More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1251973 |
The Iloilo City Government has formed a task force to lead efforts in controlling and addressing the spread of the mpox (monkeypox) viral infection.
Mayor Jerry Treñas formalized the creation of the task force through Executive Order 047, series of 2025, which was signed on Tuesday and released on Wednesday.
The order emphasizes the need for proactive public health measures to mitigate mpox transmission and protect the community.
“In consideration of the public health risks associated with the mpox virus, it is incumbent upon the local government unit to implement and enforce proactive measures,” Treñas said in his order.
The task force will be led by the city mayor and vice-chaired by City Health Officer, Dr. Mary Ann Diaz, and Councilor Alan Zaldivar, chairperson of the Sangguniang Panlungsod's Committee on Health. Heads of relevant city government offices will serve as members.
The group is tasked to oversee the city’s response to mpox, from city-wide coordination to barangay-level implementation; formulate and implement guidelines for containment; mobilize resources, ensure peace and order, and maintain public safety; monitor and assess areas affected by mpox; lead information dissemination; and coordinate with national agencies for a unified response.
As of June 9, the City Health Office reported 12 mpox cases in Iloilo City – six laboratory-confirmed and six pending confirmatory results. Awareness campaigns are ongoing and residents are encouraged to follow health protocols.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern. The virus is primarily transmitted through close physical contact, including sexual contact, or contact with infectious lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets, or contaminated materials.
Health authorities continue to advise the public to wash hands regularly, wear face masks and long sleeves in public, avoid crowded or poorly ventilated areas, and practice safe and responsible sexual health.
And they are still advising to wash hands and wear face masks!? None of that protects against monkey pox. To get monkeypox you have to actually touch someone who has it. Why are LGU's continuing to give worthless health advice?
Bacolod City finally has a monkeypox case and the city is warning people not to discriminate against them.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1252255 |
Health authorities advised residents here to remain calm and avoid discrimination against mpox patients after this highly urbanized city recorded the first case of the viral illness on Sunday.
In a public advisory, Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH), the Department of Health apex hospital in Negros Island Region, said the confirmed case is under their care after the City Health Office (CHO) referred the patient on June 13.
“The patient is stable and receiving appropriate care in isolation. All necessary infection control measures have been implemented by public health guidelines,” it added.
Mpox, caused by the by the monkeypox virus, usually starts with flu-like symptoms, including fever, muscle aches and fatigue. Rashes develop within a few days.
The CLMMRH assured other patients, staff and visitors that “the risk to the general public remains low” as it is “not known to be transmitted via the airborne route, meaning across rooms and public spaces.”
“We encourage the community to remain calm and to stay informed through official health channels. Discrimination against any disease, including mpox, is not necessary. We urge the public to be vigilant but remain kind towards potentially sick individuals,” it added.
Dr. Grace Tan, head of the CHO-Environment Sanitation Division, said in another interview that the case is considered a local transmission.
“Since this is the first case in Bacolod, the CHO is closely coordinating with the CLMMRH not only for the current case but also to prepare for the various possible conditions and aspects of taking care of mpox and other infectious diseases,” she added.
In a separate statement, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said the city government is conducting contact tracing to contain the spread of the disease.
“Mpox is a manageable disease and with proper health protocols, we can prevent further spread. Let us be guided by facts, not fear. We urge everyone to avoid spreading unverified information that may cause undue alarm,” he added.
Funny that they say the risk to the public remains low and the virus is not airborne. That is in stark contrast to the advice being given by other municipalities.
The cinema took a real hit during the pandemic. Though it has bounced back bit Philippine cinemas have been stuck in a rut.
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| https://www.bworldonline.com/top-stories/2025/06/10/678112/philippine-cinemas-stuck-in-a-rut-after-pandemic/ |
KAREN LUSTAÑAS, 30, tries to watch a movie in the Philippine capital at least once a month, if the budget allows it.
“I try to save time and money for films that I really want to see,” she told BusinessWorld in a Facebook Messenger chat. “I can barely afford it, but if I’m a fan of the director or actors, I really have to watch it.”
“Otherwise, I’ll just watch it on a streaming platform,” she added.
As good as the movie industry is in imagining alternate realities, it didn’t see this one coming. Five years after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) decimated the box office here and all over the world, movies are still struggling to come back.
Philippine gross movie ticket sales fell 3.7% year on year to $45.5 million (P2.5 billion) last year, a far cry from the $144.5 million posted in 2019, before the pandemic hit, according to US-based box office revenue tracker Box Office Mojo.
In 2020, gross sales plunged 95% to $7.7 million.
