This Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) material was used during the COVID-19 Emergency WASH Assistance to Conflict and Earthquake Affected Communities in Mindanao funded by USAID.
To view and download the full document in TAGALOG, please click here.
To view and download the full document in MARANAO, please click here.
Given the context of continuously rising COVID-19 cases in the country and the immediate need to address hospitals’ surge capacity, the Moving Urban Poor Communities Toward Resilience (MOVE UP) Project, with its success in piloting and replicating alternative temporary shelter (ATS) systems as an urban resilience strategy, will build a 40-bed Community Quarantine Facility (CQF) in Malabon City from late May to mid-June. The CQF will help augment and increase the capacity of hospitals and other medical infrastructures in the area by servicing suspected cases and those with mild COVID-19 symptoms. The ATS System, originally intended to address the lack of dignified space and shelters for internally displaced families affected by disasters, can serve as base model for designing CQFs. MOVE UP, together with its technical partner for shelter United Architects of the Philippines – Emergency Architects (UAP-EA), intends to present replicable models built on practical design criteria (robustness, affordability, scalability, range of application, and speed of construction) for local government units (LGUs) and communities that need facilities for isolation and quarantine.
This video is the recording of the first-ever session of the Resilience Knowledge Exchange Series or RKES.
Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippines is still experiencing challenges in surpassing limitations and challenges — both new and exacerbated existing ones. However, it seems that one positive note is that in certain areas in the country, vaccine hesitance or resistance is slowly diminishing. Undoubtedly, this is not solely due to mainstream media and hearsay, but also because of the valuable contributions of community representatives, volunteers, and workers.
In some barangays in Pulilan, Baliuag, and Malolos, Bulacan, Community Health Educators or CHEs work hand-in-hand with the local government, particularly at the barangay level to engage the community and assure that they are being informed of updates for protocols, current response efforts from different sectors fo society, and most importantly the availability of services and vaccinations around their area.
Mary Jean Santos, 46, a resident in Pulilan, Bulacan, shared how she was extremely against getting the vaccine before. She had gotten word of different stories and hearsay that the vaccine would provide more harm than benefit, possibly even causing death. However, upon the encouragement of one of the barangay volunteer CHEs, Mary Jean was invited and attended a seminar that helped educate citizens on accurate information regarding COVID-19 vaccination. After learning that most, if not all of her prior prejudices on getting vaccinated were false, she was vaccinated last December 2021.
“Ngayon alam ko na na kailangan pala ng bakuna kasi kailangan natin ng protekshyon at saka para rin sa mga kasama sa bahay at pati na rin mga mahal natin sa buhay.” [I only found out recently that we really do need vaccines since we not only need protection for ourselves, but also protection for the sake of our households and loved ones.]
Community Health Educators such as Fe Jumagdao, also shared that aside from encouraging citizens to get vaccinated, it is also helpful to encourage the community to share their concerns and questions with their local government since it is also their right. CHE Syrlle Ann Ginooalso recounted her experiences in speaking with her fellow community members, with people fearing possible side effects of the vaccine, even hearing stories that some worried getting vaccinated would only allow them up two more years to live. Furthermore, since she believed the CHEs learned many facts from working with the health professionals and barangay officials, she strongly encouraged the participation of community members to take advantage of Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) efforts like resources and seminars made available through partnerships with both the private and humanitarian sector.
“Malaki ang naging tulong ng saminar dahil nga naunawaan nila, bukod sa kakasabi namin,” says Leny Ventura, another CHE from Brgy, Pinagbarilan, Baliuag, Bulacan. [The seminar was really a big help since it provided people an avenue to better understand the situation aside from jus t us CHEs repetitively telling them.]
Among other volunteers at the barangay level, Evelyn Paltao, a mother Leader in Barangay Tarcan highlighted that it is also important for local leaders and volunteers to be examples of practicing proper health protocols and movement in the community in order to further strengthen and assure their local safety and progress toward recovery and herd immunity.
With continued perseverance paired with government assistance, collaborative partnerships among different sectors of society, and the open-mindedness of the community people, the CHEs in these communities are among many of those who work hard and strive for a more positive and healthy population.
