Indigenous Peoples and the COVID-19 Social Amelioration Program in Eastern Visayas, Philippines: Perspectives from Social Workers

Amid the COVID-19 response, Indigenous Peoples suffer disproportionately and are especially at risk of being left behind in government responses due to the various inequalities they face. This paper discusses the treatment of Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines government’s COVID-19 policies and programs, and examines the implementation of the Social Amelioration Program (SAP), and its impact, or lack thereof, in the lives of Indigenous Peoples. This paper used a combination of secondary data from government policies and news articles, and primary data from ten rapid ethnographic interviews with social workers and SAP implementers from the regional social welfare agency of Eastern Visayas. We conducted a preliminary analysis on the various issues surrounding the SAP implementation as well as steps taken, or lack thereof, in making the program more inclusive and responsive to the plight of Filipino Indigenous Peoples in the region - a hazard prone area of the country. This essay is divided into three parts. The first illustrates the virus outbreak in the country and the challenges Indigenous Peoples face during the pandemic. The second discusses the policy that created the SAP and issues surrounding it. The last one highlights the local social workers’ perspectives and recommendations on how the government could better contribute to the social development as well as general wellbeing of Indigenous Peoples during and after the pandemic.