Coronavirus Lockdown: Cyber Scams, Careful Interpertation, and More!

More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government. 

While there have been spikes in COVID-19 cases in Quezon City and Baguio the DOH says there has been no such spikes in the Central Visayas. 

https://mb.com.ph/2026/07/15/no-unusual-spikes-in-covid-cases-in-central-visayas

The Department of Health-Central Visayas (DOH-7) clarified that there is no unusual spike in Covid-19 cases in the region.

The agency issued the clarification to allay fears after some Metro Manila local government units (LGUs) reported an increase in Covid cases.

The DOH-7 clarified that if there are advisories circulating online, they came from surveillance data by concerned LGUs.

"In the case of Region 7, our monitoring through the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (RESU) is continuous. Based on the latest data, we don't have any unusual spikes," said DOH-7.

The DOH-7, however, advised people to continue observing standard health precautions to avoid contracting Covid-19.

The public was advised to immediately seek medical attention if symptoms are noticed and to isolate or wear a mask when necessary to protect their families and communities.

The DOH-7 said Covid-19 continues to exist in the region. The agency added that RESU occasionally records isolated cases, similar to other common respiratory illnesses.

“We want to emphasize that cases are very few, highly isolated, and completely manageable,” the DOH-7 said.

Of course everyone is still encouraged to observe "standard health precautions to avoid contracting Covid-19."

The DOH says cases are actually down by 70% in 2026.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2265467/doh-covid-19-cases-down-by-70-this-year

The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday said cases of Covid-19 in the country remain low, with the number of infections this year declining by 70 percent.

In a statement, the agency said there were 1,532 confirmed cases of Covid-19 recorded from Jan. 4 to July 11, lower than 5,070 infections recorded in the same period last year.

“While the number of reported cases remains low, the public is encouraged to continue practicing simple but effective health habits to help prevent the spread of Covid-19 and other respiratory illnesses,” the DOH said.

The agency called on the public to regularly wash their hands with soap and water, cover their mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, and maintain proper hygiene to prevent the spread of disease.

Individuals with symptoms of respiratory illness were also advised to seek consultation at the nearest health center or health-care facility and follow appropriate measures to prevent further transmission of infection.

“Covid-19 may present without symptoms or as a mild to severe respiratory illness,” the DOH said. 

“Common symptoms include fever, chills, sore throat, cough, runny or clogged nose, headache, fatigue, muscle aches, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and loss or change in taste or smell,” it added.

The Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of the Philippines previously urged the public to remain vigilant against Covid-19 after areas such as Quezon City recorded a spike in infections, but stressed that there was no need for alarm because recent cases have less severe.

The health experts recommended that the public follow several precautions to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses, such as wearing face masks and avoiding crowds when sick, and getting tested for Covid-19 should they develop symptoms.

But, again, the public is encouraged to practice basic health standards. 

While there has been a reported surge in cases in Quezon City the DOH says don't be hasty when it comes to interpreting that data. 

https://www.panaynews.net/doh-downplays-covid-19-surge-data-needs-careful-interpretation/

The Department of Health (DOH) has urged the public not to misinterpret reports of a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in Quezon City, stressing that the reported 265.22-percent surge was based on a relatively small number of infections and does not indicate a widespread resurgence of the disease.

The advisory came after the Quezon City government reported 146 COVID-19 cases as of July 1 and said infections had increased by 265.22 percent over the previous three weeks.

DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo said the agency is coordinating with the Quezon City Epidemiology and Surveillance Division (QCESD) to determine the cause of the increase, which appears to be limited to specific locations or health facilities where close contact among individuals may have contributed to the rise in cases.

“The Department of Health (DOH) and QCESD are investigating these cases that seem to be isolated in specific areas or health facilities, where the close proximity of individuals may have played a role in the recorded increase,” Domingo said.

He emphasized that percentage increases alone can be misleading when the actual number of cases remains low.

“Citing the percentage increase (“265%”) does not accurately reflect the small absolute number, and requires much caution in interpretation,” he said.

DOH data showed that Quezon City logged 125 cumulative COVID-19 cases as of July 4, representing a 68-percent decrease from the 389 cases recorded during the same period in 2025.

The health department said only 17 of the recent patients, or 14 percent, required hospitalization, while 108 cases, or 86 percent, were treated on an outpatient basis. Around 70 percent of those infected have already recovered.

Nationally, COVID-19 infections continue to trend downward, with only 719 cumulative cases recorded as of June 20, 2026, compared with 3,579 cases during the same period last year.

Despite the sustained decline, the DOH urged the public to remain vigilant by practicing regular handwashing and proper hygiene, particularly during the rainy season when influenza-like illnesses, dengue, leptospirosis, and water-borne diseases are more common.

Well, seeing as how the authorities scared everyone to death and shut down the economy for about two years it's no wonder that the public would be concerned. 

Post-pandemic cyber scams are on the rise and have been evolving. 

https://mb.com.ph/2026/07/17/cyber-scams-evolve-as-syndicates-outmaneuver-marcos-pogo-ban

Organized criminal syndicates have proved resilient in the face of regulatory shifts in the Philippines, reinventing their operations to avoid shutdowns after a government purge dismantled many of their once-flourishing cyber scam hubs.

When the Philippines was grappling to survive through the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, criminal syndicates repurposed shuttered casinos and hotels, according to the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) report published this July.

This was the period when lockdowns and border controls were tightened, leading to the collapse of Southeast Asia’s legal and illegal gambling industries.

To claw back lost income, these idle casinos and hotels were repurposed into cyber scam hubs. These facilities turned into places filled with human trafficking victims forced to conduct different kinds of scams and money laundering.

Domestically, these cyber scam hubs hid under the mask of offshore gaming. APG, a regional money-laundering watchdog, cited a case study revealing that Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) had trafficked not only Filipinos but also foreign nationals, including Cambodians, Vietnamese, and other Southeast Asians.

“Local e-money wallets were used as pass-through accounts for laundering low-value scam receipts from unwitting local or foreign individuals,” the case study detailed. “Some funds were also routed through online gaming platforms linked to the POGO license, masking illicit revenues as gambling winnings.”

This post-pandemic surge in illegal activities was occurring at such an unprecedented pace that a single raid on a POGO compound in Las Piñas in mid-2023 led to the rescue of over 2,700 individuals being coerced into conducting scams. Another mid-2024 raid on an illegal POGO rescued a comparable number of victims.

According to the report, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s ban on “offshore gaming and related operations had a significant and immediate impact on the prevalence of cyber scam hubs in the Philippines.”

Significant impact, however, does not equate to eliminating these cyber scamming schemes. Criminal operations in the Philippines have adapted to the 2025 legislation by decentralizing and relocating to regulatory grey zones.

APG said the strategy involves breaking up large-scale operations into smaller, mobile units that are spread across different locations within cities or regions. These operations may be housed in hotel rooms, private homes, vacation rentals, or even entire floors of commercial buildings.

“By dispersing their activities, criminal syndicates are able to obscure operational footprints, complicate investigative efforts, and minimize the risk of large-scale enforcement actions,” it added.

Meanwhile, APG noted that cyber scam hubs “can operate at scale in regulatory grey zones, where state authority and oversight is weak.” This advantage allows large compounds to be relocated and rebranded when regulatory oversight tightens.

Data cited by APG show cyber scam hubs are located in special economic zones such as the “Clark Freeport Zone, Bamban in Tarlac, and Cebu in the Philippines.” Some are found in border areas, urban centers, and remote rural areas.

Well, there is a lot of politics going on here.  Duterte legalized the POGOs and now they are criminalized.