Importance

The Filipino working class are crucial for the functioning of almost everything in the Phillipines. They also desperately need their day's wages, but this puts them or their loved ones at risk of contracting the novel coronavirus. They are squished into trains, buses, and jeepneys, and don't have easy acccess to masks or other personal protective equipment. The working class are required to be mobile - as garbage collectors, cooks, food servers, jeepney and bus drivers. These jobs not only facilitate mass transmission of the virus, put themselves at high risk of contraction. Often these workers are paid no sick leave, and many work in the 'informal economy' with fewer employment rights. This means they are likely to work no matter the cost, which puts the entire Filipino population at risk.