Global cinema ticket sales fell 8.8% last year to €28 billion (P1.8 trillion) from 2023, the first annual drop since COVID-19, the European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO) said last month.
Regular movie ticket prices cost P300 to P400 in Metro Manila, or about half the daily minimum wage. On the other hand, the basic monthly subscription to streaming platforms like Netflix, Max (HBO) and Disney+ costs P150 to P250, and the titles are virtually endless.
“If you think about it, it’s really worth it and more practical to go with Netflix,” Ms. Lustañas, a freelancer, said.
The annual Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) grossed P800 million last year, hitting the target but failing to top 2023’s record P1 billion despite a week-long extension.
The pandemic forced people to watch movies at home, aiding streaming services like Netflix, whose revenue grew 14% annually to more than $39 billion last year from 2019, according to computations by BusinessWorldusing data from the company’s website. Netflix subscribers also doubled to about 300 million over the five-year period.
Since 2020, local box office hits have been few and far between. The latest was Star Cinema’s My Love Will Make You Disappear starring Kim Chiu and Paulo Avelino, grossing P12 million on its opening day in March.
“Today, going to the cinema is a more intentional experience, rooted not just in the movie being shown but in the overall ambiance that brings the film to life,” Hamm E. Katipunan, Ayala Malls’ Asset Management head, said in an e-mailed reply to questions.
“It’s not just about waiting for blockbusters to hit streaming sites; Filipinos appreciate the good feeling of watching movies that are truly worth experiencing on the big screen,” he added.
While cinemas run by Ayala Malls, SM Supermalls and other mall chains have diversified their offerings, a pattern has emerged in the top-grossing Filipino films that have drawn people to cinemas.
GMA Pictures and Star Cinema’s co-production Hello, Love, Again starring Alden Richards and Kathryn Bernardo set the record for the highest opening day gross for a local film with P85 million in November, surpassing the P75-million gross from The Super Parental Guardians in 2016.
It shows that Filipinos watch a movie mainly because of its main cast, Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) Chairman Jose Javier Reyes told a news briefing in March, citing a council-funded study involving 800 respondents.“They can’t afford to go regularly to the movies anymore,” he said. “The biggest blow is that people don’t repeat screenings. They just wait for it to go on streaming platforms.”
The study, done in 2024 in collaboration with De La Salle University to explore the evolving habits, preferences and challenges shaping the local film industry, found that Filipinos from the A, B, and a small part of the C socioeconomic classes regularly watch movies.
The study, which will be released in July as part of the launch of FDCP’s Philippine Film Industry Roadmap, also found that streaming services have become the primary platform for 67% of Filipinos.
Only 21% still frequent cinemas, with many complaining about repetitive movie themes and high ticket prices.
Though stars are still the main movie drawer, the study also found that Filipinos are “sick of formulaic stories,” Mr. Reyes said. He added that the roadmap, mandated by the government, would shed light on how to better support the industry.
In October last year, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. placed the Film Academy of the Philippines under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to boost Filipino film development.
Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina A. Roque earlier said the budget for the film industry would increase next year as part of the roadmap. She noted that other countries have been using movies and the creative industry to boost tourism and trade.
Mr. Reyes said movie outfits should improve the quality of their films to boost their success overseas. “In the Philippines, star power is important, but the moment you cross borders, there’s a market for people who are more interested in the material itself,” he pointed out.
Rico V. Gonzales, head of distribution at Warner Bros. Pictures Philippines, said the company supports the local industry by distributing two to three Filipino movies yearly, along with the usual foreign releases from Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures.
“It’s part of the goodwill of the company to help local producers who don’t have a distribution arm, compared with the likes of Star Cinema and GMA Pictures, which have the power to do it themselves,” he said.
In 2023, they distributed the horror movie Mallari at the MMFF, followed by the romantic drama Under Parallel Skies, the thriller Uninvited at the 2024 MMFF and the romantic comedy Ex Ex Lovers. The latest was Combo on the Run, a documentary on the Filipino band Eraserheads.
“Cinemas have always had competition — cable TV, DVDs, and now streaming,” Mr. Gonzales said. “We just have to give people reasons to go back.”
“Hopefully, with our efforts, we can show that we can continue watching stuff on streaming services, but that nothing can match or duplicate the theatrical experience every now and then,” he added.
Meanwhile, malls continue to make money from blockbusters, which accounted for 60% of total box office revenue last year, better than 40% a year earlier, according to Ayala Malls. The number of movies screened in 2024 also rose by 22%.
Film festivals have become an avenue to take advantage of foot traffic to drive curiosity about new films and tap into a sizeable niche audience of cinephiles who go out of their way to seek new experiences.
