied with protocols and cooperated with relevant government agencies hoping that through a whole of society approach, we would be able to mitigate the pandemic and move forward to recovery and growth in a new normal.

 

As raised in the recent virtual town hall discussion organized by Stratbase ADR Institute entitled “Democracy Goes On,” the pandemic has created challenges for democratic institutions. However, these challenges come alongside a wide range of opportunities towards building a more inclusive and democratic future.

 

As shared by academics, experts, civil society actors, and even government agencies, we can have safe and inclusive democratic processes without putting the public’s health at risk. This addresses the issue of democratic survival in the time of COVID19 and also provides an opportunity for all sectors of society—government, businesses, civil society organizations, and experts in the academe—to work as one. It will not be easy by any means, but it can be done.

 

For CitizenWatch Philippines, the first step forward is to uphold the reliable and trusted practices in the Philippine democracy. According to a study shared at the program by Dr. Ador Torneo of the De La Salle Institute of Governance, there has been a consistent trend of decreasing violence and higher confidence in the automated counting systems.

 

Of course, as we take advantage of already present structures, we look to the future and the ways we may improve. Prof. Robert Krimmer also shared during the program, how Estonia fully digitized its government. Today, all Estonian households and schools have fast, affordable, and reliable broadband. Through a national ID system, they can participate in democratic practices, file their taxes, and do other government transactions securely. This can be a model for the Philippines in the new normal, provided that private efforts for digitization are matched by public sector investment in building a nationwide digital infrastructure.

 

COVID-19 has brought pain and challenges, but also an opportunity to work together as citizens uniting as a nation to rebuild better. This crisis should not be an opportunity for an authoritarianism experiment. On the contrary, it should be a powerful impetus for democracy to go on.