State and Philippine Society in the Time of the Pandemic 89 In COVID-19-affected Mindanao, meanwhile, the military operations in Lumad areas have continued unabated and the remaining indigenous schools, their teachers, and students and families continually intimidated and harassed. Between March and July 2020, many reports of such harassments have filtered in and documented during lockdown and enhanced quarantine environments. Despite the heightened tensions and twin trepidations of the COVID-19 pandemic and military harassments, the Bakwit Schools have managed to continue with their learning programs and assert the Lumads’ fundamental right to education. Dialogues with relevant government agencies and other organizations as well as protest actions have been conducted. Donation drives were undertaken to provide for the basic needs of the evacuated school children. Remedial classes to offset the disrupted school calendar have been taking place. To respond to issues related to the emotional health and wellbeing of the students, skills and hobbies have been cultivated, such as traditional bead work, intramural sports events, learning musical instruments, drawing, and painting. Additional psychosocial and other types of support came from partner organizations and movements. The immediate uncertainty confronting the Bakwit Schools is the DepEd order to reopen schools using distance learning and online methods—a move that is rife with added problems given the lack of COVID-19 mass testing and the absence of online learning facilities for poor families such as mobile phones, computers, and internet access. The bigger challenge, however, is the DepEd order to shut down 163 Lumad schools in Mindanao on the grounds that these have become breeding grounds for rebel anti-government activities. The final case in this report tells the experiences of the Bantay Kalusugang Pampamayanan (BKP; Community Health Watch). In Towerville, City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, members of the BKP have been trained in community health practices since 2013 and had set up a health clinic and an emergency transport system (ETS) as a component. Since then, BKP has withstood funding problems that caused on-and-off operations and has evolved into an “independent and sustainable health care program” with more than 1,000 members and a secretariat that manages its health, monitoring, health education, and rescue committees. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the BKP immediately mobilized its members and resources to respond properly—constantly monitoring the health conditions of the community, first aid in medical emergencies, and health education and information (particularly on COVID-19 and its protocols). Mindful of physical distancing regulations, the latter is being conducted through social media like Facebook Messenger and other applications. Social and economic problems related to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, are a different matter. While some relief has been provided through donations from partner organizations like the Program on Alternative Development (AltDev) of