More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
It seems that every analysis of the pandemic is contradictory in some way. First we learn that teen pregnancies are up because of the pandemic but now we learn married couples are delaying having children because of the effects of the pandemic which includes inflation.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1926483/pandemic-worries-high-prices-forced-ph-couples-to-delay-having-kids |
The economic uncertainties brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, further worsened by soaring prices of essential goods and services, forced Filipino couples to delay or deprioritize having children due to their perceived lack of financial capacity and insufficient income, according to the Commission on Population and Development (CPD).
In “Fertility Decline during Covid-19 Pandemic,” a qualitative study undertaken by the Philippine Statistical Research and Training Institute for the CPD, it was found that the decision of couples not to have children during the pandemic increased the acceptability of modern family planning (FP) methods.
But even prior to the contagion, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that the majority of the country’s regions were already displaying a decline in the total number of registered births since 2019.
“Our recent study supports the assumption that Filipinos, even before the Covid-19 health situation, were already keen with their mindsets of delaying life-defining events, such as dating, marriages and having children,” CPD Executive Director Lisa Grace Bersales said on Thursday.
“These preferences were reinforced by the shocks in broader socioeconomic conditions, and the rise in the level of uncertainties in various aspects of the pandemic. We are now monitoring whether these fertility behaviors have become the norm postpandemic,” she added.
Based on PSA data, the downward trend of total registered live births (number of children born alive) was observed as early as 2017 to 2018, when there was a 1.91 percent decline in total registered live births to 1.67 million from 1.7 million. This further dipped by 0.35 percent in 2019 to 1.67 million.
The drop was more pronounced at the onset of the pandemic in 2020 when only 1.53 million babies were born, a decline of 8.68 percent year-on-year in live births.
In 2021, this fell further by 10.72 percent to 1.36 million, before eventually rebounding by 6.64 percent to 1.46 million live births in 2022, when pandemic restrictions were relaxed.
Based on the CPD study, Bersales said the prevalence of contraceptive use as a form of modern FP rose to 42 percent in 2022 from 40 percent in 2017.
“Filipinos have increased their dependency on FP methods, of which the pandemic was deemed as a key catalyst for the hike in their usage. The study revealed that female-centric methods: pills, ligation or female sterilization, and injectables are still the most preferred methods, and that women still carry out decisions with regard to FP as compared to men,” Bersales explained.
The CPD chief noted that the country’s fertility rate (the number of children that would be born to a woman during her reproductive years, usually from age 15 to 49) declined from 2.7 in 2017 to 1.9 in 2022.
Countries need a fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman, a number called the replacement level, to maintain stable population numbers. When the fertility rate falls below the replacement level, populations begin to shrink.
During the same period, Filipino women who wanted to bear more children declined to 48.8 percent from 52.6 percent, while Filipino women who wanted to have a child soon decreased to 13.9 percent from 15.1 percent.
“One positive result that came out from the pandemic was the more conscious consideration of couples’ and families’ socioeconomic capacities, as well as preparedness in their childbearing decisions,” Bersales noted.
The CPD study was consistent with a report published in The Lancet medical journal in March projecting that the global fertility rate, which went down to 2.23 in 2021 from 4.84 in 1950, would continue to fall to 1.59 by 2100, or well below the ideal 2.1.
The CPD study noted that while the decrease in the number of children over the years could be beneficial in the short term by bringing a measure of economic relief, the continuous and sharp decrease in the number of live births might be disadvantageous in the long run in terms of a larger aging population.
But this same study says fertility rates were on the decline before the pandemic. How can we trust any of these studies?
The WHO has formally thanked he Philippines for its pandemic response.
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| https://qa.philstar.com/headlines/2024/04/08/2346058/who-thanks-philippines-pandemic-prevention-preparedness-and-response |
Of course this pandemic treaty would be a blow to the much touted sovereignty of the country even as it battles China in the WPS. And thank goodness the Philippines is sending much of its health workforce abroad. Isn't losing skilled workers just what this country needs?World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has expressed his appreciation of the Philippines’ role in the ongoing negotiations on a “WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response” known as the Pandemic Treaty.
Tedros also encouraged the Philippines to explore the assignment in Geneva of a health attaché from the Department of Health to help manage the increasing workload related to global health cooperation.
