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HOLY ANGEL UNIVERSITY

Holy Angel University

School of Nursing and Allied Medical Sciences

NCM113
Community Health Nursing

Expository Essay

Submitted by:
Borja, Monica
Lao, Pio Raphael
Yang, Shin Woei

Submitted to:
Dr. Jose Henry T. Lansangan, PhD, MAN, RN

August 13, 2020

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In the face of COVID-19 pandemic, social media is a great way for individuals and
communities to stay connected even while physically separated. According to the Philippine
Statistical Authority (2020) as of 2019, there were approximately 74 million smartphone users
in the Philippines, and it has continued to rise since 2015. Digital technologies especially
social media sites have been indispensable in helping people stay informed and remain
connected. The Internet has indeed turned the way information is shared and accessed to the
point where people are almost always online. However, are people with internet access
capable in distinguishing between trustworthy and untrustworthy sources on social media?
And with a lot of false information being spread on social media platforms nowadays, are
existing government policies in disseminating information enough to inform people with
health information? Easy dissemination of information is good news, however misinformation
has also emerged and mindless sharing of false information is dangerous for the community.
News literacy is important in judging the reliability of news and information, differentiating
among facts, opinions and assertions in the media we consume, create, and distribute,
however, an uncertain notion about news literacy of Filipinos can have a detrimental effect
while people are still living in this pandemic. The consequences of incompetent
implementation of policies in disseminating information are evident because as fake news
emerges remarkably in the social media, misinformation is an obvious public health threat in
the community. If misinformation continues, it could give birth to other issues in the long run.

One of the effects of misinformation about COVID19 is the non – compliance of the
Filipinos to the safety protocols. These include not following rules implemented by the
government and barangays. Bridgman et al. (2020) describe how COVID-19 pandemic has
occurred with infodemic. Infodemic is a global spread of misinformation that poses a serious
problem for public health. It is very alarming because the spread of false or misleading
information has the capacity to change information shared in social media. One particular
problem people are encountering about the role of social media such as Facebook and Twitter
is that people rely on these as a primary source of news. It is evident that media trust is an
important factor that shall be prioritized by the government here as it is associated with higher
levels of compliance with pandemic-containment measures. One of the problems encountered
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was when the government announced the possibility of extending the lockdown, which
resulted in individuals fleeing from quarantine or isolation facilities and unnecessary travel
prior to lockdown or even during lockdown for returning to their hometown. Hameleers et al.
(2020) suggest that one of the best things the government can do is to encourage people to
practice media or news literacy in order to design public service announcements in which they
provide information and suggestions on how to recognize misinformation and disinformation,
and to recommend sources that are verified and reliable. News like the uncertainty to open this
academic year, or even academic freeze is being spread. As the school year approaches,
parents weigh the corona virus, the health of the family, and the financial resources.
According to News One (2020), President Duterte quoted that “Education is the future of the
children. They have to finish a course so they can live.” Yet, the government lacks resources
to find solutions However, even if a student wants to enroll in school, they cannot. They are
being left behind because the government does not take any consideration to the needs of the
people. Aside from this, the Philippine first economic recession in three decades is happening.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (2020), the gross domestic product shrank
16.5% on-year in the second quarter when the country endured one of the world's longest stay-
at-home orders to slow the spread of the virus that has devastated economies globally. Not
only has this had an effect on our economy but also our healthcare system as well, according
to Nerissa Santiago (2020) an executive at PhilHealth if pandemic persists, PhilHealth is said
to collapse by 2022. The agency is projected to run out of funds by 2022, with its 10-year
actuarial life being cut drastically short by decreased collections and increased payouts due to
the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

As effective new treatments and vaccines become available, disinformation could hinder
uptake and further jeopardise countries’ efforts to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to an article by The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(2020), disinformation and misinformation about COVID-19 is quickly and widely
disseminated across the Internet, potentially influencing many people. This has prompted the
plea of the health care professionals for a time out; with an increase of cases and decrease in
government support, Health care workers of all fields have found themselves in need of a
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“time out”. In the past 6 months the Philippine National Police have investigated over 23
individuals spreading fake news. People who are misinformed are more susceptible in
contracting the disease, coupled with their non-compliance of the safety protocols, our
healthcare system is ill prepared to continue battling the pandemic, with the lack of manpower
and resources, our healthcare system is bound to burn out. Advertently the World Health
Organization (2020) has partnered up with the government of the United Kingdom to run an
awareness campaign about the risks of incorrect and false information regarding the
Coronavirus pandemic. With a total of 143,749 cases of COVID-19 in the Philippines it is just
about time to spread awareness about the risks of misinformation around COVID-19, and
encourages them to double check information with trusted sources such as WHO and national
health authorities (WHO 2020). According to Moreira (2018) People need digital and health
literacy skills to navigate and make sense of the COVID-19 content they see online, to know
how to verify its accuracy and reliability, and to be able to distinguish facts from opinions,
rumours and falsehoods.    