The RCCE and Vaccination Roll-Out Project, which is being implemented in Malolos City, Baliwag and Pulilan in Bulacan Province, Sto. Tomas City in Batangas, and General Santos City in South Cotabato, aims to support 30 barangay local government units (BLGUs) to increase their capacities in implementing COVID-19 policies and help encourage their residents to get vaccinated. More than 2,450 barangay officials, health workers and members of the peacekeeping team have already been trained by medical professionals to further spread information and provide communication about the risks of COVID-19 and vaccination benefits. This initiative is a collaboration between CARE Philippines, the Southern Tagalog People’s Response Center, MINCODE, and Cargill.
Recent record-high reports on new active COVID-19 cases show that the pandemic is far from over. Even the slight decrease in transmission in Metro Manila offers little comfort, as other regions brace and prepare for a possible surge.
In Mindanao, for example, local governments have expressed fatigue and dwindling resources to respond effectively to the pandemic, on top of other emergencies such as natural hazards, protracted conflict, and climate risks.
As hospital beds run out, people are lining up in makeshift tents with some of them dying while waiting for their turn to be admitted. Overwhelmed health workers, insufficient space for treatment and isolation, and financial difficulty call for alternative and cost-efficient solutions.
From Alternative Temporary Shelters to Community Quarantine Facilities
At the onset of the pandemic, local government partners of the Moving Urban Poor Communities in the Philippines toward Resilience (MOVE UP) Project were aware that the rising cases and lack of medical resources and spatial capacity could pose grave consequences in densely populated cities.
In an effort to complement government response, the MOVE UP project along with partners such as the Czech Republic Humanitarian Aid and United Architects of the Philippines – Emergency Architects worked together to adapt Alternative Temporary Shelters (ATS) into quarantine facilities.
Despite mobility constraints and other health measures, the first Community Quarantine Facility adapted from ATS models was turned over in Malabon City on 18 June 2020, and received DOH certification in the same week. The experience in opening the 38-bed-capacity of the amphitheater still in operation has provided valuable lessons in replication of the strategy in other areas in Malabon and also in Mindanao.
Following the same strategy, community quarantine facilities were also set up by the local governments of Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Cagayan de Oro, Tandag City, and Surigao del Sur with support from MOVE UP and REACH projects.
Read the full story by accessing the file in this link.
The Moving Urban Poor Communities Toward Resilience (MOVE UP) Project is funded by EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid – ECHO and is implemented by ACCORD Incorporated, Action Against Hunger Philippines, CARE Philippines, and Plan International Philippines.
This resource is a communications guide for community-based healthcare workers, frontliners, and other social mobilizers to help them accurately talk about the COVID-19 vaccine in the community.
Rendered in Filipino, the guide contains information on frequently asked questions about COVID-19, how to address common questions and concerns, and how to address inaccurate information or fake news that may be present in communities.
An excerpt from the document:
Patuloy na kumakalat ang COVID-19 sa Pilipinas. Upang mapabagal ang pagkalat nito, inilunsad ang Resbakuna, isang nasyunal na kampanya na naglalayong mabigyan ng bakuna laban sa COVID-19 ang lahat ng eligible na Pilipino.
Mahalagang sundin ang tinalagang prioritization sa ating layunin na mabakunahan ang lahat ng kabilang sa eligible population.
Ang gabay na ito ay ginawa para sa mga community health workers, vaccination teams, volunteers, at social mobilizers para magkaroon ng positibong ugnayan sa komunidad at mapataas ang kumpiyansa ng mga tao sa pagpapabakuna kontra COVID-19. Inaasahang makapagbibigay ito ng mga panuntunan at halimbawa para maipaliwanag ang kahalagahan ng pagpapabakuna; tugunan ang mga tanong, agam-agam, o pagtanggi sa bakuna; at maiwasan ang pagkalat ng mga maling impormasyon.
Upang makita ang kabuuan ng materyal na ito, mangyaring puntahan ang link na ito.
To view the full document and to access a digital copy of this resource, please click here.
