More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
Halloween has been cancelled in San Juan.
“We signed Executive Order No. this morning. 49, Series of 2020 in which we order the temporary closure of private and public cemeteries and columbaries and the prohibition of tricks or treats and Halloween activities from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3, 2020 to prevent mass gatherings that could lead to the spread of COVID-19, ”Zamora wrote on Twitter.
Isko Moreno was the first to start this trend and more closures of cemeteries and suspension of halloween activities will surely follow. The IATF is studying a similar proposal.
The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) will soon be discussing the proposal to close all public and private cemeteries in the country during this year’s All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, or “Undas” to avoid massive gathering amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19 pandemic.
In a virtual presser on Thursday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said he will personally bring up the topic during the next IATF-EID meeting.
(Instead of visiting on All Saints’ Day, my recommendation will be to allot four to five days depending on the family name of the dead, on who will be allowed to visit the cemetery so we can avoid massive gathering in one day),” he said.
He, however, said it will be up to the IATF-EID to decide on his recommendation.
(A five-day color-coding scheme on visiting cemeteries because it’s also personally important for me to visit my departed loved ones),” he said.
Not sure how that would work. Alphabetical maybe?
Everyone is still scratching their heads as to why Duterte granted US marine Joseph Pemberton an absolute pardon but Roque says it might have to do with accessing a COVID-19 vaccine.
President Rodrigo Duterte likely granted absolute pardon to US soldier Joseph Scott Pemberton to help the Philippines gain access to coronavirus vaccines being developed by American drugmakers, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Thursday.
Roque claimed the chief executive’s move was grounded on national interest.
(The granting of pardon to Pemberton is part of the president’s desire for the Philippines to benefit from a vaccine that America might develop.)
(Even if I lawyered for the Laude family, if that means all Filipinos will have access to the vaccine that Americans will develop, I have no problem with that.)
That sounds rather outlandish. But who knows with Duterte.
The economy in the Philippines is down so low that it has nowhere to go but up! So says the Palace.
The Philippine economy may have hit rock bottom but Malacañang is more optimistic about its recovery as the economy starts to reopen after months of coronavirus-linked lockdowns.
The recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed that about 40 percent of Filipinos expect the economy to worsen in the next 12 months due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
(I understand why our citizens are pessimistic but like our economic managers say), ‘We have hit rock bottom and the only way to go is up’,” Roque said.
He said the country’s economy compressed because most businesses had to close operations following the imposition of the most stringent enhanced community quarantine across the country.
However, since most areas are now under less restrictive quarantine classifications, Roque said more businesses have been allowed to operate to a certain extent.
Many businesses which have closed will never reopen which means many jobs are gone forever. Perhaps there is still further down to go.
What's the best way to defeat COVID-19? By using game theory!
Through the Quezon City government’s “Race to Zero” campaign, cash incentives await barangays with the highest number of identified probable and suspect coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and lowest number of confirmed cases.
Outstanding barangay with population of above 50,000 under category “large” will receive PHP200,000 while outstanding barangays with population of 10,000 to 50,000 (medium), and with population of 10,000 below (small) will get PHP100,000 and PHP50,000, respectively.
Data collection started last Sept. 7 and will end on Sept. 14. The awarding will be held on Sept. 21, in time for Barangay Day.
Mayor Joy Belmonte said the campaign will further motivate barangays to intensify their search for probable, suspect and confirmed virus cases and to sustain the drop in the number of daily cases in the city.
Barangays with both the highest suspected number of cases and the lowest number of confirmed cases will get cash rewards. Hopefully nobody cheats.
The PNP is using the pandemic to strengthen community ties.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Friday launched two key projects, the Barangay Covid Defense (BaCoD) and the PNP Food Bank, aimed at improving the welfare of communities amid the health crisis.
PNP Chief, Gen. Camilo Cascolan, led the ceremonial launch of the two community-engaging projects as part of the PNP Retooled Community Support Program and the PNP Sustainable Development Program in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
“For years, the PNP has always recognized the participation of the community in fulfilling its duties at the front lines. Sa pamamagitan ng BaCoD ay mas mapapalawak nito ang kooperasyon ng ating mga kababayan sa komunidad upang labanan ang Covid-19, gayundin ang krimen at droga (BaCod will expand the cooperation between the police and the people in fighting the coronavirus disease 2019, as well as crimes and illegal drugs),” Cascolan told reporters.
Under the BaCoD program, the PNP will use the community clustering system to help the government and its agencies in implementing measures and protocols at the barangay level.