The government’s responsibility in this time of pandemic is to inform its people about the
dangerous disease, and provide policies to prevent the cases day by day from increasing. Yet,
with a lot of false information about health related news circulating the internet, this is where
people can comprehend that the government’s policies needs improvement as misinformation
has become a health threat in the community. One of the effects of the misinformation about
COVID19 is the non – compliance of the Filipinos to the safety protocols. Non-compliance in
social distancing, wearing of face masks in public, following curfew hours, and other
regulations and protocols set by the government and barangays resulted in an alarming
increase of Coronavirus disease cases in the Philippines. The rise of people infected with the
Corona Virus Disease has pushed the hospitals in the Philippines on the edges which lead
many health care providers to plead for time-out. The Philippines as a developing country, is
now facing an economic recession, leaving thousands of Filipinos unemployed. This
occurrence made it even difficult for Filipinos to access education especially those in
indigence. . The government should implement policies in disseminating information because
as fake news emerges remarkably in the social media, misinformation is an evident public
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health threat in the community. Misinformation is a health threat in the community and one of
the government’s responsibilities is to disseminate information to its people efficaciously.
Now, citizens are facing different issues in the present time, one of them is misinformation,
but with mindful sharing of information and cooperation, one can make a difference. At the
same time, everyone has a responsibility to combat the scourge of fake news and
disinformation. This ranges from promotion of media or news literacy, educating oneself
about health information mindfully, and an awareness of one’s responsibility in the times of
crisis. Taken together, these steps would further help the nation combat misinformation.

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References

Ager (2020), PhilHealth to collapse by 2022. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1316479/no-

more-philhealth-by-2022-if-pandemic-persists-official

Bridgman, A., Merkley, E., Loewen, PJ., Owen, T., Ruths, D., Teichmann, L., Zhilin, O.
(2020). The causes and consequences of COVID-19 misperceptions:
understanding the role of news and social media. The Harvard Kennedy School
(HKS) Misinformation Review. https://doi.org/10.37016/mr-2020-028

Hameleers, M.; van der Meer, T. G. L. A., Brosius, A. (2020). Feeling “disinformed”
lowers compliance with COVID-19 guidelines: evidence from the US, UK,
Netherlands and Germany. The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) Misinformation
Review. https://doi.org/10.37016/mr-2020-023

Moreira, L. (2018), "Health literacy for people-centred care:Where do OECD countries

stand?",OECD Health Working Papers, No. 107, OECD Publishing, Paris,
https://doi.org/10.1787/d8494d3a-en.

News One (2020). Duterte Now Wants Students To Graduate: Limited Face-To-Face
Classes Allowed Starting January But Not Mandatory.
https://www.onenews.ph/duterte-now-wants-students-to-graduate-limited-face-to-
face-classes-allowed-starting-january-but-not-mandatory

OECD (2020), Combatting COVID-19 disinformation on online platforms

https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/view/?ref=135_135214-
mpe7q0bj4d&title=Combatting-COVID-19-disinformation-on-online-platforms

Philippine Statistical Authority. (2020). GDP growth rate drops by 16.5 percent in the
second quarter of 2020; the lowest starting 1981 series.

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https://psa.gov.ph/content/gdp-declines-02-percent-first-quarter-2020-first-
contraction-fourth-quarter-1998

Sanchez, M. L., (2020) Number of smartphone users in the Philippines from 2015 to
2019 with a forecast until 2025. Retrieved from
https://www.statista.com/statistics/467186/forecast-of-smartphone-users-in-the-
philippines/

WHO (2020), Countering misinformation about COVID-19

https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/countering-misinformation-
about-covid-19

School of Nursing and Allied Medical Sciences