During a meeting at the WHO headquarters in Geneva on April 3, he discussed with Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations Carlos Sorreta the Philippines’ assignment of a health attaché.
They also discussed the state of play of the negotiations, which aim to adopt a consensus text by May 2024.
Tedros thanked Sorreta for chairing an ambassador-level meeting of more than 30 developing countries known as the Group for Equity, which the WHO chief attended.
He conveyed his availability for further meetings with the group to help build consensus on the instrument.
The Pandemic Treaty negotiations are entering the final stages as countries prepare for an additional meeting on April 29 to May 10 in the hope of bridging divides on key issues such as access and benefit sharing, technology transfer and financing.
Sorreta reaffirmed the Philippines’ dedication to continue working with other countries to deliver an effective instrument.
Aside from helping create the Group for Equity, the Philippines served as co-facilitators for key articles on production of countermeasures, transfer of technology, and supply chains and logistics.
As a leading producer of health professionals, the Philippines is also a key proponent of the article on health workforce.
Apart from the negotiations, Tedros and Sorreta raised Philippine initiatives on human resources for health, financial contributions and planned membership to the WHO executive board next year.
The Chemical Engineering Students Summit Philippines has returned four years after the pandemic.
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| https://www.manilatimes.net/2024/04/09/public-square/premier-chem-eng-students-gathering-returns/1940419/amp |
CHEMICAL Engineering Students Summit Philippines (ChESSPH 2024) returned to the traditional face-to-face operations for its 15th iteration on April 4-6, 2024 at the University of the Philippines Diliman after the shutdowns prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic
Organized by the UP Academic League of Chemical Engineering Students, or UP Alchemes, ChESSPH 2024 gathered undergraduate chemical engineering students nationwide to foster networking, academic support, and awareness of scientific advancements and innovations in assisting the citizenry.
ChESSPH 2024, with its theme "Kairos: Forging Connections through Limitless Potential," challenged undergraduate chemical engineering students to explore their potential and enrich their capabilities while embracing diverse opportunities through interaction and meaningful connections.
The highly anticipated Plant Tours, Chemical Engineering Symposium for Senior High School Students, Career Paths Seminar, ChE Expo, Idea Generation Seminar, and Culminight were reinstated onsite.
The Plant Tours allowed the participants to have immersive experiences on operational chemical plants, offering insights into the industry in real-world applications.
The Chemical Engineering Symposium for Senior High School Students and the Career Paths Seminar featured a series of talks from chemical engineering professionals to give participants a chance to explore possible career opportunities.
The ChE Expo and Idea Generation Seminar offered platforms for students to compete against one another and showcase their scientific skills and abilities.
ChESSPH 2024 closed with the Culminight, providing participants networking opportunities and creating new bonds with other chemical engineering students.
Cebu Air is hiring more cabin crew as travel ramps up post-pandemic.
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| https://sg.news.yahoo.com/philippines-cebu-air-hires-cabin-crew-sees-travel-ramping-up-171411919.html |
Cebu Air Inc. resumed hiring cabin crew, anticipating a recovery in air-travel demand as the Philippines eases its coronavirus curbs.
“The airline has reached out and encouraged former CEB cabin crew to apply as the airline gets ready for growth,” the Philippines’ largest budget carrier said in a statement Saturday. The airline unit of conglomerate JG Summit Holdings Inc. has been bringing back domestic travel routes and flight frequencies it had to cut during the pandemic, while also gradually resuming flights to key Asian destinations.
A steady increase in fully-vaccinated Filipinos and a decline in daily Covid-19 cases have led to an easing of quarantine restrictions in many parts of the Philippines, including in the capital region, which accounts for a third of the economy.
Domestic tourism has shown signs of a revival, with travelers from the capital Manila now visiting tourist spots, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said in an interview Nov. 11.
Does that mean they will be reaching out to those who were let go during the pandemic or will these be new hires?
Traditional life insurance polices are seeing a comeback.
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| https://business.inquirer.net/453972/traditional-life-insurance-seeing-resurgence-says-bdo-life |
More Filipinos are now seeing value in getting traditional insurance, with the number of people getting variable universal life insurance (VUL) policies, which have long been the dominant insurance product in the country, slowly declining.
This stems mostly from fears of sudden and unexpected illnesses—and even death—triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting BDO Life Assurance Co. Inc. (BDO Life) to intensify its traditional life insurance campaign.