Cascolan noted that five to six barangays would be grouped into one cluster under the PNP Patrulya ng Bayan – Barangay Enforcement Teams (PnT-BET) that will perform such tasks as helping the people follow the minimum health protocols; providing security and going on patrol operations; encouraging backyard farming and promoting other livelihood programs; increasing security visibility, in coordination with barangay councils; assisting in contact-tracing efforts; and skills development.
“Aside from health welfare efforts in this time of the pandemic, the program is also shared as a common goal for everyone – to take part in efforts on poverty alleviation and economic recovery programs,” he said.
Meanwhile, the PNP Food Bank will serve as a reservoir of food donations and other basic needs from various donors and stakeholders.
The PNP is always conflating good optics with actual goodness. No amount of food banks will make corrupt cops disappear.
The whole world is looking for a cure for COVID-19. Trials in the Philippines involving coconut oil appear to be yielding positive results.
The clinical trials being conducted by the Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI) on virgin coconut oil (VCO) as a food supplement to help in the treatment of probable COVID-19 cases in Santa Rosa, Laguna continues to show high recovery rates.
Dr. Imelda Agdeppa, DOST assistant scientist and DOST-FNRI officer-in-charge of the Nutritional Assessment and Monitoring Division who is also leading the DOST-FNRI VCO clinical trials in Santa Rosa, said they have seen practically a 100 percent recovery of the subjects in the trial.
Agdeppa said that of the s47 participants, 30 have finished the program and gone home.
She, however, declined to say that they have officially recovered.
“Of course, they are considered recovered, because they would not be sent home if they are still sick,” Agdeppa admitted.
But Agdeppa said that they can only make the conclusions once they finish the clinical trials with 56 participants.
“This is a double blind, randomized trial,” Agdeppa explained.
She said that one group was given meals applied with VCO, while another group was given meals with no VCO mixed in the food.
Sounds promising.
The IATF has launched a new Facebook page where snitches can report quarantine violations.
“We in the JTF COVID Shield believe that most of our netizens have already come across with total disregard of having quarantine violations in their accounts through the uploaded photos and videos of their Facebook friends. And we share disappointment and anger against those people because it is really unfair that most of our kababayan are strictly abiding by the rules while there are people who even dare to flaunt their defiance by posting them in the social media,” said Police Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, task force commander.
“Through the Facebook account of the Joint Task Force COVID Shield, they will be given a platform to immediately report to us any blatant violation of quarantine rules such as engaging in drinking sessions, large parties and celebration, and even illegal gambling in public places. All they need to do is to send us the photos and videos and we will take care of the rest,” he added.
According to Eleazar, the official Facebook account of the JTF COVID Shield can be used as an additional avenue for the public to report any violations they see on social media, aside from the existing Facebook accounts of local police stations and other police units.
He called the move an "effort to empower the people not only to help the government in the enforcement of the quarantine rules but also in protecting themselves and their community from hardheaded people who defy the protocols on observation of minimum health safety standard."
This Facebook page is already working as one snitch tattled on the neighbors who were having a birthday party.
A total of 16 persons were arrested in Taguig City for violating quarantine protocols last September 12 with the help of concerned netizens, Joint Task Force Covid Shield commander Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said Tuesday.
In a statement, Eleazar said the arrest was made possible due to the timely report of a concerned netizen who provided the photos of the then ongoing violation to the Covid Shield Facebook page.
All individuals were drinking at a birthday celebration on Aguirre Street, Barangay Lower Bicutan when they were nabbed by operatives of the Taguig Police's Hagonoy Sub-Station 9.
“When police personnel went there, those who attended the birthday celebration were not wearing face masks and not observing social distancing,” Eleazar said.
All those accosted were taken to the basketball court of the barangay which serves as a holding area for quarantine violators and were released after six hours.
Despite their release, Eleazar said these individuals will be charged with the violation of Taguig City Ordinance Number 27-89 (Drinking in Public Places) and violation of Article 151 of the Revised Penal Code (Resistance and Disobedience to a Person in Authority).
He added the operation in Taguig was the first quarantine violation-related police operation since the JTF Covid Shield activated a Facebook page on September 11.
Who doesn't want to be first! It remains to see what their punishment will be. One group of curfew violators in Talisay were compelled ou too boredom to paint a mural honoring the PNP.
Police Major Gerard Ace Pelare, Talisay City Police chief, described the murals as showing the “best practices” or the programs of the Talisay Police Station, which had been effective in building a relationship between the organization and the community.