There is an urgent need to prioritize the elderly given the limited supply of vaccines available to us. Data tells us that while 7 out of 10 COVID-19 deaths are from the senior citizen population, only 3 out of 10 of them have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
As vaccination among senior citizens as of July 12, 2021 remains only at a little over 30%, RILHUB supports seeking urgent action from valued health partners to help increase and accelerate COVID-19 vaccination uptake among our senior citizens.
This resource was reuploaded with permission from the World Health Organization (WHO) Philippines.
Research Background
In the Bangsamoro region of the Philippines, FGM/C is commonly called ‘pag sunnat’ (‘sunnat’ refers to the traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, that constitute a model for Muslims to follow) or ‘pag Islam,’ connoting that the practice is deeply connected to the Islamic faith. In Moro (Muslim) communities in the region, the procedure is typically performed on females between 3-4 years old or before their first menstruation (menarche).
It is usually initiated by an elderly, female TBA or ‘panday’. In other areas, she may be a ‘pakil’, a respected woman who cleanses Muslim women’s bodies before the final burial takes place and recites Qur’anic verses during the rituals.
The World Health Organization estimates that worldwide, 200 million women and girls have been subjected to FGM/C, and each year, an additional 3 million girls are at risk.4 FGM/C has no health benefits, and may even result in serious immediate and long term harm. Adverse effects on women and girls’ health include, but are not limited to: pain, hemorrhage, infection (including HIV spread through using the same instruments in multiple FGM/C operations), sepsis, shock, urinary and menstrual problems, sexual dysfunction, psychological trauma and even death. Reproductive health complications include a heightened risk of obstructed labour causing obstetric fistula or postpartum hemorrhage, both of which are major contributors to maternal mortality.
There are four types of FGM/C:
The most common form practiced in Bangsamoro is Type 4.
In general, there is very little research that explores the issue of FGM/Cs and its impacts on the well-being of girls and women in the Philippines. There is a dearth of information, experiential accounts, and ultimately, formal research on FGM/C in this particular geographic area and community. FGM/C is not well known nor widely acknowledged in the Philippines, and learning more about the practice (and its relation to traditional religious beliefs) is critical in understanding the beliefs associated with it. A 2009 study found that women are only considered to be truly “Islamic” or a Muslim when they are ‘circumcised’ or cut. However, research by Islamic scholars elsewhere challenges such connections to Islam and strongly condemns FGM/C in all forms. ch 8 A descriptive study on the Yakan, an ethnolinguistic group settled in the province of Basilan (in Bangsamoro), focused on the procedural aspects of FGM/C.
This study is an exploratory action research on the controversial practice of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in the Philippines in the predominantly Muslim, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Mindanao. Despite limited research on the practice and a lack of awareness among international and national stakeholders on the occurrence of FGM in the Philippines, the study confirmed that the practice is still widespread in Bangsamoro. Alternative, non-harmful practices are gradually replacing FGM in a few areas, as driven by local leadership.
Methodology
Exploratory action research is a participatory form of qualitative research that engages communities to devise solutions to challenges they identify. The study used focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs) to surface the perspectives and experiences of girls, traditional birth attendants (TBAs), Moro Muslim religious leaders (MRLs), traditional and local leaders, health workers, and social workers. A total of 458 individuals (413 females and 45 males) from three municipalities of five Bangsamoro provinces participated in the study. These provinces were: Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi; with a municipality in the province of Sarangani as a pilot study. The study was conducted from March to November 2020. The Research Team applied thematic and content analyses to the participants’ responses.
View and download the full document here.
by Rya Ducusin and Leigh Fuentes
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions of lives in various ways. Globally, there are more than 90 million confirmed cases and 2 million deaths. Among these are half a million Filipinos that are confirmed cases and nearly ten thousand deaths. Apart from the health crisis it brought, COVID-19 has also disrupted livelihoods, social services, government programs, among others.
Almost a year after the COVID-19 lockdowns began in the Philippines, scientists and experts from different parts of the world have come up with a vaccine to slow down the spread of the virus – shedding light on possibilities of returning to normal. The Philippine government developed the National COVID-19 Vaccination Plan for an efficient and effective vaccine deployment and delivery to the Filipino people.
