Mayors are keeping the Philippines afloat as Duterte's COVID-19 response flails

President Rodrigo Duterte’s COVID-19 response has not swayed from his authoritarian approach to leadership. Consistent with his strongman brand, Duterte tells Filipinos to obey the government’s pandemic protocols—no questions asked. The Philippines is failing to flatten the curve because Duterte’s crisis response is prioritising the militant punishment of quarantine violations over strengthening public health infrastructure.

The view from above, however, is incomplete. Various local governments are spearheading innovative and compassionate public health and social support policies. In the face of Duterte’s ineffective and militarised COVID-19 response, the favourable results achieved by local leaders are fuelling counter-narratives of resistance and alternative visions of leadership and governance...