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@article{ Hapal2021, title = {The Philippines' COVID-19 Response}, author = {Hapal, Karl}, journal = {Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs}, number = {2}, pages = {224-244}, volume = {40}, year = {2021}, issn = {1868-4882}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1177/1868103421994261}, abstract = {The Philippine response to COVID-19 has been described as being one of the longest and strictest lockdowns in the world. Why has the Philippine government relied heavily on draconian measures in its "war" against COVID-19? And what discourse informed the framing of its response as a war against the virus? This article argues that the government’s reliance on draconian measures was a consequence of securitising COVID-19, appreciating the virus as an "existential threat". The securitisation of COVID-19 was reinforced with a narrative characterising the situation of the country as being at war against an "unseen enemy". This war-like narrative, however, invariably produced a subject, the pasaway. As the perpetual enemy of health and order, the pasaway became the target of disciplining and policing. The targeting of the pasaway was informed by deep-seated class prejudices and Duterte's authoritarian tendencies.}, }