Despite the lockdown, many public markets remain jampacked on any given day. Some residents – and local barangay officials – have been caught gambling. Cockfighting, even. There has even been a boxing match.
These spectacles again bring forward the discussion on discipline – or the Filipino’s lack of it. Many argue that Pinoys are by nature undisciplined or, according to street lingo, “mga pasaway.” This narrative was further amplified by Malacañang Spokesperson Harry Roque, who pointed out the lack of discipline as the main reason the Philippines has among the highest number of COVID-19 cases in Asia – something that “we Filipinos must be ashamed of.”
However, because we have acted late in preventing this health crisis, many factors were not considered to ensure the successful implementation of the "enhanced community quarantine" (ECQ). Foremost of these factors is human behavior. The government seems to rely on the traditional view that humans are rational beings and can be managed effectively through fear and use of force – thus, the checkpoints manned by men in uniform and the threat of martial law. (READ: [OPINION] 'Pasaway' commuters amid lockdown? These people don't have a choice)
What the government has failed to consider is that human beings act and make decisions differently in a particular situation. In the 1970s, two psychologists proved, once and for all, that humans are not rational creatures. Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky identified “cognitive biases” that compel humans to systematically make choices that defy clear logic. The ECQ plan was not effective in managing this variable.
Here are the 5 cognitive biases according to Kahneman and Tversky:
Anchoring | This refers to the idea that human beings are easily swayed by irrelevant information presented to them prior to making a decision. |
The availability heuristic | The availability heuristic refers to the tendency of the human beings to make judgments based on information that can be easily recalled from their memory. |
Representative heuristic | The representative heuristic is a cognitive bias that leads human beings to make judgments based on comparisons to something else in mind. |
Regression to the mean | This refers to the tendency of human beings to make biased predictions about the future. |
Hindsight bias | Hindsight bias refers to the tendency of human beings to look back at past events, adjust their worldview to accommodate the surprise, and hold the position that “I knew it all along.” |
This irrational tendency of human beings, ascribed to cognitive biases, explains why we act the way we do in any given situation. Placing the perceived lack of discipline of Pinoys in the context of cognitive biases will allow us to think of ways to promote positive behavior and correct decision-making. This leads us to nudging – the process of altering people’s behavior in a predictable way without forbidding any option or significantly changing their economic incentives.
Nudge Theory, popularized by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein in their book Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness (2008), is about implementing intervention that is easy and economical, thereby influencing individual decision-making with minimal effort in order to support or achieve behavioral changes.
This theory has attracted the attention of governments in numerous countries and at all levels interested in influencing behaviors at the population level by focusing directly on the physical and social environment, especially with the constraint of limited public resources.
In Singapore, stickers were placed in various forms of public transportation, such as buses and trains, as a design intervention to encourage physical distancing. A friend who is currently in Singapore sent me these photos:
I hope similar measures are already being prepped in our MRTs and LRTs while public transportation is still suspended. Even if the ECQ is lifted, the need for physical distancing is still highly advised by medical experts to avoid a resurgence of COVID-19 pending the development of vaccines. (READ: On-off social distancing may be needed until 2022 – Harvard study)
The good news is that the application of nudging is slowly being observed in our setting, by looking at the efforts of some of our local government units in implementing physical distancing. In Manila, for instance, the LGU has painted lines or demarcations on the pavement outside various establishments to encourage residents to observe physical distancing. In Bacoor and Alfonso, Cavite, the LGUs have also painted the pavement with white boxes and circles in public markets to direct the behavior of residents toward practicing physical distancing (see photos grabbed from Proud Caviteno and City Government of Bacoor Facebook pages). These practices are also observable in various establishments, such as in banks, grocery stores, and drug stores.
Quarantine passes and the scheduling of daily activities in various localities around the metropolis are also good examples of nudging. While these efforts seem to fall short of the desired outcome overall, there are other important nudging tips that the government could explore in promoting the desired behaviors among Pinoys, such as the following: (1) setting up of default rules or procedures; (2) simplifying processes and transactions; (3) promoting ease and convenience; 4) emphasizing what most people do; and (5) using graphics or physical setups and showing concrete steps.
Nudging is an exciting idea. It offers opportunities for our policy makers, even concerned citizens, to come up with more innovative yet easy-to-implement ideas to push for behavioral changes among Pinoys in this time of COVID-19, when cooperation is most needed.
The community quarantine poses restrictions that are new to all of us. Our daily routines and physical infrastructures are not compatible with these restrictions. As such, not all of us can be expected to automatically conform with the government’s expectations. We are not undisciplined by nature. We simply need a little nudging.
Using the Pinoy’s lack of discipline narrative is the easiest way to cover up for the shortcomings of the government in its overall response to this COVID-19 crisis — from the national down to the local levels, particularly in the context of the ECQ.
It is a paralyzing oversimplification that discourages an engaging discussion on the many possible and creative solutions that could be explored. It is a sorry excuse used by those whose only solution – or threat – to every grand problem is to implement draconian measures, such as, for example, martial law. – Rappler.com
Jose E. Dagala, Jr. is a law student at San Sebastian College Recoletos-College of Law. He is interested in Culture Theory and Behavioral Economics.