Article by Wilburthe Gregorio Graphics by AJ Baldemor
October 20, 2022
As of September 2022, the public wearing of face masks is now voluntary in non-crowded areas, well-ventilated places, and open spaces. This was stated in Executive Order No. 3, issued by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in hopes that this will help boost the Philippine economy.
Several concerned citizens expressed their criticisms on how this will be beneficial to everyone as it poses risks of exposing people to Covid. As you may know, several countries, including the US and China, have already dropped the mandatory face mask order, but is the Philippines ready to be a mask-free country?
Albeit the order issued by the President, the government still encourages the wearing of face masks, especially for senior citizens and those who have not completed their vaccines. They are still mandatory for people with Covid symptoms and in areas like public transportation and spaces where social distancing is difficult to maintain.
First off, why make it voluntary? According to an article from Manila Bulletin, it was the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases that proposed making outdoor use of face masks optional before it became a national policy (Manila Bulletin, 2022). This is to strike a balance between Philippine health and the economy and to slowly go back to our “normal” everyday lives.
One of the clear benefits of voluntary face masks is good and comfortable ventilation. Face masks, although providing us protection, restrict people’s ventilation which can be uncomfortable or even harmful to people with breathing difficulties. Not to mention, it slowly adds to every household’s bills and contributes to more environmental waste, so reducing their use can be helpful not only for humans but also for the environment.
Now, why should we NOT make it voluntary? As mentioned earlier, not wearing face masks leaves people susceptible to Covid. Many people already expressed their opposition to the said order, including the Kabataan Party-list, which deemed President Bongbong Marcos “overly confident” in making the call (Inquirer.net, 2022). These “dangerously and misguided policies” could cause harm rather than good, Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel said.
The Department of Health (DOH) is also on the side of keeping face masks mandatory (BusinessWorld, 2022). According to a member of the Private Sector Advisory Council, it's also unlikely to make significant improvements to the Philippine economy. While the opening of schools would definitely boost the country’s economy, making face masks voluntary is to give people more freedom.
One of the underlying problems with the voluntary face mask order is making sure every citizen will follow it, which can be a challenge. Manila Bulletin brought this into the spotlight in their Opinion-Editorial. “There is this tendency for us to defy laws, rules and regulations when law enforcement agents are not looking.” An infamous example is those people wearing face masks but are pulling them down to their chins or taking them off when no one is looking (Manila Bulletin, 2022).
From my observation, several people were already choosing not to wear face masks outdoors even before the Executive order was released. The issued order just made it publicly permissible now, and this will also encourage more people to choose to not wear masks outside. Is this a step too risky for our country to take yet, or a sign that we are on the verge of declaring victory against the pandemic?
Sources:
Atienza, K. A. (2022, September . Philippines’ DoH wants to keep mask mandate. Retrieved from BusinessWorld: https://www.bworldonline.com/.../philippines-doh-wants.../
Manila Bulletin (2022, September 9). Are we ready to unmask? Retrieved from Manila Bulletin: https://mb.com.ph/2022/09/09/are-we-ready-to-unmask/
Philippine Daily Inquirer (September 13, 2022). Voluntary face mask use outdoors is ‘a dangerously misguided policy’ – youth group. Retrieved from Inquirer.net:https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/.../voluntary-face-mask-use...
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