More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
A recent study showed that the COVID-19 pandemic worsened existing gender inequalities in the Philippines. Women faced heavier burdens as frontline health workers, unpaid caregivers, and income earners in vulnerable sectors.
Research showed that the Covid-19 pandemic deepened existing gender inequalities in the Philippines, placing women under disproportionate strain as frontline health workers, income earners and unpaid caregivers, while disruptions to health services put maternal and reproductive health needs at risk.
“The Covid-19 pandemic exposed and deepened gender-related inequalities in Philippine society, particularly in access to health care, economic security and caregiving responsibilities,” Sairah Mae R. Saipudin said in the research paper titled “The gendered impact of Covid-19 in the Philippines: a call for gender-responsive public health policies.”
“Women bore the brunt of the crisis, disproportionately working on the front lines while maintaining unpaid caregiving duties,” she added.
The research paper was published in the Western Pacific Surveillance and Response Journal (WPSAR), a publication of the World Health Organization’s Western Pacific Regional Office, in September 2025 as a perspective piece.
Saipudin, a researcher at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) Gender Center, synthesized existing evidence from the Philippines and other countries to examine how the pandemic affected women differently from men.
Women were heavily represented among frontline health professionals during the pandemic, but their responsibilities did not stop when their shifts ended.
In the Philippines, the research found that most frontline medical workers during the Covid-19 pandemic were women. Many worked prolonged shifts in high-risk settings while continuing to perform unpaid household and caregiving work at home.
“The combined burden of working prolonged shifts in high-risk settings while also maintaining their domestic roles contributed to increased psychological strain, which disproportionately affected women compared with their male colleagues,” Saipudin wrote.
“Female health-care workers experienced substantial psychological effects, burnout and stress due to their dual responsibilities at work and at home,” she added.
The analysis cited studies reporting elevated anxiety, burnout and fatigue among Filipino nurses and caregivers. The studies associated these conditions with patient overload, insufficient personal protective equipment and prolonged exposure to stress.
It also identified gaps in job-related protections, mental health support, hazard pay and programs intended to help workers manage their professional and domestic responsibilities.
“Female health-care workers bore the burden of inadequate workplace policies because their institutions did not support them to manage their dual roles effectively,” the analysis noted.
The pandemic also affected women who needed health services unrelated to Covid-19.
“At critical moments, health-care providers overlooked essential medical care specifically designed for women. The health-care services dedicated to maternal care and birth became less important than the government’s urgent Covid-19 emergency work,” Saipudin said.
“Pregnant women became more exposed to health dangers because hospital shutdowns combined with travel restrictions compelled them to deliver their babies in risky locations without medical support,” she added.
Women in marginalized communities were particularly vulnerable, as family caregiving responsibilities often took precedence over seeking care for their own health, according to the research.
The economic fallout of the pandemic also fell heavily on women working in sectors that were particularly exposed to lockdowns and business closures.
The research stressed that the economic impacts were “most devastating” for women working in manual labor and service industries — including retail, domestic work and tourism — as these sectors experienced mass job terminations and severe financial disruption.
Lockdown measures further strained industries that predominantly employed women, contributing to greater financial instability.
Domestic workers, who were primarily women, were affected when employers canceled contracts because of pandemic-related financial difficulties, according to the paper.
“Wage subsidies and unemployment benefits helped those working in formal industries, which are often male dominated, while informal workers – the majority of whom are women – were largely excluded from economic support mechanisms,” Saipudin said.
At the same time, the limited financial assistance that reached informal workers was insufficient to offset the prolonged disruption.
A 2021 study in Quezon City also found that women working in the informal economy suffered income losses, food insecurity and psychological distress as businesses closed and school schedules were disrupted.
At home, the pandemic also meant more unpaid responsibilities for women. With schools closed, child care services suspended and more work shifting into the home, women took on a larger share of caregiving duties, the research paper noted.
The added burden made it more difficult for some women to find or retain paid work and participate in the country’s economic recovery.
According to Saipudin, existing inequalities within health systems and the wider economy could become more pronounced during a pandemic when responses do not account for gender.
The research paper noted that women played several important roles during the crisis, including as frontline clinical staff, unpaid caregivers and community health leaders. Despite this, they did not always have equitable access to essential services, including those related to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights.
“A gender-sensitive pandemic response strategy recognizes that men and women experience health emergencies differently due to their differing social, economic and caregiving roles,” Saipudin wrote.
“Adjusting health-care delivery to fit specific needs by using the perspective of gender leads to improved patient outcomes, such as by creating maternal health programmes, and providing mental health support for female caregivers and financial assistance programmes for employed women in vulnerable situations,” she stressed.
The paper also drew on evidence from previous health emergencies, including the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, to show how overlooking women’s caregiving responsibilities and economic vulnerabilities can affect recovery.
It cited examples of gender-responsive measures, such as support for women-led community initiatives, continued access to reproductive health services and inclusive health communication, as approaches associated with more equitable outcomes in previous crises.
