More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
It has now come to the public's attention that the top executives of PhilHealth TRIPLED their salaries during the pandemic.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1827456/pargas-palace-approved-philhealth-top-execs-tripling-of-pay-during-pandemic |
Top executives of Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) tripled their salaries in accordance with an executive order (EO) issued by Malacañang in 2021.
Philhealth spokesperson Israel Francis Pargas said on Wednesday.
During the House Committee on Appropriations hearing for the budget of the Department of Health, Pargas made the clarification after Anakalusugan Party-list Representative Ray Reyes asked about the Commission on Audit (COA) report stating the salary increase.According to COA’s annual report released last month, PhilHealth’s key management personnel received P71.45 million in 2022, around triple compared to just P26.2 million in 2021.
“What is the basis of the increase of your salary? You tripled it, eh,” Reyes questioned Philhealth officials.
Pargas answered on behalf of the officials of the government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC).
“Our salary was increased based on an executive order,” Pargas said.
He was referring to EO Number 150 Series of 2021 issued during the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
The EO approved the Compensation and Position Classification System framework developed by Governance Commission for GOCCs or GCG.
Pargas said Philhealth applied to the GCG, which approved the certification process, tripling the officials’ salaries.
“We were granted the salary increase as certified by the GCG coming from the EO,” he said.
Reyes was surprised upon learning that Philhealth had applied for the tripling of salaries during the COVID-19 pandemic.“You guys had the guts to actually, during the middle of a pandemic, to triple your salaries?” the lawmaker was perplexed.
Pargas tried to justify the request by citing that the EO that allowed the pay hike came from Palace and not from Philhealth.
“I would like to check that the EO is not coming from Philhealth, but was coming from Malacañang as part of standardizing the salaries of all GOCCs,” he said.
“So it’s not only for Philhealth, but for all GOCCs which underwent the same process,” he added.
This came straight from Duterte and might make sense but Duterte would have to be asked to justify it. As it is PhilHealth was not the only GOCC which had their salaries increased.
Marcs has hailed the World Bank for helping the Philippines recover from the pandemic.
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| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/economy/881530/marcos-hails-world-bank-for-its-desirable-shift-to-help-ph-economy-after-pandemic/story/ |
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has lauded the World Bank for what he described as a "desirable shift" in its programs to address emerging challenges in the Philippines after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Marcos had a bilateral engagement with World Bank Group President Ajay Banga on Thursday at the sidelines of the 43rd ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Jakarta, Indonesia.
"I have to commend the World Bank because now I’m looking at the list of the programs and projects in the pipeline. And there you can see the very desirable shift from what we were doing before to what we are doing now, post-pandemic," Marcos told Banga.
Marcos expressed hope for the success of the programs that aim to boost the resiliency and sustainability of the financial sector following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Marcos said the Philippines has been a recipient of various grants from the World Bank for many decades. He said this includes the recently-granted Philippine Second Financial Sector Reform Development Policy financing that amounts to $600 million.
The said loan seeks to make the agriculture and fisheries sectors more competitive, sustainable, and technology-based.
According to the Department of Finance, the project covers 82 provinces across all the regions of the country, with a focus on areas where about half of the Philippines’ 109.03-million agriculture and fisheries population reside.
Even so the Philippines will be return excess loans to the World Bank.
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| https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/money/economy/881725/philippines-to-return-excess-320m-pandemic-loan-to-world-bank-diokno/story/ |
The Philippines is set to return to the World Bank about $320 million in excess loans for the country's COVID-19 pandemic response, according to Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno.
"About $320 million, the excess in the pandemic," Diokno told reporters during his weekly chat with the Finance press corps.
"The advice of the World Bank is to return it, then come up with a new program," the Finance chief said.
The previous administration embarked on an aggressive borrowing spree to boost the state's war chest to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ramped-up borrowing spree bloated the country's debt-to-gross domestic ratio—the size of the state's debt relative to the size of the economy—to 63.5%, the highest in 17 years and well over the internationally recommended threshold of 60% .
Diokno said the "excess" loans were supposed to be used to procure vaccines.
"Buy a vaccine. [But] many people donated vaccines to us," he said.
The Finance chief said his department has already written to the World Bank about the government's intent to return the excess loans.
"We've written already. Soon, within the month," Diokno said.
Well, that sounds good and hopefully it has some effect on the economy.
Most Filipino CEOs say they have recovered from the pandemic.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/09/12/2295651/83-percent-ceos-say-firms-have-recovered-pandemic |
A majority of chief executive officers (CEOs) expect their companies’ revenues to be higher than pre-pandemic levels, a survey of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) and PwC Philippines showed.
Results of the MAP-PwC 2023 CEO Survey showed that 83 percent of CEOs reported that their companies have recovered from the impact of COVID-19.
The survey also found that 62 percent of CEOs are expecting their revenues to be higher than pre-pandemic levels this year.
Twenty-five percent of the CEO respondents said they expect their revenues to be significantly higher than pre-pandemic level, while 36 percent expect theirs to be slightly higher than pre-pandemic levels.
In addition, 17 percent of CEOs said they expect their revenues to be back to pre-pandemic levels this year.
On the other hand, 15 percent of CEOs are projecting revenues to be slightly lower than pre-pandemic levels, while seven percent are expecting revenues to be significantly lower than pre-pandemic levels.
Findings of the survey also showed that infrastructure development, domestic consumption and the business process outsourcing (BPO) and services sector would be the key drivers of the economy in the next 12 months, according to CEOs.
Similarly, 54 percent of the CEOs believe that global economic growth will improve in the next 12 months.
Despite the optimism of CEOs, the report noted that businesses face threats from inflation, macroeconomic instability, cyber risks and supply chain constraints.