While the National COVID-19 Vaccination Plan is more of an overview of the steps of the national government, there is an urgent need to localize these plans and be adapted at the LGU level.
A new strain has also been recently discovered and severe side effects from the vaccine have been reported globally, causing panic and fear among communities. The government is also taking extra steps to address these doubts through various information dissemination activities and education campaigns.
Having said this, last March 4, the Resilience and Innovation Learning Hub (RILHUB) conducted the first Resilience Knowledge Exchanges Series (RKES) of this year. Launched June last year, RKES is a monthly or bi-monthly webinar series that invites key actors and various community members to learn, reflect, and share best practices in relation to timely and resilience-related events and programs.
During this implementation, RILHUB was joined by selected guest speakers to share their expertise, experiences, and for the representatives from local government units, their best practices in relation to planning their COVID-19 Vaccination plan.
Ms. Ma. Arlene Arbas, Division Chief of the Department of Health’s (DOH) Media and External Relations Division, presented the agency’s National Vaccination Plan as well as the timeline or estimated rollout of vaccines. Through her presentation, some foreseen and commonly asked questions were directly addressed even before the open forum portion of the program.
Local Government Units (LGUs) with approved local COVID-19 Vaccination Plans were also invited to share their experiences and best practices in planning and approval. For the local government of Pasig City, Mr. Joseph Emilie Juico, Co-Chair of the Quezon City Task Force Vax to Normal, presented the city’s plans while Dr. Angelo Saquitan, Rural Health Physician presented the plans of the City of Pasig.
After all presentations, the floor was opened for questions during the open forum portion of the program. This provided a good opportunity for all attendees and stakeholders, which were comprised of both private, public, and civil service organizations, to raise any concerns, clarifications, and inquiries. A majority of questions were answered live, while a select few were answered through Zoom’s Q&A feature.
Check out the recorded Facebook live stream of the session here.
View the Department of Health’s presentation here.
View the City of Pasig’s presentation here.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions of lives in various ways. Globally, there are more than 90 million confirmed cases and 2 million deaths. Among these are half a million Filipinos that are confirmed cases and nearly ten thousand deaths. Apart from the health crisis it brought, COVID-19 has also disrupted livelihoods, social services, government programs, among others.
Almost a year after the COVID-19 lockdowns began in the Philippines, scientists and experts from different parts of the world have come up with a vaccine to slow down the spread of the virus – shedding light on possibilities of returning to normal. The Philippine government developed the National COVID-19 Vaccination Plan for an efficient and effective vaccine deployment and delivery to the Filipino people.
While the National COVID-19 Vaccination Plan is more of an overview of the steps of the national government, there is an urgent need to localize these plans and be adapted at the LGU level.
A new strain has also been recently discovered and severe side effects from the vaccine have been reported globally, causing panic and fear among communities. The government is also taking extra steps to address these doubts through various information dissemination activities and education campaigns.
The Resilience Knowledge Exchange Series Session covering this topic was entitled, “How Local Government Unit’s Prepare Their COVID-19 Vaccination Plans”, and was held last March 04, 2021 and was co-implemented by CARE, ACCORD, the MOVE UP Project, and the START Network.
This presentation on the national COVID-19 vaccine program was made by the Department of Health and presented by Ms. Ma. Arlene Arbas, Division Chief, Media & External Relations Division, Department of Health
To access a soft copy of this material, please click here.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions of lives in various ways. Globally, there are more than 90 million confirmed cases and 2 million deaths. Among these are half a million Filipinos that are confirmed cases and nearly ten thousand deaths. Apart from the health crisis it brought, COVID-19 has also disrupted livelihoods, social services, government programs, among others.
Almost a year after the COVID-19 lockdowns began in the Philippines, scientists and experts from different parts of the world have come up with a vaccine to slow down the spread of the virus – shedding light on possibilities of returning to normal. The Philippine government developed the National COVID-19 Vaccination Plan for an efficient and effective vaccine deployment and delivery to the Filipino people.