Saipudin also noted that countries that prioritized maternal health and provided targeted support for women during the Covid-19 pandemic were better positioned for a more equitable recovery.
“Addressing gender disparities is not only a matter of social justice but also a critical factor in building stronger, more resilient health systems and sustaining economic recovery,” she said.
For future crises, Saipudin called for gender analysis to be incorporated into disaster preparedness and public health emergency planning so authorities can identify risks affecting women and design responses accordingly.
“Gender-responsive actions are essential during public health emergencies to address structural inequalities and support equitable recovery,” she wrote.
The research recommended using sex- and gender-disaggregated data to guide decisions on health care, financial assistance and psychosocial support.
It also called for health systems to preserve access to sexual and reproductive health services, particularly in low-resource communities. Where travel restrictions make regular services difficult to maintain, the research pointed to telemedicine and mobile health units as possible alternatives.
For female health workers and caregivers, the paper recommended mental health programs tailored to their specific stressors and integrated into emergency response systems.
It said economic relief programs should likewise include informal workers and low-wage earners, many of whom are women. Among the measures cited were cash assistance, subsidized child care and reskilling programs, as well as workplace policies such as paid family leave and flexible work arrangements.
Saipudin also called for women to be more proactively included in pandemic planning and decision-making, noting that global analyses had found significant gender gaps in Covid-19 leadership bodies.
She further pointed to gender-responsive budgeting as a way to incorporate gender considerations into the allocation of public resources. The paper cited Quezon City’s use of gender-responsive budgeting during the pandemic, which it said helped support targeted social services and reproductive health assistance for women and girls in vulnerable communities.
For Saipudin, the lesson extends beyond the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Addressing these gaps is critical to designing more equitable and effective health responses,” she wrote.
“Ultimately, recognizing and addressing gender disparities is not only a matter of social equity: it is a strategic necessity for strengthening public health systems, protecting livelihoods and ensuring inclusive recovery,” she added.
Maternal and reproductive health services were disrupted, putting many women at greater risk. The study calls for gender-responsive public health policies to address these gaps in future crises.
S&P Global Ratings has cut its 2026 GDP growth forecast for the Philippines to just 2.9 percent, well below the government’s 3.5 percent target and the regional average of 4.6 percent. The agency cited weak public spending, squeezed household incomes, and a sharp drop in investment as key factors dragging down the economy.
Debt watcher S&P Global Ratings has lowered its economic growth forecast for the Philippines to fall well below the lowered minimum growth target of 3.5 percent in 2026, potentially marking a new post-pandemic low print.
According to S&P’s fourth-quarter outlook for Asia-Pacific (APAC) economies, Philippine gross domestic product (GDP) growth stands to disappoint further at 2.9 percent from its previous forecast of 4.1 percent.
This steep downward revision places the Philippines as a laggard in 2026, falling behind the regional average output growth of 4.6 percent.
While emerging markets (EMs) across APAC expanded by an average of 5.2 percent in the second quarter, S&P pointed out that the Philippines and Thailand were pockets of weakness in the region.
According to the global debt watcher, the “solid EM average hides weakness” in the Philippines and Thailand, with the former hitting a post-pandemic low GDP expansion of 2.3 percent in the second quarter, while the latter fell to 1.9-percent growth during the period.
S&P attributed this domestic softness to a mix of drag factors onshore. “Weak public spending and squeezed household incomes are constraining the economy,” it said.
Public spending is particularly strained on the infrastructure expenditure front, but the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) is upbeat that the local economy will rebound due in part to an expected recovery in infrastructure spending.
Further, while broader regional capital formation remained resilient, S&P noted that “the most notable exception to the domestic demand resilience in the second quarter is the Philippines, where investment has plunged.”
Domestic demand remained subdued as investments continued to contract due to weaker public construction. Gross capital formation shrank by 9.2 percent during the period.
Despite the expectation that economic growth will remain anemic, S&P has priced in that the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) will continue to tighten its monetary policy as it calls for a quarter-point hike in addition to the five-percent benchmark rate set in August.
Raising the key interest rate will temper domestic consumption, which would in turn dampen overall GDP growth. However, such a move will support the BSP’s primary mandate of keeping a lid on consumer prices, particularly by keeping inflation rates within the two- to four-percent tolerance range.
S&P recalled that the Philippines, South Korea, Japan, and other economies raised their respective key borrowing rates by up to 100 basis points (bps), with the BSP raising a cumulative 75 bps since the United States (US)-Iran war flared up in the first quarter, squeezing global oil supplies and driving up oil prices.
Still, the credit rating agency expects that additional monetary policy adjustments are on the table. It expects the BSP to deliver another 25-bp rate hike before year-end, bringing the benchmark policy rate to 5.25 percent by year-end.
Monetary authorities across the region face persistent pressure from elevated commodity prices and exchange rate volatility.
S&P pointed out that consumer price growth has accelerated largely due to higher energy costs, noting, however, that it remains manageable.
