More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
The economic recovery from the pandemic continues. President Marcos says the pandemic showed that the Philippines cannot rely on imports.
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| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/nation/882071/marcos-pandemic-showed-philippines-can-t-rely-on-importation/story/ |
The COVID-19 pandemic showed the Philippines could ill afford to continue its dependence on importation to have a sufficient supply of food at affordable prices, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has said.
Asked at the 10th Asia Summit in Singapore about the Philippine economy post pandemic, Marcos said the country had "come back fairly well... we have been able to return people to work and we just posted a 96% employment rate."
Marcos, however, pointed out that the Philippines had been hounded by problems on supply chains and agricultural production.
"But this is a lesson that we immediately learn. I said, we cannot now continue to depend on importation which is what has happened for the Philippines. In the past years, it became the easy way out," Marcos said.
"Just import more, import more rice, import more corn, import more everything. And the pandemic showed us that this was not a wise choice to have made," he added.
Marcos said the Philippines continued to develop its agricultural sector "and the aspiration once again is that we are able to provide sufficient supply of food at prices that people can afford."
"We are not there yet but we have made many important steps to start that," Marcos said.
"We are trying to put the value chain, especially of agriculture, we are trying to put that value chain together, all the way from R&D, all the way to retail, to the market," he added.
That is actually a lesson the entire world learned. Too many nations are relying on China and with the shutdown the whole system almost collapsed. This is one reason inflation is up globally.
The Army 4th Infantry Division says they have now resumed outdoor PT after three years!
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| https://mb.com.ph/2023/9/13/4th-id-resumes-outdoor-physical-activities-after-3-years |
The Army 4th Infantry (Diamond) Division has resumed outdoor physical activities after a three-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 4th ID restarted physical exercises, Taebo, and athletic day early this week, with the primary goal of boosting the morale and overall well-being of troops.
Major Gen. Jose Maria R. Cuerpo II, commanding general of the 4th ID, led the kickoff activity on Monday, September 4, and held on Tuesday, September 5, Taebo exercise during athletic day in Camp Evangelista, Barangay Patag, Cagayan de Oro City.
Aside from the 4th ID, the 401st (Agusan del Sur), 403rd (Bukidnon), 901st (Surigao del Norte), and 402nd Brigade have also resumed physical activities.
These activities are part of the 4th ID's thrust and commitment to promote the physical and mental health of its personnel, including its Civilian Human Resource (CHR), to ensure their effectiveness in fulfilling their duties and responsibilities, 4th ID Public Affairs Office (PAO) chief Major Francisco P. Garello Jr. said.
He added that the resumption of the activities provides soldiers and CHR a chance to stay physically fit, observe traditional military ceremonies and foster resilience, and reinvigorate their dedication to the service.
Cuerpo stated that the return of these activities underscores the collective commitment of the 4th ID to sustain and continuously build the force to effectively serve the people by enhancing physical and mental well-being of troops.
What were they doing all this time? Did they do only indoor PT? Severely reduced PT? How did they stay in shape for the past three years? Even when there were roadblocks I never stopped my morning run.
The Catholic Church is very adamant that parishioners need to get their butts back in the pews.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1209957 |
The Diocese of Bacolod would implement changes in the live streaming of Masses in churches following the lifting of coronavirus restrictions by the government.
In a Sept. 14 decree signed by Bishop Patricio Buzon and released Friday, the diocese said the online broadcasting of Eucharistic Celebrations will be stopped effective Sept. 24.
“In recent months, health protocols have been relaxed, and the use of face masks has become optional. Churches are now open, and we are no longer physically prohibited from attending the Mass,” he said in the order.
“In light of these positive developments, we are informing all parishes, chaplaincies, and private oratories that the live streaming and broadcasting of Masses will be discontinued. This includes the live streaming and broadcasting of fiesta masses,” the Catholic prelate added.
However, the Bacolod diocese noted that there will still be live streaming and broadcasting of a Mass for the sick and homebound.
“For the sake of the sick and the homebound, the only Mass to be streamed and broadcast is the 10:00 AM Sunday Mass at the San Sebastian Cathedral. Parishes and chaplaincies that broadcast their Sunday Masses in other radio stations may continue to do so but are responsible for informing the faithful that such apostolate is only for the sick and the homebound,” Buzon added.
The order said the act of spiritual communion, being a devotional prayer, will no longer be read aloud when communion is received by the faithful in attendance.
Instead, it will be projected on screen for those who are following online.
At the same time, he reminded all the faithful of the importance of actively and physically attending the Sunday Mass.
"Taking part in Mass via the communications media, those who hear or view these broadcasts should be aware that, under normal circumstances, they do not fulfill the obligation of attending Mass. Visual images can represent reality, but they do not actually reproduce it,” he said.
