The utilization of social media pages by Local Government Units (LGU) during the COVID-19 pandemic has not been extensively studied. This case study of one municipal LGU in the Philippines aimed to characterize the content of its official Facebook page from February to July 2020. It was on January 30, 2020 that the first COVID-19 case in the Philippines was identified. Using content analysis, the researchers determined the type of posts frequently shown on the LGU’s social media page.

Out of a total of 240 posts on the case LGU Facebook page over a six-month period, 157 (65%) posts were about COVID-19. Of these 157 posts, 150 (96%) were categorized under information provision (enjoining people to adhere to minimum public health standards, health literacy on COVID-19 such as information about the virus, policies issued by the government, meetings being held, and statistical updates on cases being reported).  The few remaining posts were classified either as input-seeking (asking for feedback from community, donations, and contributions), online/offline interaction (community assembly), or symbolic presentations (highlighting recovery of patients or praising front-liners). Of the 150 posts classified under information provision, 102 (69%) were about public service announcements specifically about recommendations on adopting behavior for public health, safety, and well-being and statistical updates on the occurrence of local cases. The posts about the introduction of LGU lockdowns received the most reacts, as well as the most shares and comments.  The sources commonly cited by the municipal LGU on their Facebook posts were the provincial Public Information Office, the provincial Governor’s Office, and the regional Philippine Information Agency.

The local government unit recognizes the use of social media pages as vital in health literacy and communication, especially in a pandemic. It has been greatly employed in providing information on health education and promotion and reporting the number of COVID-19 cases. It is recommended that the social media page be used in a more interactive and innovative approach to engage local communities rather than be focused solely on information provision. Local government units may designate or employ social media managers for effective and efficient health communication.