More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
The closure of Television and Production Exponents Incorporated (TAPE)’s noon show Tahanang Pinakamasaya is another sign of a changing media landscape in the Philippines as enterprises that sell goods and services now pay less attention to television and more on online marketing.That TVJ’s Eat Bulaga! has lasted 45 years is testament to its commercial success. That TAPE’s Tahanang Pinakamasaya lasted only nine months is proof of its commercial failure.
At its peak, Eat Bulaga! with TVJ on GMA-7 was rating between 10% to 20%, and often filled the limit of 18 minutes of commercials per hour, former GMA consultant Jose Bartolome, now a senior lecturer at the UP College of Mass Communications, told Rappler.
Before the pandemic, a high-rating, non-prime time show could sell 30-second ad spots from P80,000 to P100,000, but if the show didn’t rate well, it got fewer commercials and the ad rate went down to half, he said. Revenues from these ads went to pay the talents and produce and air the show.
Post-pandemic, TAPE’s Eat Bulaga!, TVJ’s E.A.T. on TV5, and It’s Showtimeon A2Z+Kapamilya Channel were in single digits, often unable to breach 5% in Nielsen television ratings as shown in a TV5 social media post above back in July 2023.
On the other hand, Kantar Media’s audience measurement as shown below, in December 2018, prior to the pandemic, Eat Bulaga! on GMA-7 and It’s Showtime on ABS-CBN’s Channel 2 were both above 10%. It’s Showtime’sratings fell steeply after ABS-CBN was ordered to close its TV and radio operations by the Duterte administration in May 2020.Bartolome said this is a clear sign that fewer Filipinos are tuning in to television than before the pandemic, especially after ABS-CBN lost its free TV and radio business. Kantar Media managing director Jay Bautista referred to this as the flattening of the TV curve.
They noted that the cost of digital ads is much lower than TV spots. Before the pandemic, a 30-second ad in an ABS-CBN prime time show was around P300,000, while an ad in GMA Network was around P200,000.
They said companies have found “influencer marketing” more “effective and efficient” since it’s cheaper than advertising on TV. On television, viewers often switch channels to avoid commercials, while ads on social media have permanence. It’s also easier to target niche markets online than on television.
Among the Philippines’ top-tier influencers are beauty queens, actors and actresses. They’re paid big money to use their social media power to promote products and services.
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| https://business.inquirer.net/449007/resilience-and-innovation-apogee-laboratories-pandemic-era-rise |
It’s no secret that industry-wise, the pandemic predominantly affected many sectors negatively. Yet, lockdowns somehow still brought growth to certain sectors, with many spending big in areas such as the beauty industry.In an insightful conversation, Apogee Laboratories founder Carlo Rimando sheds light on the growth of his business during Covid and the role that logistics and partnerships played in his success.Established amid the global crisis in 2020, Apogee Laboratories emerged as a manufacturer and a trusted partner for dermatologists. They navigated the initial hurdles of product development and distribution with a lean team of dedicated individuals, choosing to set up operations during the pandemic.
The pandemic posed unique challenges for the business. The shift from trading to manufacturing demanded a reevaluation of their business model, sourcing of materials, and acquisition of equipment, all while navigating the complications of regulatory compliance. During this time, building trust with their clients—dermatologists—was also of utmost importance, as this core audience was adjusting to new norms like teleconsultation, given the lockdown.
Rimando emphasizes the importance of his dedicated team, who he affectionately refers to as “angels.” He underscores the pivotal role of human resources in overcoming operational challenges, from product formulation to customer service.
Rimando also highlights LBC as a critical partner in their journey.
He discusses the importance of reliable logistics solutions for businesses navigating manufacturing and distribution challenges: “We have been exploring various logistics solutions and found LBC’s services to match our needs closely. Their SendTipid program, a prepaid logistics solution, offers us cost efficiency and the convenience we need for managing our shipping needs,” Rimando explains. This program, combined with LBC’s extensive reach across the Philippines and its presence in over 30 countries worldwide, provides Apogee Laboratories with the operational flexibility and scalability needed to expand distribution and explore export opportunities.
Choosing LBC’s services, especially their allowance for using company-branded boxes without the additional cost of crating, signifies a strategic partnership that enhances Apogee Laboratories’ ability to maintain product integrity and branding consistency across its distribution channels. “Other couriers wanted us to crate our boxes, which would incur extra costs. LBC allowed us to use their boxes, removing a significant logistical hurdle and enabling us to maintain our focus on product quality and customer satisfaction,” Rimando shares, highlighting the logistical support that aids in streamlining operations and building a solid distribution network.
The journey of Apogee Laboratories, from its pandemic-era inception to its status as a key player in the dermatological product space, underscores the value of strategic relationships between manufacturing enterprises and their logistics partners. It demonstrates how such collaborations can drive business growth and operational success, even in challenging circumstances.
This is actually an advertisement for LBC disguised as a news article but it is an interesting story about how one Filipino company weathered the pandemic and continues to grow.
After getting derailed by the pandemic, former world juniors No. 12 AJ Lim is on the comeback trail.
The 24-year-old Lim, who once defeated former world No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece in a doubles competition in the Orange Bowl, had to focus on his studies and give up playing during the pandemic.
Lim is now trying to pick up the pieces, with Cebuana Lhuillier providing support.
“I am so happy and I would like to thank Cebuana Lhuillier and Sir Jean Henri (Lhuillier) for coming to my aid and I promise to give my best to not waste this opportunity,” said Lim.
Before his sabbatical, Lim was considered as one of the country’s top young talents and future of Philippine tennis.
