G A Opiniano1, H T Biana2, C M Dagwasi3, J J B Joaquin4. 1. Department of Philosophy, University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines. Electronic address: gaopiniano@ust.edu.ph. 2. Department of Philosophy, De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Avenue, Malate, Manila 0922, Philippines. Electronic address: hazel.biana@dlsu.edu.ph. 3. Department of Social Sciences, Benguet State University, KM 5 La Trinidad, 2601, Benguet, Philippines. Electronic address: cdagwasi@bsu.edu.ph. 4. Department of Philosophy, De La Salle University, 2401 Taft Avenue, Malate, Manila 0922, Philippines. Electronic address: jeremiah.joaquin@dlsu.edu.ph.
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, the Philippine government issued strict community quarantine policies all over the country. Hoping to revive the economy in the latter part of 2020, the government transitioned into more relaxed policies on May 16, 2020, where some businesses were allowed to open. This includes tourism-related businesses such as beach-resort establishments, with specific health and safety proviso.Tourism is a billion-dollar industry in the Philippines, and the country's world-class beaches are the main crowd-drawer. In accordance with the Department of Tourism's statistics, a portion of its US$9 billion revenue came from the 8.26 million international tourists who visited the country in 2019. Unfortunately, due to the outbreak, the industry faced daunting challenges, with 155,672 employees from 4290 tourism-related enterprises affected by closures.The government has argued for the reopening of the beach-tourism industry to prevent further economic downturn. One of its grounds is that beach-related activities are relatively at low risk. In terms of COVID-19 transmissions, beach-going activities are considered low risk. While ‘the virus has been detected in wastewater’, it has been said that in ‘lakes, rivers, and oceans – the concentration of the virus would be so diluted that it would be difficult to contract it’. There is a low-medium risk, however, due to possible social distancing issues that may be brought about by overcrowding. But all in all, beach-going activities are seen as relatively safe.Another argument presented is more psychological. Going to the beach might be a form of escapism and relaxation. Studies have shown that the ‘traditional beach holiday with its emphasis on sunbathing is the ultimate form of meditation’. Common beach activities in the country include diving, surfing, parasailing, fishing, and boating. Most local tourists usually just swim and have picnics along shorelines. In this sense, beach escapism is spiritual as it lightens the psychological stresses brought about by extreme cases such as the COVID-19 outbreak. Beach-going can help ‘confront the world's darker side and human tragedy, a reminder of one's mortality and place in a universal cycle’ thereby making ‘one's minor troubles seem relatively insignificant’. Perhaps, this is one of the reasons why, despite strict quarantine protocols, there have been quite a number of citizens arrested for hanging out or sailing in Philippine beaches.The reopening proved to be premature, however. Since the restart, the number of COVID-19 cases have ballooned from 12,091 in May 15 to 136,368 cases in August 10. Thus, proving that the health risk is still high. How, then, do we balance the economic and psychological gains of reopening beach-resorts to the public given the risk? How do we weigh the cost and benefits? The Philippine government has seemed to wave the white flag on this issue, and just opted to let the people decide.
Author contributions
G.A.O. and C.M.D contributed to Investigation and Writing – review & editing. H.T.B. contributed to Conceptualization and Writing – original draft. J.J.B.J contributed to Writing – review & editing.