These include the “Pulis na Palengkero” program, which was launched last April. The program involved policemen, during the time of the strict quarantine status of the city, being the ones to buy groceries for the families they visited.
Another one is the “Oplan Limpyo Talisay” which is an anti-illegal drug program, which was launched last January 2020.
Pelare said that the four artists, whose names he could not recall, agreed to spend their detention time painting the mural at the different times they were arrested rather than to while away the time waiting to post bail at the detention center doing nothing.
Everyone is using their artistic talents in new ways during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With churches basically closed, 10% capacity only, the faithful are having to get creative when it comes to worship.
Churchgoers at the St. Josemaria Escriva Mission Station in this city have now an option to physically hear homilies from a priest through a “drive-in Mass.”
The drive-in Mass in Apitong village called “Park and Attend the Mass” is scheduled every Sunday at 6 p.m., according to mission station parish priest Rev. Fr. Kim Margallo.
“The drive-in mass is just an additional schedule of St. Josemaria Escriva Mission Station to accommodate those who cannot attend the mass inside the church due to immune compromise or those who are not qualified for QR (quick response) coding,” Margallo said in a statement on Tuesday.
Catholic churches in the city have already opened their doors for churchgoers who wanted to physically attend the Mass, strictly complying with minimum health protocols set by the Department of Health.
Handwashing, body temperature check, QR code scanning, wearing of face mask and physical distancing are among the requirements needed to be followed by parishioners who wanted to attend the Mass inside the church.
Imagine needing to have a QR code to go to church! Despite nonsense like that as well as having one of the most restrictive and longest quarantines in the world and despite even being declared as having the worst COVID-19 outbreak in southeast asia the Palace actually says they are the best in the Asia if not the world when it comes to testing.
The country's pandemic response deserves a "very good" grade, claimed Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque as the Philippines marked six months since it started imposing one of the strictest and longest lockdowns in the world.
"All in all, I think we deserve a very good grade, I would give it a grade of 85 percent," Roque said in his Palace press briefing.
Roque even went as far as to say that the Philippines will be among countries that would record the highest testing numbers.
"We clearly have the best testing policy in the whole of Asia and probably in the whole world because we have exceeded 3 million," he said.
"I think we will have the highest number of testing, one of the highest in the whole world. That's clearly our biggest strength," he added.
This government is always patting itself on the back.
Doctors are concerned that COVID-19 cases might skyrocket again as the DOTr has eased physical distancing rules on public transportation.
The medical community on Monday warned that the ill-timed decision of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to gradually reduce physical distancing on public vehicles would only drive up coronavirus infections, especially as the country has yet to see a significant decline in the number of new COVID-19 cases.
The Healthcare Professionals Alliance Against COVID-19 pointed out that while it recognizes the need to further open up the economy, it is “against the relaxation of physical distancing” rules because it is still “too early” to tweak or ease the measures proven to curb the spread of the virus.
“The question is not should we reduce social distancing or not, but when can we do it. In our view, it is still too early. Cases will likely increase and our recovery will only slow down if we do this now,” said Dr. Antonio Dans, spokesperson for the coalition composed of more than 160 medical societies.
“We know that health is not just the issue. That it is also an issue that the economy must be revived and that it is an issue that people have to work. Many will get sick with this strategy. This is why we need to talk with each other so we can agree on what is the best strategy for us to beat this pandemic,” he added.
People are even more desperate for cash during these times as jobs have vanished due to the quarantines. This has led to an increase in online child pornography says the ALMC.
“In impoverished communities, livestreaming offers a financial incentive for criminal networks, which creates a commercial element for online sexual exploitation of children,” the agency explained. “The creation of business models in relation to this activity, where offenders pay to view [child pornography] material via livestreaming, means that there is a financial dimension to this activity in the form of payments and profits.”
“The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an increasing demand for this commercialization because of the financial incentive it provides, especially to those who are in great need of money,” AMLC said.
Increased incidences of online child pornography, increasing cases of COVID-19, increasing unemployment, rotating quarantines throughout the nation...sounds awful. But don't worry the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is behind us now.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said this during a Laging Handa briefing aired Wednesday on state-run PTV when he was asked about a Social Weather Stations survey which found that 57% of Filipinos think the worst of the pandemic-induced crisis is still to come.
"I understand the pessimism of our countrymen because the situation is really difficult now. But all I can say is the worst is over," he said in English and Filipino.
I predict this pronouncement will come back to bite him.
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