'Loob' and 'labas': Spatial constructions of safety and risk amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines

Abstract

This article argues that local constructions of risky and safe spaces, as articulated by the notions 'loob' (inside) and 'labas' (outside), informed popular and political responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, leading to an overemphasis on staying at home and, conversely, a general avoidance or fear of outdoor spaces that was at times reinforced by public health authorities. Practices and policies related to the pandemic response rendered this binary opposition between 'loob' and 'labas' visible, from regulations concerning the use of personal protective equipment to restrictions of access to outdoor spaces. While this emergent form of bodily proxemics was contested and negotiated over time, its tenacity throughout the pandemic underscores the importance of understanding how people spatialize risk in times of health crises.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; Conceptualization of risk; Indoor spaces; Outdoor spaces; Philippines; Proxemics.

Fig. 1

Quarantine pass for a barangay in Quezon City.

Fig. 2

Signage at the Iloilo Esplanade regarding penalties for non-compliance to physical distancing protocols.

Fig. 3

Counter dividers at a clothing store in a mall in Iloilo City.

Fig. 4

Counter dividers at a bakery in a mall in Iloilo City. Floor markings for physical distancing can also be seen in the image.

Fig. 5

A handwashing station—observably no longer in use—outside a hotel in Southern Philippines.

Fig. 6

Footbath or sanitation mat at the arrival hall of a Philippine airport.

Fig. 7

Signage demonstrative of hygiene theater outside a donut shop in Iloilo City.

Fig. 8

The third author's QR code (modified digitally for privacy purposes) for entry to the resort town of Bantayan Island in Cebu province.

Fig. 9

The third author's vaccination booster card (redactions applied digitally).