Concert films are also a huge draw, along with fan-based events, both of which generate online traction, SM Supermalls President Steven Tan said.
He added that film screenings and festivals in partnership with the cultural arms of various embassies, from the Chinese to the French, add color to available offerings.
They also “provide enjoyable third spaces for local communities, attracting diverse audiences with exclusive and innovative entertainment offerings,” Mr. Katipunan said.
“We champion the growth of the local film industry by hosting independent festivals like Cinemalaya [Philippine Independent Film Festival] and showcasing indie movies,” he said. “This enables Filipino filmmakers to reach a mainstream audience.”
Mr. Reyes said stakeholders should work together to address the issues plaguing Philippine cinemas.
“The full results of our study will be helpful, but we’re throwing the ball to all stakeholders so that we can come up with solutions to further the growth of this industry,” he added.
Now everyone is waiting for movies to arrive on streaming platforms. Though the cinema is great, these days there really is no need to go unless it is a big event film like Avatar 3 which comes out later in 2025 and requires 3D glasses to fully experience. The pandemic did immeasurable harm to the film industry.
A caterer who supplied meals for quarantined people during the pandemic is finally getting paid.
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| https://www.rappler.com/philippines/coa-orders-iloilo-town-pay-unpaid-covid-19-catering-contract/ |
For a caterer in Iloilo who was never paid by the municipal government despite serving meals for quarantined individuals while COVID 19 was raging, the wait may soon be over.
Jhunicko Garilva, owner of catering company Garilva Recreation Center (GRC), was tapped by the local government of Concepcion, Iloilo to feed three packed meals a day to persons held in quarantine and the personnel taking care of them at the Kontra COVID-19 isolation facility.
The transaction was agreed upon on September 9, 2021 for a contracted price of P1,098,000. GRC started its catering commitment on September 11 and ended December 24, 2021.
Four years after it was concluded the government of Concepcion never paid GRC.
The Commission on Audit en banc though released last week a decision which granted GRC’s compensation claim and ordered the municipal government of Concepcion to settle all its arrears.
“It is undisputed that the contract was between the municipality and GRC as shown in the PO (purchase order). The PO, billing invoices, and (acceptance and inspection report) AIRs submitted by GRC show that it delivered the meals contracted and the same were duly received by the municipality. The delivery and receipt for these meals were admitted by the municipality,” the COA said.
The Concepcion municipal government said it isolated persons suspected of having contracted COVID-19 as directed by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) Circular No. 2020-0012 to extend health service and to facilitate PhilHealth’s COVID-19 community isolation benefit package.
On one hand, GRC presented a billing invoice showing it delivered: 3,592 packed breakfasts, 3,542 lunches, and 3,677 dinners for a total of 10,812 meals during the three-month period.
In the municipality’s records, on the other hand, it only listed 10,800 packed meals as acknowledged in its acceptance and inspection report (AIR).
GRC issued a billing invoice to the municipal government on Christmas Eve 2021, asking for payment for the meals delivered and received.
Despite repeated demands, the Concepcion local government failed to pay even though it admitted the procurement contract.
For its part, the municipal government said paying for the meals was an obligation of the PhilHealth. It said without a contract among the catering GRC, PhilHealth, and the municipality of Concepcion, the LGU had no civil liability in this instance.
The Concepcion government also issued a certification that it has available funds of only P202,041 from the PhilHealth COVID-19 isolation benefit package.
The COA en banc would not have any of the municipal government’s attempt to blame PhilHealth for the town’s obligations.
COA said: “The municipality benefited from the aforestated deliveries. The claim is substantiated with the required documentation; thus, justice and equity dictate that the claimant should be compensated for the delivered meals. To deny the claim would result in the municipality’s unjust enrichment at the expense of GRC.”
COA also said that even with the discrepancy on the number of meals delivered and consumed based on the billing invoice and the AIR, it was the municipality’s obligation and the arrears were unchanged at P1,098,000.
All that red tape just to get what is owed.
