The Philippines is still struggling to contain the coronavirus outbreak and its wide-ranging effects six months after the onset of the pandemic. The country now has the highest number of Covid-19 cases in Southeast Asia, surpassing the 340,000 mark as of early October 2020.
With the Covid-19 response focused on Metro Manila and other hotspots, marginalized sectors and far-flung regions, which are as vulnerable to the deadly outbreak, seem invisible amid the pandemic. Forgotten Filipinos are at risk of falling through the cracks.
To help ensure that the country’s coronavirus response becomes inclusive and more sensitive to the plight of the marginalized, UrbanisMO.PH, Young Public Servants (YPS) and the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) led a series of podcast conversations focusing on sectors that are perceptibly absent in mainstream discussions about the Covid-19 response: senior citizens, persons with disabilities, farmers and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and conflict-affected communities outside Metro Manila.
These episodes are available on The UrbanisMO Podcast channel on Anchor, Apple Podcasts, Breaker, Google Podcasts, PocketCasts, RadioPublic, Spotify and Stitcher.
Episode 1: The Covid-19 response: Are the elderly and disabled being left behind?
Episode 2: Lockdown learning: Making education accessible despite the pandemic
Episode 3: Covid-19 in the Bangsamoro (Part 1 of 2)
Episode 4: Covid-19 in the Bangsamoro (Part 2 of 2)
Episode 5: Lifeline needed: Small businesses struggle amid lockdowns
This series was produced by UrbanisMO.PH and Young Public Servants with support from Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Philippines, International Center for Innovation, Transformation, and Excellence in Governance (INCITEGov) and PCIJ.
— PCIJ, October 2020