Malacañang is saddened that the Philippines dropped from 52nd place in 2019 to 61st last year in the World Happiness report but said this was mainly due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque made the statement after the 2021 World Happiness Report showed that the Philippines scored 5.88 in the 2020 happiness index, a score lower than the 6.006 it registered in 2019.
(OPS / FILE PHOTO)
In an interview over State-run PTV-4 on Friday, Roque said Filipinos became less happy because of the ongoing global health crisis.
"Nalulungkot tayo na naging mas kakaunti ang mga maligaya sa bansa natin ngayon pero ito ay epekto ng pandemiya (We are sad that fewer Filipinos in the country said they are happy but this is the effect of the pandemic)," he said.
He, however, said that Filipinos will soon have smiles on their faces with the start of the vaccination program.
"Nandiyan naman po ang pag-asa natin sa pagdating ng mga bakuna (We now have hope with the arrival of the vaccines)," Roque said.
"Inaasahan po natin na matapos mabakunahan ang lahat eh mas liligaya muli ang mga Pilipino (We expect that after everyone is vaccinated, Filipinos will be happy again)," he added.
The study showed that people all over the world remained resilient despite the threat of COVID-19. It, however, pointed out that negative emotions like worry and sadness significantly increased.
The 2021 World Happiness Report revealed that Finland is still the world's happiest country for the fourth consecutive year with a score of 7.889 in 2020.
Zimbabwe ranked last among 95 countries in the 2020 study, following higher-ranked Tanzania, Jordan, India, and Cambodia.