While the National COVID-19 Vaccination Plan is more of an overview of the steps of the national government, there is an urgent need to localize these plans and be adapted at the LGU level.
A new strain has also been recently discovered and severe side effects from the vaccine have been reported globally, causing panic and fear among communities. The government is also taking extra steps to address these doubts through various information dissemination activities and education campaigns.
The Resilience Knowledge Exchange Series Session covering this topic was entitled, “How Local Government Unit’s Prepare Their COVID-19 Vaccination Plans”, and was held last March 04, 2021 and was co-implemented by CARE, ACCORD, the MOVE UP Project, and the START Network.
This presentation on the development of Pasig City’s localized COVID-19 vaccination program presented by Dr. Angelo Saquitan, Rural Health Physician, Local Government of Pasig City.
To access a soft copy of this material, please click here.
by ACCORD, Inc.
When lockdown measures were implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19, even development projects were halted. Community-based trainings and workshops implemented by actors from outside the barangays were not allowed as they could be carriers of the virus. Local leaders play a critical role in a time when external support is limited and when the community’s safety is prioritized.
CARE local partner organization, ACCORD, Inc., ensures that potential leaders are recognized and gradually help them develop their capacities, self-confidence, and credibility. ACCORD shared, “Organizing and building capacities of local champions, community facilitators, and project steering committees at the barangay level was done as part of the project’s adaptive and sustainability measures. When staff’s mobility was restricted, valuable assistance was provided by the community champions – not only in the implementation of emergency responses on the ground but also in setting up regular project activities with our field teams. The project intends to engage and work with the same champions throughout the project, whose capacities for local leadership will remain, even after project closure.”
Among these local leaders is Josefina, 65, who serves as a Barangay Health Worker in Cullit, Gattaran in the province of Cagayan. Her daily duties include monitoring the health of children and elderly persons in their community. Since resources are scarce, she also helps out in medicine allocation, prioritizing the old and the sick. Now that there is a pandemic, she also helped out in the Social Amelioration Program (SAP) of the government, ensuring that the most vulnerable are included in the list. Josefina said that what she does in her barangay brings her happiness because she was able to provide help to her fellow senior citizens, especially now that the pandemic made serving her community more challenging. She recalled that her worst experience of a calamity was in 2012. She shared, “Our community and livestock had to be evacuated in higher grounds, and whatever was left behind were covered in thick mud after being submerged in the flood. Our family and neighbors had to clean the waist-deep mud in our houses, and had to sleep on the streets for about three weeks.” Because of this, she recognizes the importance of disaster preparedness, “the INCREASE project helped our community in planning and preparing for hazards and disasters.”
To also continue actively involving the communities despite the restrictions, INCREASE also responded to COVID-19. The timing of the pandemic coincided with lean season when farmers had to engage in alternative income-generating activities such as buying and selling vegetables. With lockdowns and restrictions in accessing goods, such activities are not allowed. For Josefina, “the rice packs helped my community, especially those whose livelihoods were affected because of the travel restrictions and
lockdown. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 information materials remind my community to follow health protocols and what to do to protect themselves from the virus.”
Involvement of local actors also includes inviting them in knowledge exchange sessions that are relevant in their current context. Made possible through the Resilience and Innovation Learning Hub (RILHUB), INCREASE partner LGU in Cagayan was able to attend relevant webinars on resilience and DRR – covering topics such as Contingency Planning during COVID-19, Setting Up Community Quarantine Facilities, and Camp Coordination and Camp Management Training. Such information exchange sessions were seen timely by local actors as these webinars coincided with their preparation timelines for updating municipal disaster risk reduction plans, comprehensive development plans, comprehensive land use plans, and local climate change action plans – undertakings defined as actual project outputs in INCREASE’s result framework, and areas in disaster governance INCREASE’s technical assistance seeks to enhance.
While activity implementation under INCREASE remains restricted, it is through these emergency responses and knowledge exchange sessions that ACCORD was able to check-in, and assess the evolving needs of INCREASE barangays in actual emergencies. Local leaders were also more involved in the project and appreciate its flexibility in delivering the appropriate emergency response given the urgent situation.