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Filipinos opt to continue wearing face masks: OCTA survey
FILE: Commuters along Marcos Highway in Antipolo City brave the morning crowd on Tuesday (May 25, 2021). Passengers are required to wear masks and face shields and observe safe physical distancing inside vehicles. (PNA photo by Joey O. Razon)
MANILA – A survey by OCTA Research shows that a big chunk of the Filipino population will continue to wear face masks even if the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) will be controlled.
OCTA Research fellow Ranjit Rye presented the recent survey of the group following the issuance of Malacañang Palace on the voluntary wearing of face masks in outdoor settings.
“(This is) also probably the reason why very few reactions from the people against the new policy of the President, is because 30 percent of the adult population will continue to wear masks six months after Covid-19 is declared controlled,” Rye said during the Pandesal Forum Tuesday.
Twenty-eight percent of the respondents said they will continue wearing face masks a year after Covid-19 is declared controlled, 16 percent said they will continue it even after two years, and 18 percent said they will continue wearing face masks five years after the coronavirus is deemed controlled.
“These are huge numbers. There seems to be a consensus among adult Filipinos that masks are important and we don’t need to encourage them. They will wear masks because of their belief that it is for their own safety,” Rye added.
He said the survey result jives well with the new policy of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on outdoor masking.
“We don’t need to mandate it. People will wear it and the big chunk of the population will continue to wear it even after Covid is declared gone,” he said.
Developmental delays on children
In the same virtual forum, OCTA Research fellow Fr. Nicanor Austriaco cited the recent findings of Dr. Leana Wen — CNN medical analyst, physician, and professor at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health in the United States — that masking has an effect on the development of children.
Austriaco said Wen discovered that her four-year-old son had developmental delays, specifically language development, because of masking more than two years being in a pandemic.
He said that even when students have returned physically to school, the interaction can be considered as “mask-to-mask” rather than “face-to-face” classes as children still have to wear face masks.
Austriaco said the country should move to the normal face-to-face classes, without the masks, the soonest time possible to prevent developmental delays among the young population.
“I urged that the entire country is vaccinated and boosted as soon as possible. If not possible, because they do not want to, then we should remove the masks and allow them to live as adults with consequences of their choices in order to protect their children,” he said.
Jessabell Advincula
September 13, 2022 at 11:09 PM
This news gives a variety of reactions from some who are happy and contented and the other is concerned. As the pandemic is not yet finish there will always be a threat to everyone’s health although it is quite controlled by now, and it was controlled because of us, following the health and safety protocols the government imposed. This news give freedom and comfortability to other people but it also makes them more prone to the virus infection especially if they didn’t take the booster shots. While the other people who still thinks that their health is the top priority will still wear mask foe their safety. Just like the article says people will still wear mask not because it was mandated but because they think that mask helps them keep safe from being ill.
On the side of developmental delay I think that it’s not the facemask that causes it but the pandemic itself. 2 years of being locked up at home and studying at home is the reason while their development was delayed. Society and environment plays a big role in development and children being unable to meet other children and other people affects their development since they’re not having interactions to them. Talking and being with the family is not enough for a child to develop although it is vital. Child must be faced and able to see and experience outside or the society to developed.
Teresa Belmin
September 14, 2022 at 9:12 AM
Nakasanayan na nating lahat ang magsuot ng facemask for the past 2 years at sa katunayan pa nga naging part na ng OOTD natin ang facemask kase sa bawat araw na lalabas tayo kailangan din natin sya gamitin.Mas ok na rin siguro na niluwagan na ang restriction sa paggamit ng facemask kase hindi naman lahat saten komportable sa paggamit nito.Kaya nasa tao na lang kung patuloy pa rin tayong gagamit ng facemask basta ako gagamitin ko pa rin siya everytime na lalabas ako ng bahay lalo at nasa public place kase nag iingat ako hindi lang para sa sarili ko kundi pati sa pamilya at mga mahal ko.Prevention is better than Curing kaya iwas na lang na mahawahan at makahawa hanggat di pa rin tuluyang nawawala ang COVID19.
