With the increasing cases of COVID-19 in the past weeks, Filipinos turn to Twitter to air their concern, grievances, and sympathy. The latest data from the social networking site saw 10 million COVID-19-related Tweets between March 2020 and August 2021, which are from the Philippines.
Twitter gathered the top trends and hashtags that dominated pandemic conversations that people from the Philippines tweeted.
Filipinos are using Twitter to express their gratitude for the frontliners who are battling against the pandemic. Despite the distance, Tweets serve as the bridge that connects the community and the way to amplify support and appreciation.
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Apart from gratitude, Filipinos also go to Twitter to call for unity and spark discussions on relevant and prevailing issues. Despite the onset of cases and numerous #lockdowns, Filipinos show a united front by using Tweets such as #wehealasone and #stayhome to remind people that there is a community that looks after the welfare of others.
COVID-19 misinformation
Twitter is the place to get information as it unfolds, and Filipinos actively share the information through Retweets or by sparking their own conversation so it will reach more people. Anyone, be it the media, industry leaders, and citizens, can lead or share information so it’s important to amplify those that came from credible sources or what is truly relevant to the public.
Not all information, however, is equal, and especially in these uncertain and ever-changing times. Twitter’s top priority is to serve the public conversation, and recognizing in early 2020 that people need reliable information from credible sources now more than ever, Twitter implemented the COVID-19 misinformation policy. To date, Twitter has challenged 11.7 million accounts, suspended 1,496 accounts, and removed over 43,010 pieces of content worldwide.
Twitter has also embarked on a number of partnerships and initiatives to support Filipinos with timely, accurate information as the nation learns to navigate COVID-19 together. These include:
- COVID-19 Search Prompt: Partnered with the Department of Health (@DOHgovph) and WHO Philippines (@WHOPhilippines) point people to DOH’s website and WHO Philippines’ Twitter account.
- COVID-19 Events Page: Real-time credible and official information about COVID-19 from authoritative government agencies, public officials, civil society, and media.
- #StayHome emoji: Global effort with WHO to launch #StayHome emoji as part of #WorldHealthDay 2020. The promoted trend with WHO for #HealthyAtHome in the Philippines.