Coronavirus is rearranging how the world functions. Both developed and developing countries are not spared from the pandemic. Luzon, the Philippines, with 60 million population is now under lockdown and trying to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The Philippine's healthcare system is weaker than other countries and millions of people are now at risk of dying. The current population is 109 million, but the country only have 89,000 hospital beds, 1000 ICUs and is severely lacking in testing kits. The current mortality rate of infected patients is 12.5 percent, which is very high compared to other Southeast Asian countries.
Fighting the pandemic are nurses and healthcare workers who are still under ENDO, a short-term contractual practice in the Philippines. The Philippines sends thousands of nurses around the world, and one of the reasons they are leaving is because of the low chance of being regularized. It is a no work-no pay and no benefits practice, and many nurses are on volunteer job orders for years. President Duterte promised to end this practice when he took office four years ago but it is still happening.
