More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
The DOH is reporting a 35% decrease in daily COVID-19 cases.
The Department of Health (DOH) said on Friday, Feb. 16, that 661 new Covid-19 cases were recorded from Feb. 6 to 12.
It noted that these cases showed a 35 percent decrease compared to the previous week from Jan. 30 to Feb. 5.
Based on the latest data, seven of the newly reported cases have been classified as "severe” or “critical.”
Meanwhile, the DOH recorded two additional Covid-19-related deaths that occurred between Jan. 30 to Feb. 12.
It was also stated that as of Feb. 11, hospitals across the Philippines had admitted a total of 184 severe and critical Covid-19 patients for treatment.
Of the 1,345 ICU beds designated for Covid-19 patients, 151 of them, or 11 percent, are currently occupied.
DOH also noted that 1,528 out of 11,291 non-ICU Covid-19 beds, constituting 14 percent, are also in use.
Related to this, it reminded the public that practicing different layers of protection can limit transmission among vulnerable groups and in enclosed, overcrowded areas.
Frequent handwashing, using masks, social distancing, and providing adequate ventilation in closed settings altogether remain effective prevention measures.
Testing is done to confirm cases to determine appropriate clinical management and isolation at home may be done for mild cases, the DOH added.
Despite the decrease don't forget to wash your hands, wear a mask, and social distance.
Tourism in Cebu is slowly recovering but construction is struggling to reach pre-pandemic levels.
Tourism in Cebu is still recovering while the construction business is not as dynamic as it used to be.
These were the observations disclosed by Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Charles Kenneth Co during the latest episode of The Freeman’s “Hot Seat”.
Co said that while the food businesses are already doing okay, the tourism sector is still recovering and the construction industry is slowing down.
“Food business, medyo okay-okay,” he said, as people who were in lockdown due to the pandemic shifted from ordering online to going out to explore and eat out again, as evidenced by the current traffic situation.
He, however, said that the construction industry has slowed down the situation was even better during the pandemic.
“Construction projects, nag lie low pud karon,” Co said.
He said there are currently only a few construction projects, especially government projects.
“Little government projects especially in Cebu unlike in the Build Build Build program (under former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s term), when it was very strong ang atoang construction sector,” said Co.
“That’s not only for the Philippines, not only to Cebu… During the pandemic, the government was really conscious of the lockdown. Most of the government’s priming, nibuga gyud ug maayo ang government…. Now, slow down even in China and other world economies,” he added.
Co said the Philippines is even luckier as it still has the Business Process Outsourcing sector as well as the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW), as they have kept the country Gross Domestic Product to grow up at 4 to 5 percent.
For Cebu’s tourism industry, Co said, it is still recovering and has not rebounded yet to its pre-pandemic time.
This, Co said, could have been caused by “territorial disputes” that affects tourists from coming here.
“We need to look at other Asian neighbors also for tourism,” he said.
In particular, Co said, hotels here are already doing okay, but not that much for resorts.
“Resorts? Not so…. Lesser than pre-pandemic,” he said, adding that among other factors, non-resumption of many direct flights to Cebu could be a reason.
He also said that to help address the situation, the government could help by making visa applications easier for visitors.
Cebu appears to be contradicting the DOT which claims tourism isn't struggling but is actually thriving and will fully recover this year. This report also contradicts the claims of the other reports regarding business growth post-pandemic.
Philippine business seems to be well on its way to recovery after the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that struck the country hard in 2020.
The Philippines Growth Champions 2024, the Top 30 companies in the country that achieved the highest percentage growth in revenues between 2019 and 2022, impress, even dazzle, with their success during those three years, notwithstanding the fact that 2020 was a year that could be written off for most enterprises.
The highly diverse roster includes employment services, e-commerce ventures, information technology (IT) and software, real estate, advertising and marketing, financial technology services, construction and engineering, health care and life science, manufacturing and professional and scientific services.
Compiled by the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Germany-based Statista, the world’s leading data and business intelligence portal, the rated companies had to meet the following criteria:
• Revenues of at least P5 million in 2019
• Revenues of at least P30 million in 2022
• The company must be independent (acts largely independently in its business decisions and does not derive financial benefits from its parent company)
• The company is headquartered in the Philippines
• The revenue growth between 2019 and 2022 was primarily organic (i.e. “internally” generated)
For the 2024 Growth Champions selection, the Inquirer and Statista invited companies to participate. Application period was from Aug. 7 to Oct. 31, 2023. Revenue figures had to be certified by the chief financial officer, chief executive officer or a member of the company’s executive committee.
All data reported by the companies were processed and checked by Statista. Missing data were research in detail. The minimum average growth rate for the covered period to be included in this year’s ranking was 7.04 percent.
While the ranking involved a complex procedure and research was extensive, the Inquirer and Statista do not claim that the ranking is complete. Some companies did not want to make their figures public or did not participate for other reasons.
The caveat is that these ranking are based on self-reporting.
A Filipino based in Singapore who picked up his paintbrush during the pandemic is having his first show in Manila.
At the Art Fair Philippines media preview, Johnrey Quiban couldn’t stop smiling. He couldn’t believe his luck either.
It’s the 38-year-old Singapore-based Filipino architect’s first time participating in the highly acclaimed art event, as one of the artists that Galerie Stephanie is exhibiting at their space, in Booth 44 on the 6th floor of The Link Carpark.