It likewise observed that the Philippines and Thailand have been among the few APAC economies “where fuel prices jumped,” joining Vietnam. Inflation peaked at 7.2 percent in April, the second month of the US-Iran military conflict, and has since slowed to a four-month low of 6.1 percent in August.
S&P forecasts Philippine average headline inflation to accelerate to 5.5 percent in 2026 before moderating to 3.6 percent in 2027.
On the foreign exchange (forex) front, S&P noted that “the exchange rates of India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand lost more than five percent through mid-September,” projecting the peso to close the year at ₱62 per greenback.
Despite the soft outlook, S&P expects the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to raise interest rates further to 5.25 percent by year-end to control inflation. Headline inflation is projected to average 5.5 percent in 2026 before easing, while the peso is forecast to end the year at around ₱62 per US dollar.
On the sidelines of the UN General assembly co-hosted a conference titled “Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response and Human Mobility." Here are the opening remarks which appear to have been made by the Secretary of Health, Dr. Erwin Mercado.
Excellencies, distinguished colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, Good afternoon and a very warm welcome to this high-level side event on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response and Human Mobility, from Global Commitments to Operational Action. It is an honor for the Philippines to co-host the discussion together with the International Organization for Migration and to welcome colleagues from governments, international organizations, development partners, and other sectors who share a common interest in strengthening pandemic preparedness.
The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the interconnectedness of our society is linked to human mobility. When such health crisis strikes, mobile populations, migrant workers, and cross-border health personnel are often among the first to face uncertainties, yet they remain to be the backbone of our essential economies. As we move forward, carrying lessons from the pandemic, we have an opportunity to strengthen a preparedness agenda that is inclusive and responsive to these realities. This means ensuring that the needs and circumstances of people on the move is not considered as an afterthought, but as part of our broader efforts to protect communities and strengthen resilience. Leveraging the gains from our rigorous pandemic response, we must act decisively to fortify global health governance, anchor health security in preventive health measures, and deepen cross-border cooperation.
We must strengthen adherence to the International Health Regulations, reinforcing every member state's capacity and obligation to monitor, detect, and address potential cross-border public health concerns. A robust border protection begins within our communities, schools, and workplaces. which is why the Philippines, guided by our Unified National Agenda, or UNA, for health, is scaling up its access to primary care, early screening, and health promotion in different settings as the first line of our defense.
And because health hazards do not respect boundaries, we must deepen interoperability among governments, international organizations, communities, workers, and other partners to guarantee a swift and well-coordinated response.Operationalizing this vision calls for a shared sense of responsibility and accountability, as no single nation can address a health crisis alone.
As we discuss how to move from global commitments to operational action, I hope we can strengthen not only our systems, but also the partnership and solidarity that make those systems effective. We hope to hear from different countries and partners about what they have learned, which approaches have demonstrated value, and where stronger collaboration can make a difference.
On behalf of the government of the Philippines, I warmly welcome all our speakers and participants, and I thank the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, the International Organization for Migration, and all our partners for joining us in this important discussion. Thank you, and I wish everyone a meaningful and productive exchange that will forge actionable partnership and tangible progress.
Dr. Erwin Mercado emphasized that pandemic preparedness must include migrant workers, mobile populations, and cross-border health personnel. He also called for stronger adherence to the International Health Regulations and greater cooperation among governments, international organizations, communities, and workers to strengthen global pandemic preparedness.
And here are the concluding remarks from the Assistant Health Secretary Dr. Gerna M. Manatad.
Good afternoon again. I would like to say thank you for having this opportunity to co-sponsor this event. Now, listening from the interventions from the floor, the surge capacity, the air quality, and the continuity of health services, these are really the components and some of the challenges that we need to address in our national action plan, as well as our collaborations at the regional level and then at the global level.
Now, I'm also reflecting as to really the role also of our partners, especially in the pandemic fund. Yes, especially in the three core capacities, how surveillance, not only in human, but also in animals, including now the wildlife. And that's also one of our priorities back in the country that we could also share. among our ASEAN counterpart and globally. So we have this part of the preparedness. A second is the laboratory capacity.
Now, learning from COVID, there were really lots of difficulty in testings and all of those necessary expanding the capacity of the country. So this is also what we need to build. And also to collaborate with our ah international partners. And yes as we are reflected and hearing also from the interventions that right now our country really is an average yearly average for the past ah ten years. Around 40 thousands of nurses are going out from the country and this is really a huge movement of our people and estimated to have around in 2024, 2.4 million outgoing from the country to work as an overseas workers, seafarers and everything.
So this conversation now and this event is a very important event for us really to remain and highly committed to working with IOM, governments, and international organizations such as WHO and other partners to put these challenges be workable and be addressed globally and then internationally and at the national level that we could also be working closely with all of you. So thank you for this opportunity and to share also the best practices that we have back in our country.
She highlighted the need to strengthen surveillance, laboratory capacity, and health-service continuity as key components of pandemic preparedness. He also emphasized the Philippines’ health-worker migration and called for continued cooperation with IOM, WHO, governments, and other international partners to address these challenges at the national, regional, and global levels.