The bancassurance arm of Sy-led banking giant BDO Unibank Inc. explained that while Filipinos “underappreciate” life insurance as an investment product, 79 percent of them confirmed that it was also now “more important to them than ever.”
This market study is supported by the fact that BDO Life’s traditional insurance plans accounted for 75 percent of its total premiums last year, a 15-percent growth from 2022.
“As fund values of variable life insurance rise and fall with the economic tide, traditional life insurance has proven to be a safer haven over time,” said Renato Vergel de Dios, BDO Life president and CEO.
“Slowly but surely, Filipinos are realizing the importance of having a safety net, a Plan B in the form of life insurance protection that serves as a solid foundation on which their financial planning model rests,” he added.
Apart from a permanent life insurance, VUL also provides investment opportunities, such as stocks, but there may be higher risks depending on which assets the investments go to.
Traditional insurance, meanwhile, does not offer this investment component, thus having relatively lower risk, and focuses instead on providing death benefits while allowing loans to fund emergencies while insurees are still alive.
But will this insurance cover vaccine related deaths and injuries?
The pandemic made working at home a necessity. Some people still love it and never want it to go away.
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| https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/567052/mom-shares-why-working-from-home-is-a-blessing |
A huge part of the work force had to work-from-home when the Covid-19 pandemic hit a few years back.
Post-pandemic, many still prefer to work-from home, a set-up that according to studies make employees more productive.
According to studies, employees who work from home focus on getting the job done the soonest possible time because of minimal interruptions. One of which is that they no longer need to take long coffee breaks to gossip with colleagues.
Working-from-home also allows employees to save a lot of time and energy. This frees them from the hassle of having to commute, endure the very hot weather and the slow moving traffic in Metro Cebu.
And the best part is that employees are able to cut their expense on food and travel.
But of course, this kind of a work set up also has its consequences.
There are those who say that working-from-home makes communication very challenging and the distance among employees also delays the process of brainstorming.
As we celebrate work-from home day, let’s get to know a mother who chose to continue to work-from home instead of staying in an office.
Meet Veronica Faith Badana-Nadala, 27, a former visa consultant agent turned virtual assistant and a mother to a two-year-old baby girl, Gianna.
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, she had to adopt to a lot of changes, including a sudden shift from working at a visa consultancy agency to working-from-home.
Nadala said they also experienced a massive drop in their clients considering that migration and travels were put on hold then.
But instead of feeling bad about it, she taught herself to learn to accept that her career hump was just temporary.
Then, she learned that she was expecting her first baby. It was then that she told herself that her having to work-from-home was a blessing because it will allow her more time to take care of her daughter Gianna.
After she gave birth and when Covid-9 restrictions were beginning to loosen, Nadala had to make a decision as to whether or not she wanted to go back to doing office-based work.
Then, another blessing came. She was presented with an opportunity to continue to be home-based as a virtual assistant (VA).
While she felt a slight pinch in the heart for leaving a job that she loves, she decide to take a leap and start a new adventure as a mom and VA.
Fast forward to today, two years after she made that big decision, Nadala said has no regrets.
Nadala said that working-from-home allowed her to balance the need earn and take care of her daughter and husband, Kent.
“One of the most significant advantages of working from home, especially as a mother, is the precious gift of time. Eliminating the daily commute not only saves valuable hours that would otherwise be spent in traffic or on public transportation but also conserves my energy. This reclaimed time and energy can be redirected towards meaningful activities, such as spending quality moments with my daughter,” Nadala told CDN Digital.
But she admits that working-from-home could also become very exhausting especially when her daughter wants to cuddle while she works.
Still, she said the experience is something that she would cherish.
Nadala said that Gianna is growing too fast. She wants to be with her every step of the way to enjoy each moment with her.
“By working from home, I can seamlessly integrate my professional responsibilities with the joys of motherhood. Whether it’s stealing a quick hug during a break or a playful moment during my lunchtime, being present for those spontaneous interactions brings fulfillment. It’s these small yet priceless moments that strengthen the bond between my daughter,” Nadala said.
For Nadala, working-from-home has been immensely beneficial for her and her family because it allows her to be flexible and productive at the same time.
It really is a new world and there is no going back. Especially for this lady.
