As the Philippines remain horribly prone to natural disasters, the hoarding of items seems to be a reasonable and appropriate response. In 2019, the country experienced a string of powerful earthquakes. While local governments, businesses, and hospitals speak about disaster management and preparation, seemingly to save face more so than people, citizens in particularly vulnerable areas would take it upon themselves to set up their own precautions, stocking up on canned food, medical and emergency supplies, and even going as far to sleep fully clothed to stay ready in the event of an emergency evacuation. And that is not even to mention the typhoons and flash floods that accompany these earthquakes, year by year.

Any Filipino in the general Luzon area who lived through and remembered the COVID-19 pandemic would likely also recall the Taal phreatic eruption that preceded it in January of 2020. During this time, the N95 mask became highly coveted and progressively rare to come by as supply became hoarded along with generic surgical masks. Stores and pharmacies across the region barely had sufficient time to restock once early news of the novel coronavirus presented a threat to the country and immediately prompted another wave of panic-buying, and unlike the ashfall, contagion of the virus would reach nationwide and beyond shores.

The surge of panic-buying and hoarding seemed to worsen along with the spread of COVID-19. While initial panic seemingly lessened as the government and health authorities gave assurances to the public, the peoples’ anxiety would spike as the first major death tolls were reported in the United States and Australia.

It started with surgical masks and gloves, and it would later affect the supply of food, over-the-counter medicines, disinfectants, and cleaning utilities. This trend of mass-hoarding may have been prompted by unsubstantiated rumors that transport of essential supplies from China and other exporters would be cut off, along with the real possibility of the eventual quarantine. Whatever the case, this period of panic-induced mass-hoarding would leave others in isolation and lacking in resources they would need to survive.

While this is not to excuse the behavior behind hoarding, it certainly provides an explanation, and the real mentality that many Filipinos possess: that we need to take care of ourselves first, because we can’t trust our officials to do that for us. Pre-emptive stocking becomes understandable when it is very possible there will be nothing left. People are repeatedly told not to panic and remain resilient, but it is evident that so many Filipinos are not sufficiently prepared to handle such a large-scale disaster. Government bodies cannot be trusted to provide the necessary means to survive, and those with the capital and means to stockpile will do exactly that.

And while we cannot blame the people for not trusting their elected officials to competently provide what is due, we cannot at the same time allow mass-hoarding to occur, knowing that it would only be followed by steep price hikes and shortages, especially in the case of Hong Kong, where the price of soap and disinfectants were raised dramatically. To counter panic-buying, retailers in the Philippines have an obligation to enact measures that limit purchases of essential items per individual buyer, as well as combat the off-market reselling of these products at exorbitant prices.

Knowing all of this, it is apparent of the crucial role that public trust and transparency with authorities play in preventing such instances of mass-hoarding, and how the people of the Philippines have lost trust in those aspects.

*This article is a rewritten version of an already existing article.

Original article can found at:

To Have and to Hoard

https://opinion.inquirer.net/127733/to-have-and-to-hoard