Republic of the Philippines
Region V
Department of Education
Division of Tabaco
Tabaco National High School
S.Y. 2020-2021
Name of Student:
Research III
Grade & Section: 9- Dalton (STE 1)
Teacher: ____________________
President for a Day
The world is in turmoil for all the current events that are happening right now. The
COVID-19 pandemic, political and social problems, and other challenges that humanity
is facing. Change is normal, but this unprecedented pandemic that we are facing right
now are causing unforeseen changes in everyone’s life. With the increasing number of
cases of people getting infected by the COVID-19 virus, everyone must take extra
precautionary measures because everyone of us is at risk.
The government is one of the main decision makers of the country. Every decision
the government makes, affects the country. The president of the Philippines is given 6
years to carry out his plans for the country. However, a day is a very short time to create
widely influenced change. If I were given this once in a blue moon chance to stand as the
president of the Philippines for a day, I will value the 24 hours of my presidency and use
the power in my position to create decisions for the betterment of the country, especially
in this trying times. What are my plans for the 24 hours of presidency in the Philippines?
When the pandemic started, the Philippines responded to the COVID-19 situation
later than other countries. The Philippines only closed the borders from Wuhan, China,
while other countries closed their borders from the whole country of China. Taiwan is a
neighboring country of China, yet they have the most successful COVID-19 response.
Taiwan’s COVID-19 response is something to learn from. With the rapidly increasing
cases of the new B.1.1.7 variant from the UK, B1.351 variant from South Africa, P.1
variant from Brazil, which are all highly contagious, this matter must be highly focused
upon. As the president, I will implement tighter border controls. I will close the borders to
the countries with mutated variants. Since there is already 1 confirmed case of the B.1.1.7
variant in the Philippines, I will implement stricter protocols and non-pharmaceutical
interventions for everyone to follow.
I am a president who will actively coordinate with the departments and agencies
to create reliable decisions for the country. I will coordinate with the Department of Health,
and professionals with high knowledge in viruses and related sciences to properly create
decisions for the country. Assistance will also be offered to people struggling to support
their families through coordinating with the departments focusing on human welfare.
The eruption of Taal Volcano, and most importantly, the global outbreak of COVID19 including the strict containment measures against the pandemic have led to severe
disruptions in manufacturing, agriculture, tourism, construction, and trade. A total of 3.8
million Filipinos are unemployed, concluding that there are more than 3.8 million families
struggling due to the implemented lockdowns caused by the pandemic. To help the
struggling families, cash assistance of Php 8,000 will be given. I will also coordinate with
the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in offering jobs to the people who are
unemployed. The job that will be offered will help them start anew, and will help them
support the daily needs for their family. The DOLE will offer skill-related work such as
tailoring which produces bed covers and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that can
be used for quarantine facilities. Offering these jobs will not only benefit the employees
but will also help the community in fighting the COVID-19 virus.
Facing an infectious disease, we have been forced to maintain distance from each
other, all while going through levels of fear, uncertainty, job loss, and grief that are
unprecedented for many people. As the president of the Philippines, it is important to hear
the opinions of the Filipinos. My job is not to order people around to create my ideal world
of supremacy, but to lead, help, and serve my fellow countrymen in this world of
uncertainty.
It has been 24 hours, this is the former president of the Philippines, and I will
continue to serve and help the Filipino people.
References:

Beltran, Michael. (2020). The Philippines’ Pandemic Response: A Tragedy of
Errors.
Retrieved
from
https://thediplomat.com/2020/05/the-philippines-pandemic-
response-a-tragedy-of-errors/ last January 17, 2021

Farr, Christina, and Michelle Gao. (2020). How Taiwan Beat the Coronavirus.
Retrieved
from
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/15/how-taiwan-beat-the-
coronavirus.html last January 17, 2021

Lopez, Melissa. (2020). 3.8M Filipinos unemployed in October as some jobs
restored, but still far from full recovery – PSA.
Retrieved
from
https://cnnphilippines.com/business/2020/12/3/October-2020-
employment-data-PSA.html last January 18, 2021

Magsambol, Bonz. (2021). DOH confirms 1st case of UK COVID-19 variant in PH.
Retrieved from https://www.rappler.com/nation/doh-confirms-first-case-uk-covid19-variant-philippines-january-13-2021 Retrieved last January 17, 2021

McCarthy, Julie. (2020). The Philippine Government's COVID-19 Response Has
Devastated Its Economy.
Retrieved
from
https://www.npr.org/2020/07/09/889307982/the-philippine-
governments-covid-19-response-has-devastated-its-economy last January 17,
2021

New COVID-19 Variants. (2020)
Retrieved
from
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-
ncov/transmission/variant.html last January 18, 2021

Nonpharmaceutical Interventions. (2020)
Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nonpharmaceutical-interventions/index.html
last January 17, 2021

Philippines: Social Assistance to Poor Households, Support for Small Enterprises
Key to Broad-Based Recovery. (2020)
Retrieved
from
https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-
release/2020/06/09/philippines-social-assistance-to-poor-households-support-forsmall-enterprises-key-to-broad-based-recovery last January 17, 2021
a. Rating for the first output: A+
b. Recitation points: 3
c. number of points earned during the group activity: 27