He had snared a singles bronze in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games the country hosted while being the current champion of the PCA Open, the toughest tournament in the nation.
No wonder, Lhuillier didn’t think twice in coming to Lim’s rescue.
“I always believe that our young talents have what it takes to become world-class players, given the right support and exposure. Cebuana Lhuillier and I will be here for him in his quest to climb the world rankings,” said Lhuillier.
Lim will be participating in three top local tournaments in the next few months and in two ITF tournaments in South Korea in June before plunging into action in six more international meets in the second half of the year.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an advisory on Friday, March 8, regarding the delisting of Covid-19 medicines and devices from the list of Value-Added Tax (VAT)-Exempt Health Products.Among the delisted medicines are various treatments for Covid-19, including Acetated Ringer’s Solution, Arbidol Hydrochloride Tablets, Aspirin Capsules and Tablets, Atracurium Solutions for Injection, Azelastine Hydrochloride + Fluticasone Propionate Nasal Suspension, Balanced Multiple Replacement Solution + 5 percent Dextrose, Baricitinib Tablets, Beclometasone dipropionate + Formoterol fumarate dihydrate, Bivalirudin Lyophilized Powder for Injection (IV), Budesonide Metered Dose Inhaler, Casirivimab + Imdevimab, Cefotaxime (as sodium), ChAdOx1-S [recombinant] (Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca) Solution for injection, Clonazepam tablet, Clopidogrel capsule and tablet, and among others.
The FDA stated that this move comes following the provisions of Republic Act (RA) No. 11534, also known as the "Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act."
Under RA No. 11534, the agency noted that certain health products, including drugs for various conditions and Covid-19 medicines and medical devices, were initially granted VAT exemption.
However, under this law, the FDA is mandated to identify and transmit VAT-Exempt Health Products to other implementing agencies.
Section 12 of RA No. 11534 stipulates that the VAT exemption for medical devices, drugs, and vaccines used for Covid-19 treatment shall be valid until Dec. 31, 2023.
The FDA said that accordingly, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has issued Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 7-2024, announcing that these products “will no longer be VAT-Exempt effective Jan. 1, 2024.”
In line with this directive, the FDA has delisted several Covid-19 medicines from the VAT-Exempt Health Products list, as detailed in Revenue Memorandum Circular No. 7-2024.
"The FDA Verification Portal will be updated accordingly to reflect these changes," it stated.
The government's share of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) income remained below its pre-pandemic levels last year, data from the Bureau of the Treasury indicated.
According to the Treasury report, the national government received P33.85 billion from Pagcor's income from January to December 2023, which constituted the mandated 50 percent of the gaming regulator and operator's net revenue.
However, this amount was 4.5 percent lower than the P35.46 billion contribution in 2019, prior to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
Despite the shortfall, the total government share last year registered a substantial 36 percent increase compared to P24.86 billion in 2022.
In addition, the Treasury's share for the full year of 2023 more than doubled the target of P15.03 billion set by the Treasury.
In December alone, Pagcor remitted P3.27 billion to the government coffers, showing a notable 32 percent growth from P2.48 billion in the same month a year earlier.
Under the law, Pagcor, the government's third largest revenue-generating agency, is compelled to allocate 50 percent of its net revenue to the national government.
In 2024, the Treasury is expecting an income share of P29.87 billion from Pagcor.
Earlier, Pagcor reported that the gross gaming revenues (GGR) from gambling operations in the country have exceeded their pre-pandemic levels in the first nine-months of the year.
However, the agency also reported that it generated P79.37 billion in revenues last year, a 35 percent increase compared to the P58.96 billion recorded in the previous year.
Nevertheless, Pagcor's full-year tally still fell below the P81.97 billion income in 2019, which was before the Covid-19 health crisis.
Total reimbursements for COVID-19-related claims last year reached over P16 billion, according to the state health insurer.
The claims amounting to P16.7 billion include payments for inpatient care, COVID-19 testing, services and supplies for testing provided by the laboratory, isolation measures, community isolation package and home isolation package, the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) said.
Inpatient care comprised the bulk of total payments, at 88 percent or P14.6 billion for 72,511 claims.
This included critical pneumonia, adult and pediatric (P5 billion); severe pneumonia, adult and pediatric (P4.5 billion); moderate pneumonia (P4 billion); mild pneumonia, elderly or with comorbidities (P685 million).
Also under inpatient care are the full financial risk protection for health workers (P336 million), intermediate package, severe and critical pneumonia (P2.8 million) and intermediate package, moderate pneumonia (P2.3 million).
For COVID-19 testing, PhilHealth reimbursed P1.97 billion representing 852,779 claims, which is 12 percent of the total amount.
Testing services and supplies provided by the laboratory reached P1.4 billion; test kits donated to the laboratoryn P405 million; test kits donated to the laboratory, cost of running the laboratory as well as RT-PCR machine for testing subsidized by the government, P61 million; services and supplies procured and provided by the testing laboratory, P98 million; PCR cartridges donated to the testing laboratory, P11.9 million; PCR cartridges donated to the testing laboratory, cost of running cartridge-based PCR test subsidized by the government, P7.3 million and facility-based COVID-19 rapid antigen test, P1.6 million.
PhilHealth reimbursed P86.6 million (4,208 claims) for isolation measures.
Under the community isolation package, PhilHealth reimbursed P81.68 million for 3,643 claims. Admissions referred to ICU from higher-level facilities for step-down care amounted to P2.17 million, with 97 claims.
For the COVID-19 home isolation package, PhilHealth reimbursed P2.76 million for 468 claims.
More than two weeks ago, PhilHealth announced plans this year to rationalize case rates for various conditions, including COVID-19 inpatient benefits.