Bad habits are hard to break but with the ending of all live streams except one perhaps the pews will be filled once more.
The death rate for COVID-19 remains at a steady low 1.6%.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2023/9/15/doh-logs-153-new-covid-19-cases-fatality-rate-steady-at-1-6 |
The Department of Health (DOH) reported 153 new Covid-19 cases on Sept. 14, bringing the total number of Covid-19 cases in the country to 4,066,196.
Meanwhile, there were no new Covid-19-related fatalities recorded on this day, maintaining the fatality rate at a steady 1.6 percent as per DOH.
Based on the data, the country currently has 2,683 active Covid-19 cases.
The DOH Covid-19 Tracker reveals 195 new recoveries, accounting for a 98.3 percent recovery rate, while a total of 4,042,743 individuals have overcome the virus.
Regarding the availability of intensive care unit (ICU) beds designated for Covid-19 patients, the DOH has reported that out of the 2,027 ICU beds available, 214 beds, equivalent to 10.56 percent, are currently occupied.
Similarly, non-ICU Covid-19 beds have been frequently utilized, with 2,753, or 14.41 percent, of the 19,110 available beds in use.
In response to these statistics, the DOH has issued a strong reminder to the public, highlighting the importance of maintaining vigilance in the ongoing battle against the Covid-19 threat.
The DOH underscores the importance of restricted health standards. This involves wearing well-fitting facemasks on a regular basis and spending time in well-ventilated areas to limit the chance of transmission.
Has it ever been higher?
Pandemic television has been cancelled.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/09/15/2296446/pandemic-tv-show-bows-out |
The pandemic-era public service program “Laging Handa” of state-run People’s Television (PTV) will air its final episode today and will be replaced by a show titled “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.”
“Laging Handa,” an hour-long program that serves as a platform for government officials to discuss their policies and to answer questions about pressing issues, will go off the air as part of PTV’s reprogramming.
A new program with a similar format titled “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon” will premiere on Monday and will be shown in the noon to 1 p.m. timeslot.
A news article posted on PTV’s website described “Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon” as a “multi-agency public forum” that would tackle issues and address questions on frontline services from the public and the media. It will be hosted by former ABS-CBN reporter and now Radyo Pilipinas anchor Niña Corpuz.
“Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon” highlights the Bagong Pilipinas (new Philippines) brand of governance launched by the Marcos administration last July and calls for a “deep and fundamental transformation in all sectors of society and government and fosters the government’s commitment towards the attainment of comprehensive policy reforms and full economic recovery.”
“Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon” is one of the new shows to be launched by PTV, which is embarking on a programming makeover as part of its goal to become the Philippines’ second leading station.
“Laging Handa” started in January 2020 as a Malacañang press briefing that provided updates on the eruption of Taal Volcano and other disasters.
It became a standalone show hosted by then presidential communications secretary Martin Andanar and broadcaster Rocky Ignacio two months later after the country was placed on lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is quite fitting that the show will be replaced with Marcos administration propaganda.
The Philippines is now a co-facilitator in the Pandemic Treaty negotiations in Switzerland.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/09/13/2295866/philippines-assumes-co-facilitator-role-pandemic-treaty-negotiations |
The Philippines has assumed a key role as one of the co-facilitators in the ongoing negotiations on the Pandemic Treaty, according to the Philippine Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
During the drafting group meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) recently held at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, the Philippines, together with Colombia and Saudi Arabia, led member-state discussions on co-development and transfer of technology and know-how, one of the more challenging issues that will operationalize the proposed instrument.
The Philippines was appointed as a co-facilitator by fellow member-states during the 6th Meeting of the INB in July.
Co-facilitators are entrusted to help find convergence in the most crucial topics covered by the Pandemic Treaty.
“There is broad agreement among member-states that there is a need for a specific article on tech transfer in the Pandemic Treaty that would help expand access to countermeasures through diversification and decentralization of production,” Philippine Mission in Geneva First Secretary Jeff Valdez said during the meeting.
“Where there appears to be divergence is the extent to which such transfer of technology should be voluntary or mandatory, so this is what we hope to address in the next sessions,” Valdez added.
Other member-states appointed as co-facilitators for various topics are Australia, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway, Pakistan, Tanzania and the United Kingdom.
The Philippines, Colombia and Saudi Arabia will conduct additional sessions this month as requested by member-states.
“The Philippines is fully committed to the Pandemic Treaty negotiations, and we welcome the trust and support from fellow WHO member-states,” Ambassador Carlos Sorreta, permanent representative of the Philippines to the UN in Geneva, said.
Why have such a treaty if no more pandemics were waiting in the wing?
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