More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
Face-to-face classes have resumed nationwide. The DOH says that means COVID-19 cases will rise exponentially.
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| https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/26/22/covid-cases-may-reach-9000-daily-as-schools-reopen-doh |
Daily COVID-19 infections in the country may reach as high as 9,000 by the end of September amid the resumption of face-to-face classes, the Department of Health said Friday.
According to DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire, the figures are based on its latest projections as millions of students returned to schools Monday, Aug. 22.
'"We agree the probability is there. Based on our projections, which were already updated because of the opening of classes, maaaring tumaas hanggang 9,000 daily cases dito sa bansa pagdating ng end of September hanggang Oktubre," she said in a press briefing.
A group of private hospitals earlier warned COVID-19 infection may go up amid increased mobility of the population.
What do they want? Why do they keep reporting these projections? Do they want everyone to stay inside forever? That's not happening and even if you wore a face mask 24 hours day and were fully vaccinated that is not guarantee you won't get infected.
The Catholic Church says they have had trouble getting people back into the pews. However, Churches remain open as potential vaccination sites.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1182315 |
An official of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission on Health Care (CBCP-ECHC) on Friday assured that churches remain available as venues for vaccination against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
Fr. Dan Cancino, executive secretary of the commission, said churches and other places of worship are ready to help local government units in their inoculation drive.
"Our churches continue to participate in making Covid-19 vaccines accessible, especially in areas with low vaccination accomplishments. We will continue to open church spaces to allow our faithful to avail of Covid-19 vaccines," he said in an interview over Church-run Radio Veritas.
He said that aside from making churches as vaccine venues, they will continue to help in informing the public on the benefits of being vaccinated.
"We are also putting premium on increasing vaccine confidence and lowering the hesitancy towards Covid-19 vaccines," Cancino added.
That's one way to get the people back in Chruch.
Once again the public is being told that COVID-19 cases are decreasing.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1654415/average-covid-19-cases-in-ph-decrease-by-15-percent-says-octa-research |
The weekly average of new COVID-19 cases in the country decreased by 15 percent while the nationwide positivity rate likewise declined, OCTA Research fellow Guido David said on Sunday.
“The number of new COVID-19 cases in the Philippines decreased to 2,959 or less than 3,000 per day as of August 27, 2022, a decrease of 15% from the previous week’s average of 3,487,” said David in a post on Twitter.
“If current trends in the growth rate hold, this projects to less than 1000 cases per day nationwide by mid September and less than 500 per day by end of September,” said David.
The OCTA says with current trends there will be less than 500 cases per day by the end of September while e the DOH says the resumption of classes will raise it to 9,000 cases per day. Who is right?
Lockdowns are over for Davao City.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2022/08/29/no-more-lockdowns-in-davao-city-says-covid-task-force-spokesperson/ |
The city government will no longer resort to putting establishments under lockdown to control the transmission of infections in the event of another Covid-19 surge, an official of the Davao City Task Force on Covid-19 said.
Dr. Michelle Schlosser, task force spokesperson, reiterated the importance of keeping the balance between safety and economy.
She added that the administration of former Mayor now Vice President Sara Duterte abandoned the implementation of a “zoning containment strategy” at offices and business establishments to help the local economy recover from the adverse impact of the pandemic.
Local health authorities believed Covid-19 cases could be managed even without resorting to hard measures to put the spread under control, she said.
“The reason behind this is that we are able to manage the cases even without the need for lockdowns because the establishments would suffer. Once placed under lockdown, operation will stop, and the company will suffer the losses. That’s what we want to prevent,” she said.
It's two years too late. The damage is done!
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is now allowing untaxed students and teachers to attend classes.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1182440 |
Vaccination status against Covid-19 will no longer be made as a basis for students, teachers and non-teaching personnel attending in-person classes in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), the Commission on Higher Education announced Monday.