“It’s all overwhelming,” Quiban tells GMA News Online, wide-eyed. “Bago lahat sa ‘kin,” he adds.
While Quiban has always enjoyed painting as a hobby, he forgot about it when he started working as an architect.
It was when he moved to Singapore in 2012 that he picked up his paintbrush again, and when the pandemic hit, Quiban went on overdrive.
“It was out of boredom at first,” he admits. “Paint lang ako nang paint. Duon ako nakaka-release ng energy and stress.”
With strong appreciation for the likes of Monet and Juan Luna — “minimalist landscape impressionism,” he says — Quiban paints textured scenes of natural landscapes like mountains and streams, of oceans and of what looks like forgotten foot paths. They’re almost like vacation photos except Quiban’s landscapes are moodier and darker.
All his art is emotion-based, the artist says. “Ang process niya is, I have no idea what to paint,” Quiban says. "It's just a feeling, like a mood.”
“It's like, an emotion left unexpressed,” he adds, saying he doesn’t stop until he feels that distinct “lukso ng dugo.”
He likes to paint in the dead of the night, in the dark because “duon ako nakakakuha ng energy.”
"At this point in my life - I'm 38 - hindi ko alam kung depression or anxiety or kung ano man 'to. So china-channel ko ang mga 'yon to this thing," Quiban said.
When he rediscovered painting in the pandemic, his process also included uploading photos of his works on Instagram.
In 2021, Singaporean gallery Sound of Art took notice. “Someone messaged me, they went to my house to check some of my works. Then they asked me to join a group show.”
Things were going well with Sound of Art, with whom he would often join group shows, when Filipina art enthusiast, Mia Jaranilla, found him also on Instagram the following year.
According to Quiban, that was the first time he’s ever encountered Jaranilla. “I didn’t know her. Nagulat na lang ako sa kanya,” the artist recalls.
Jaranilla messaged him on Instagram, requesting to see a few more of his works. She happened to like them, and then offered to help him get his paintings exhibited in Manila.
It takes a lot of work but any hobby can become a career.
The National Anti-Poverty Commission says the Philippines has still not reach pre-pandemic employment levels.
The National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) on Monday, February 19, acknowledged the progress in the country's employment rate but stressed the need for continued efforts to recover from pandemic losses.
When asked how is the country’s employment rate going, Danilo Laserna, NAPC-Formal Labor and Migrant Workers Sector Alternate Sectoral Representative said in an interview: “We have not yet reached (pre-pandemic employment) there are still many workers who were laid off during the pandemic.”
He explained that because during the pandemic the skeletal workforce lost almost 75 percent.
Although, Laserna pointed out that "Formal labor is slowly returning, with businesses, particularly in the service industry, reopening —-this only shows that there is an “increase” in Philippines economic activities.
He further highlighted the continued deployment of Filipino migrant workers abroad indicates relaxed restrictions and returning to normal.
“In fact, our migrant workers continue to be deployed in different parts of the world. Restrictions especially on health establishment declarations have disappeared, so their deployment is okay,” he said.
Moreover, addressing the reports on the Philippines' lowest unemployment rate in over two decades, Laserna expressed cautious optimism.
"We (NAPC) think that the increase in employment and underemployment is the result of seasonal, especially the data shown by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data, a large part of which is from the contribution of seasonal rates," he said.
The Philippines' unemployment rate dropped to 3.1 percent in December 2023, according to a PSA Labor Force Survey ---this shows a decline of 617,000 unemployed individuals compared to December 2022
This also means that the employment rate surged during the period, which was posted at 96.9 percent or 50.52 million employed individuals from 95.7 percent in December 2022.
"Christmas season, for example, sees a surge in demand for workers in tourism and hospitality,” he added.
Meanwhile, the NAPC added that while the Philippines shows positive signs of employment recovery, they still urged continued efforts to address underemployment, especially supporting those still struggling, and striving for pre-pandemic employment levels.
"Our capacity to engage in services and receive incoming goods has reached 100 percent, but we still need more workers compared to pre-pandemic levels," he said.
“Besides, we will also look at the pattern of not increasing radically, nor decreasing radically, the rate is almost stable,” Laserna said.
Thus, he added that “we still need to focus on re-integrating those who lost their jobs during the pandemic."
Many of the jobs lost during the pandemic are never going to return.
The DepEd is amending the school calendar to shift back to the pre-pandemic April-May break.
The Department of Education (DepEd) on Tuesday released its amended school calendar amid its gradual shift back to the pre-pandemic April-May school break.
According to DepEd Order No. 3, series of 2024 dated Feb. 19, the “adjusted end of the school year (SY) shall be May 31, 2024.”
The DepEd urged schools to conduct all end-of-school-year rites from May 29 to 31, as the school break is set from June 1 to July 26.
Moreover, the start of the SY 2024-2025 is set for July 29 which will then end on May 16, 2025.
Besides this, the DepEd also reminded schools that they are not allowed to give teachers all forms of assignments for the entire June.
“No voluntary or mandatory tasks or activities shall be assigned to teachers from June 1 to 30,” the DO reads.
The said adjustments were made in response to the petitions to gradually revert the school calendar to a pre-pandemic setup, as well as the results of consultations with various stakeholders and a study conducted by the Philippine Normal University (PNU).
Maybe that will fix the education problem the Philippines is facing?