“To address these challenges, CEOs are reducing operating costs, diversifying product/service offerings, investing in upskilling their workforce and deploying technology in their operations,” MAP-PwC said.
MAP president Benedicta Du-Baladad noted that Philippine business leaders have achieved stability and growth.
“Philippine business leaders have faced serious threats, but they have risen to the occasion and found new opportunities for growth through creativity and innovation. The pandemic has forced them to adapt to the changing business landscape and they have emerged stronger and more resilient than ever before,” Du-Baladad said.
Although the CEOs believe that the government’s performance in infrastructure development, forging stronger relationships with other nations and promoting foreign investments has been satisfactory so far, they also note that there is still room for improvement.
The CEOs suggest that the government prioritize improving the ease of doing business in the Philippines and enhancing technology and infrastructure across the country to further boost collaborations with other countries.
“The government’s support is crucial in ensuring that businesses continue to thrive amid the challenges. We need to work together towards a more favorable business environment that fosters innovation and growth,” Isla Lipana & Co./PwC Philippines chairman and senior partner Roderick Danao said.
The MAP-PwC survey gathered insights from 157 business leaders from various industries.
Well, good for the rich. What about the poor? It seems teen pregnancy is up!
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| https://businessmirror.com.ph/2023/09/10/when-children-bear-children-teenage-pregnancy-in-phl-seen-rising-post-pandemic-signaling-new-trend-for-younger-childbearing/ |
Early childbearing is seen to become more prevalent anew in the Philippines, as it breeds an alarming new trend post-pandemic, when restrictive health protocols on social or physical distancing is no longer in effect, following the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Philippine government’s declaration of the end of Covid-19 being a health emergency here and abroad.
“Teenage pregnancy is a health and social economic issue in the Philippines and around the world, not only because pregnancy rates among teenagers remain significantly high, but also and most importantly, because of its implication on the growth, development and well-being of both a pregnant teenage mom and her child during the pregnancy and after childbirth,” said Vanessa G. Retuerma, director of Strategy Management, Impact and Learning Department of World Vision, during the Policy Forum on Teenage Pregnancy in Eastern Visayas held by Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and World Vision on September 6 in Tacloban City, Leyte.
According to Retuerma, the lifecycle of a child’s development lasts until the teenage years—a very crucial stage where children’s bodies grow and develop physically, discover their interests and talents, begin to dream and aspire, and learn how to navigate life through their education, experiences and relationship.
“So there are many factors that we need to consider for us to ensure that all children meet their needs to help them grow healthy, well nourished, be educated, be protected and, most importantly, be empowered,” she said.
Based on the 2022 Philippines National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), the adolescent birth rate seems to have been declining from 56 in 2020 to 25 per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19. This trend follows even in regional levels like for Eastern Visayas, wherein it’s also the case for 245 respondents of the same age group of the female populace in the region, dropping to 4.7 percent last year from 6.9 percent recorded in 2017.
“Such statistics had quite gone down a little bit as we take into consideration the existence of the pandemic [during the time] that actually limited the interaction of our adolescents aged 15 to 19 with their respective peers. But based on the study, it is expected to rise again starting 2022 when the pandemic slackened and seems that we’re now in to face-to-face,” Commission on Population and Development (CPD) Region 8 Director Elnora R. Pulma told reporters in a briefing during the forum.
That's a little counterintuitive. One would think pregnancies would go up during the pandemic.
Now that tourism is coming back the BI is looking out for sex tourists.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1209687 |
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday assured stricter watch of the country's borders to prevent the entry of foreign offenders amid the threat of sex tourism resurgence.“We warn these predators not to attempt to enter the country, as we have close coordination with different governments, who provide us information about sex offenders that might attempt to enter the Philippines,” Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said in a statement.The statement was issued following reports of entry attempts of five registered sex offenders (RSO) in various ports within a week since Aug. 30.RSO refers to an individual convicted of sexual crimes under their country's record.Tansingco said the threat of sex tourism resurgence may have stemmed from the reopening of the country's economy.“With the return of tourism also comes the return of aliens who will try to abuse our hospitality,” he said.
While I can't comment from experience but I am well aware Filipinas are very accommodating. If you know what I mean.
The DOH has released the results of a survey taken eight months ago.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2023/9/12/doh-unveils-2023-covid-19-mobile-phone-survey-results-public-compliance-with-open-space-regulations |
These findings, said the DOH, underscore the importance of adherence to minimum public health standards in open spaces and transportation, contributing to the ongoing efforts to combat the spread of Covid-19 in the Philippines.
A significant 83.4 percent of Filipinos who visited enclosed public places found them to be well-ventilated aligning with public health guidelines aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19.
This is based on the 2023 Covid-19 mobile phone survey conducted by the Department of Health (DOH), in collaboration with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Epidemiology Bureau.
This comprehensive survey, conducted in February 2023, gathered data from 2,326 individuals aged 18 and above through SMS and mobile web platforms. The findings of the survey were posted on the DOH Facebook page on Sept. 11.
The DOH emphasized that the insights derived from the 2023 Philippines Covid-19 mobile phone survey have the potential to significantly enhance the available data for shaping the government's response to the ongoing pandemic.
The survey covered various aspects of Covid-19, including behavior, exposure, knowledge, perceptions, care management, and treatment, which can inform policies and resource allocation related to the Covid-19 response.
The policy implications stemming from the results are expected to play a pivotal role in guiding the government's pandemic response efforts.These findings, said the DOH, will be instrumental in shaping future strategies and initiatives aimed at addressing the ongoing challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.The DOH underscored that the survey results will provide valuable guidance for the department as it continues to refine and strengthen its Covid-19 response efforts.
Why did it take them so long to collate this data?
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