In a virtual press conference, CHED chairperson J. Prospero de Vera III said this significant change of policy was based on several considerations.
“We’re allowing vaccinated and unvaccinated students and faculty members, and employees to now go face-to-face classes, or to report back to work. That is the revised policy as of today,” he said.
Considerations include high vaccination coverage in HEIs, lowered risk classification in the country, and other parameters, which he said must be clearly “explained” by all HEIs.
“We are changing it because vaccination levels are already high in the higher education institutions, the percentage of at-risk individuals is significantly lower now, and therefore easier to control on the part of our HEIs, and just like in other countries… we have already learned about how other countries have been doing it and applying it, and of course the views of our health experts that those who are at risk do not tend to be the higher education age group,” he said.
Ong-Lim also underscored the need to be vaccinated, even though the new policy poses no requisition on vaccination status.
“The risk is actually higher for the unvaccinated than those who are vaccinated. So we want to remind everybody that vaccines provide the best protection or provide a good layer of protection together with everything else that we practice,” she said.
These people simply cannot stop themselves by warning that everyone must get vaccinated because they "provide the best protection." Surely they are not unaware that vaccinated individuals can get infected and even die?
For DOH Secretary Janet Garin laments this as a win for the anti-vaxxers.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2022/08/30/ched-order-a-win-for-anti-vaxxers-garin/ |
Score one for the anti-vaxxers.
That’s how Iloilo 1st district Rep. Janette Garin described on Tuesday, Aug. 30 the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd)’s announcement would no longer require students and personnel of higher education institutions (HEI) to be vaccinated against Covid-19 ahead of the start of face-to-face classes.
“I think CHEd’s announcement is the success of anti-vaxxers,” Garin said during the Ugnayan news forum at the House of Representatives.
“The anti-vaccine group is a very strong lobby group that are also well-organized. (So they always oppose vaccinations because that’s there belief),” admitted Garin, who is a former Department of Health (DOH) secretary.
“(If you get affected by that, you”ll get intimidated because) you’ll be threatened with cases, (then you’ll be conflicted between your) desire to protect our people versus protecting yourself,” she noted.
At any rate, Garin, who belongs to the House majority bloc in the 19th Congress, says the situation warrants for President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to step in.
“(My view is), it’s now the President’s call. Because only the President can make sure that when people in government do their job, they will be protected.”
Garin wants the President to step in and make vaccines mandatory for all university students. Isn't that grand?
In the new budget there is no more pandemic help for the poor.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1655055/no-more-covid-related-ayuda-in-2023-budget |
The Marcos administration’s chief economic manager on Monday said there would be no more “ayuda” or doleouts related to the COVID-19 pandemic to be funded by the proposed P5.268-trillion 2023 national budget.
“As the economy recovers and full mobility is restored, there is little justification for more COVID-19-related [cash aid to the poor],” Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said in a statement.
Last Friday, Diokno also told the House committee on appropriations’ deliberations on next year’s spending plan that pandemic-related “ayuda” would be “a waste of public funds” amid the economic rebound.
“The Philippine economy has recovered from the unprecedented pandemic. It is now back to where it was before the COVID-19 crisis, with the opening of the economy and increasing mobility,” Diokno said.
The Philippines’ gross domestic product, or the total output of goods and services produced locally, reverted to prepandemic levels in the first quarter of this year, following the worst postwar recession in 2020 to early 2021 at the height of the most stringent lockdowns.
“With the normalization, it is more appropriate to continue the existing social protection programs, such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s welfare grants for poor families with children of school age, support for senior citizens, assistance to displaced workers, etc.,” Diokno said.
“The ‘ayudas’ associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, such as in Bayanihan 1 and 2, should cease as normalization is achieved and as we learn to live with the virus. These ‘ayudas’ were justified when there were lockdowns and restricted mobility of citizens,” the finance chief said, referring to the two laws which allowed the government to give away billions of pesos in cash aid to the most vulnerable households affected by the loss of jobs and livelihoods at the onset of the health and socioeconomic crises in 2020.