Teresa Belmin
September 14, 2022 at 7:29 PM
Nakasanayan na nating lahat ang magsuot ng facemask for the past 2 years at sa katunayan pa nga naging part na ng OOTD natin ang facemask kase sa bawat araw na lalabas tayo kailangan din natin sya gamitin.Mas ok na rin siguro na niluwagan na ang restriction sa paggamit ng facemask kase hindi naman lahat saten komportable sa paggamit nito.Kaya nasa tao na lang kung patuloy pa rin tayong gagamit ng facemask basta ako gagamitin ko pa rin siya everytime na lalabas ako ng bahay lalo at nasa public place kase nag iingat ako hindi lang para sa sarili ko kundi pati sa pamilya at mga mahal ko.Prevention is better than Curing kaya iwas na lang na mahawahan at makahawa hanggat di pa rin tuluyang nawawala ang COVID19.
Reynaldo L.
September 15, 2022 at 5:48 PM
Even we are now allowed to wear facemask optionally, Covid-19 is still anywhere else and we are not giving ourselves feel a relieve since this pandemic is still occurring around the world. As simple as that, we have a choice whether we or will not use a face mask, and again if the government really cares for us, our health is still their focus if covid-19 cases arise again.
Veria Balatbat
September 15, 2022 at 6:49 PM
Ang balitang ito ay nagbibigay ng iba’t ibang reaksyon mula sa ilan, na masaya at kuntento, at iba pang nag-aalala. Hangga’t hindi pa tapos ang pandemya, palaging may banta sa kalusugan ng lahat, bagama’t kontrolado na ito sa ngayon, at kontrolado ito dahil sa atin, sa pagsunod sa mga protocol sa kalusugan at kaligtasan na ipinataw ng gobyerno. Ang balitang ito ay nagbibigay ng kalayaan at kaginhawaan sa ibang mga tao, ngunit ginagawa rin nitong mas madaling kapitan ng impeksyon sa virus, lalo na kung hindi sila kumuha ng mga booster shot. Habang ang iba pang mga tao na iniisip pa rin na ang kanilang kalusugan ang pangunahing priyoridad ay magsusuot pa rin ng maskara para sa kanilang kaligtasan. Tulad ng sinabi ng artikulo, ang mga tao ay magsusuot pa rin ng maskara hindi dahil ito ay ipinag-uutos ngunit dahil sa tingin nila na ang mga maskara ay nakakatulong sa kanila na manatiling ligtas mula sa pagkakasakit.
Zaro Basa
September 15, 2022 at 6:50 PM
Sa panig ng pagkaantala ng pag-unlad, sa palagay ko ay hindi ang facemask ang sanhi nito kundi ang pandemya mismo. Ang kanilang pag-unlad ay naantala ng dalawang taon ng pagkakulong sa bahay at pag-aaral sa bahay. Ang kawalan ng kakayahan ng mga bata na makipag-ugnayan sa ibang mga bata at matatanda ay may negatibong epekto sa kanilang pag-unlad. Ang pakikipag-usap at pagsama sa pamilya ay hindi sapat para sa isang bata na umunlad, bagaman ito ay mahalaga. Ang isang bata ay dapat malantad at makita at maranasan ang mundo sa labas para umunlad ang lipunan.
RJ Guam
September 15, 2022 at 6:52 PM
Please, if we want to stop COVID-19, we will do everything we can, even if the number of cases decreases. We should never be secure as this COVID pandemic is still living outside and infecting it. I don’t want to go the last time that we have a lockdown. I just want to have better control of everything the government decides.
Gia Lou
September 15, 2022 at 6:55 PM
For the past two years, we have all been wearing facemasks, and in fact the facemask has even become part of our self because every day we go out we have to use it. Okay, there are some limitations to wearing a facemask because not all of them are portable. that’s why if we continue to use a facemask, as long as I am, I will still use it every time I leave the house especially in a public place, because I am careful not only for myself Because prevention is better than cure, I was aware and aware that COVID19 cannot be implemented.
Jam Aguirre
September 15, 2022 at 6:55 PM
Kahit na pinapayagan na tayong magsuot ng facemask na opsyonal, ang Covid-19 ay nasa ibang lugar pa rin at hindi tayo nagbibigay ng kaluwagan dahil ang pandemyang ito ay nangyayari pa rin sa buong mundo. As simple as that, we have a choice kung gagamit ba tayo ng face mask o hindi, at muli kung talagang nagmamalasakit sa atin ang gobyerno, kalusugan pa rin ang kanilang pinagtutuunan ng pansin kung sakaling magkaroon muli ng mga kaso ng covid-19.