The pandemic put a pause on everything including softball.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2025/06/14/philippine-softball-continues-to-reach-new-heights |
Philippine softball continues to grow over the years, with the Blu Boys and the Blu Grils showing impressive performances in the international scene.At the helm of these developments is Jean Henri Lhuillier, president and CEO of Cebuana Lhuillier and longtime president of the Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (ASAPHIL).Under his two decades of leadership, PH softball reached new heights with historic international victories, strengthened grassroots programs and a solid infrastructure that nurtures athletes from beginner to elite levels.The results speak volumes particularly for the Blu Girls, who remain a dominant force in the region by securing seven consecutive Southeast Asian Games gold medals and a silver medal at the 2017 Asian Women’s Softball Championships.Consistently ranking among the top four teams at the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup, the Blu Girls have also claimed victories over several top 10 world-ranked teams including Canada, Australia, Mexico, China and Chinese Taipei in recent years.Before the pandemic pause, the Blu Girls also reached the No. 1 ranking in Asia and currently hold the third spot in the region and 10th in the WBSC world rankings for this year.The team’s momentum continued in 2024 when it scored a stunning 6-5 upset victory over World No. 3 Chinese Taipei at the WBSC Women’s Softball World Cup Group Stage in Italy.Recently, they represented the country in the 2025 Women’s Softball Asia Cup, further demonstrating their competitiveness in Asia.The under-15 girls national team also showed promise, earning a bronze medal and qualifying for the inaugural U15 Women’s Softball World Cup in 2023, reflecting a strong pipeline for emerging talent.The Blu Boys, meanwhile, have steadily risen to international prominence by establishing themselves as one of Asia’s top contenders, capturing four Southeast Asian Games gold medals and earning five silver medal at the Asian Men’s Softball Championships.Their top 10 finish at the 2022 Men’s Softball World Cup also marked a new era of international competitiveness, further sustaining it by being currently ranked No. 3 in Asia and 10th worldwide and qualifying for the 2025 WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup after securing bronze at the 2023 Men’s Softball Asia Cup.Meanwhile, the newly formed Philippine Co-Ed Slow Pitch Team also demonstrated the strength of the development program by taking silver medal at the 2023 Co-Ed Slow Pitch Softball Asia Cup, earning a place in the 2024 WBSC Co-Ed Slow Pitch World Cup.With four national teams qualifying for their respective World Cup events in one season — an unprecedented achievement — Philippine softball, powered by Lhuillier's strategic grassroots-to-elite development, has firmly reestablished itself on the global stage.There is extraordinary talent across the archipelago, Lhuillier said.But talent alone cannot carry us to the world stage. It takes a deliberate system — one that values patience, consistency, and teamwork across every level of the sport. We are building that system. We are investing not just in players, but in coaches, officials, and communities. That's how we will sustain excellence and ensure the Philippines is not just competing but leading in softball worldwide.As the Philippines prepares for upcoming international competitions, including the Asian Games, Lhuillier remains resolute.We've come a long way, but I am just getting started. Our vision is clear — we will continue to raise the bar, not only for the Philippines but for the sport itself, he said.The success of the Blu Girls and Blu Boys, who now hold the highest world ranking ever achieved by any Filipino team sport, proves that with the right leadership, investment, and heart, we can achieve greatness. The future of Philippine softball shines brighter than ever, he added.
Now local softball is making a comeback.
Tourism also continues to make a comeback with 5.9 trillion pesos predicted to flood the economy in 2025.
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| https://www.philstar.com/business/2025/06/14/2450329/tourism-seen-contributing-p59-trillion-2025-gdp |
The tourism industry is poised to earn big this year, making up over one-fifth of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), according to a forecast by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).
Tourism is expected to “contribute P5.9 trillion or about 21 percent of the country’s GDP for this year,’’ the WTTC said in its 2025 Economic Impact Research report.
The expected income for this year is significantly higher than the pre-pandemic tourism receipts of P2.5 trillion in 2019, making it an “all time high,” the WTTC said.
The body also said the Philippines is expected to earn P709.2 billion from spending by international visitors and P4.1 trillion from domestic travelers this year.
The WTTC also said employment in tourism is expected to continue growing this year, “with 11.7 million livelihoods expected to be supported by travel and tourism, accounting for almost 24 percent of all national employment.”
The body said “travel and tourism is positioned not just to grow, but to transform the national economy… As the country continues to strengthen air connectivity, invest in infrastructure, and prioritize destination resilience.”
WTTC president and chief executive officer Julia Simpson said the Philippines was a “standout example of how travel and tourism, when supported by a clear, long-term vision, can deliver real economic impact and long-term opportunity.”
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco hailed the WTTC report, saying its projections are a result of “the strategic shift to elevate the status of Philippine tourism by leveraging on our culture, diversifying our tourism products, introducing innovations, and focusing on quality and sustainability in tourism.”
“We at the Department of Tourism are committed to working even harder as we continue to roll out initiatives that will elevate the industry to new heights, creating a vibrant landscape for growth and sustainable livelihood for Filipinos,” Frasco said.
The year is only half-way through so it could be more, it could be less.