“But there are no more lockdowns — the president himself announced it in his State of the Nation Address. Citizens are now free to move around. Face-to-face schooling is back,” Diokno noted.
Diokno's statement is unbelievably out of touch with day-to-day realties of the common man. The government destroyed the economy and yet he says everything is back to normal.
Cebu City has rescinded its face mask mandate.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2022/08/31/mayor-face-masks-no-longer-mandatory-in-cebu-city/ |
The wearing of face masks here is no longer mandatory.
Mayor Michael Rama on Wednesday, Aug. 31, signed an Executive Order (EO) “declaring the use of face mask within the territorial jurisdiction of the City of Cebu as non-obligatory but a measure of individual self-preservation and protection.”
In his observation, Rama said wearing of face mask is no longer practiced in most areas.
“Let us not be naive. I was in (barangay) Pasil early in the morning, how many percent of people there who are wearing face mask?” Rama said in a press briefing.
Rama said it will be up to business establishments if they will continue to require the use of face masks within their premises.
He added wearing of face mask is also voluntary in schools, saying it will be the discretion of parents and teachers if they will ask their students to wear them.
Rama recalled he has been talking about “freedom” way back last February and it was about time to ease the policy on face mask.
“We are rising up and moving forward,” Rama said.
The only place where face mask is mandatory include hospitals, clinics, and other medical facilities.
“Wearing of face mask is non-obligatory but as a measure of self-preservation,” Rama added.
It is interesting that instead of having the cops crackdown on face mask violators the mayor rescinded the law. If only altering the law was the easy on a regular basis!
Two street photographers in Davao continue to pursue their profession despite the setbacks caused by the pandemic.
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| https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1939075/davao/local-news/davaos-litratista-continues-to-snap-shots-amid-pandemic |
For two photographers or "litratista," who have been snapping photos of Dabawenyos and tourists since the 1960s and 1980s, new technology may have advanced how we capture special moments, but there are still those who relish the smiles of printed photos.Edwin Ortaliz, 62 years old from St. John Bucana, Davao City, a street photographer since the 1980s, said photography changed his life from being a ‘tambay’ to capturing your smile.“I used to be unemployed before I became a photographer). (When I started working, my salary would be spent on liquor,” Ortaliz said.He said his older brother introduced him to the world of photography and is now taking care of his grandsons.Ortaliz said that it’s not easy to make money as a photographer but it is also rewarding at the same time.The people he takes photos of come from all walks of life. For example, one of his past clients were those working as a housekeeper every Sunday near the San Pedro Church and plaza.He also takes photos at weddings and school activities.But all of these activities came to a full stop when the pandemic struck in 2020. By that time, he was already feeling the effects of mobile phones to his livelihood.With the pandemic, he sometimes went home without any earnings.Also, he said, they are not allowed to get inside the school premises even in public schools."Even schools today they will not allow us, even the public schools, we can only stay outside the campus gate under heat of the sun and these graduation events are the only thing that help us earn every year,” Ortaliz said.
Ortaliz remains positive although life has been hard since the pandemic.“Don’t lose hope as a photographer), (just keep going. It’s not always a storm for us, a blessing will surely come so keep thriving!” Ortaliz said.Boilonor Calivoso Ugay, also known as “Boy Ugay”, 70 years old, is a litratista that you always see present at every graduation in Holy Cross of Davao College (HCDC) and San Pedro College (SPC) as well as in the Magsaysay Park during his active days as a full-time photographer.
Because of the pandemic, Ugay said for the past two years, several celebrations that were booked for him to cover have been canceled. During these times, he only had three events.But, with his perseverance, he was able to send his children to school and four of them graduated from College while the other one managed the store of his brother.
This is will to survive and continue doing what you love in the midst of trying times is more than just the Filipino spirit. It is the human spirit which drives us all!
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