How does the state transform the COVID-19 pandemic into a security threat? On November 23, researchers Gabby Lim, Irene Poetranto, and Justin Lau presented “Securitization of COVID-19 in the Philippines” at the Re:Locations Symposium. The panel began with introductory remarks, followed by the context and research questions.
In 2016, the Philippines elected President Rodrigo Duterte in what Gabby Lim described as the country’s first “social media election”. She noted that the president and his administration portrayed the subsequent war on drugs as a security issue. Thus, the team posed the research question of “given Duterte’s law and order approach and use of social media, do we see similar rhetoric and tactics used for the COVID-19 pandemic?”
Justin Law proceeded with a timeline of COVID-19 in the Philippines. In March, the first lockdown began in Luzon and the rest of the country soon followed. The government-appointed military officials to the National Task Force for the pandemic. On April 1, President Duterte made a speech stating that the government would “shoot [quarantine violators] dead”, which resulted in increased COVID-related activity on Facebook. Law also discussed key facts about the COVID response in the Philippines. The country is currently experiencing the longest lockdown in the world, military officials occupy top health governance roles, and enforcement of the lockdown has resulted in human rights violations.
The project’s research relies on the Securitization Theory by Buzan, Waever, and Jaap de Wilde, who defines securitization as how a securitizing actor—in this case, the state—transforms an event into a security threat. Gabby Lim indicated how COVID-19 is the threat, the Duterte administration is the securitizing actor, their policies and actions the extraordinary measures, and the audience, the Philippine public. She highlighted the importance of the Philippine public in this case; as active participants, the public accepts or rejects securitizing moves.
In their preliminary findings, the team analyzed two datasets: language used by pro-Duterte Facebook pages and by pro-Duterte influencers between March 18 to April 1, 2020. In the fourteen Facebook pages, they found very little explicit security language. However, more subtle “wartime” rhetoric praised health “heroes” and shamed those who did not do their part. The pages likewise shared an intense belief that only President Duterte could “save” the Philippines from the COVID-19 crisis and differentiated between those who were “pro” Duterte and “anti” Duterte. The second dataset shared similar elements of nationalism and limited explicit language about security that were akin to the fan pages. That being said, the government hired some of them to work as a direct venue for official communications. These influencers directly confronted anti-Duterte content and justified government actions.
Next steps for the Securitization researchers include expanding their dataset to anti-Duterte Facebook groups and influencers. They encouraged questions and suggestions from the audience during the Q&A session.
During the session, Irene Poetranto spoke about Duterte’s power and collective action. She said that Duterte must be careful to not cross a political line that could spark another revolution. Although the team has not yet researched the Junk Terror Bill hashtag, it could be an interesting area to expand on. When asked about the difference between pro-Duterte influencers and groups, Justin said that influencers are more careful in their dissemination of information. Fan groups, on the other hand, are more grassroots and thus engage in harsher rhetoric.
All in all, “Securitizing COVID-19 in the Philippines”provoked topical conversations surrounding the pandemic in the Global South. As researchers Gabby Lim, Irene Poetranto, and Justin Lau have indicated, securitization elicits responses from various groups across the political spectrum and can have impactful consequences for those on the ground.
Elizabeth Shaw is an event reporter and contributor for the East Asia section of Synergy. a fourth-year double major in Peace, Conflict and Justice and Contemporary Asian Studies. She enjoys learning, researching, and writing about various topics surrounding Asia, including gender and migration and social movements.
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