More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.
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| https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/pet-life/2023/09/28/2299683/grabpet-returns-select-metro-manila-areas |
Ride-hailing and delivery platform Grab Philippines has brought its back GrabPet feature for users wishing to travel around particular parts of Metro Manila with their furry or scaly friends.
This specialized on-demand service — partner drivers have undergone pet-handling training with a certified pet trainer — allows platform users to have more convenient rides to the groomer, the veterinarian, a pet cafe or park, and more.
The service was first tested in 2019 but halted when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and since then it was up to drivers whether they would accept pet passengers.
Officially re-launched last September 25, GrabPet rides come with added insurance for pet passengers up to P15,000, and rides will come with pet-friendly equipment on the partner six-seater vehicles at a base fare of P55.
The service has some limitations, such as a service area currently encompassing the Makati-Bonifacio Global City central business district, the Shaw-Ortigas area, the Mall of Asia area, areas around Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminals, Manila (Malate and Ermita), and San Juan City.
The ride-hailing app is still working on expanding the service to rest of the National Capital Region in its entirety.
Another limitation is the kind of pets the service will allow, currently only available to dogs, cats, turtles, hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs, and fish, and must be in the given containers:
- Dogs - carrier, wearing a diaper
- Cats - carrier or crate
- Hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs - crate
- Fish - closed fish tank or sealed bag
- Turtles - closed container
Pet passengers must be accommpanied by a human. The maximum is four human passengers but it will be up to the driver's discretion if they will allow more.
Drivers may choose to cancel a ride if pets display aggressive behavior. It is the responsibility of passengers to load, unload, and ensure their pet's proper behavior.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1840334/the-why-behind-the-rise-of-pet-parenting-in-ph |
A “parent” to three dogs, Beatrice Pinlac said looking after them is not easy, but “[they give] the kind of love that doesn’t ask or demand too much,” so she’s still keeping them despite the challenges.
“I feel loved even on days I don’t have much to give,” she told INQUIRER.net.
Pinlac said “our family got pets during the pandemic, but we’ve had pets before.” She said “this time around, though, I think I took on the role of being a fur parent more seriously because I’m much older and I’m already earning my own money.”
Last week, Social Weather Stations said based on a survey that covered the first quarter of 2023, 64 percent of households in the Philippines have pets, with dogs (78 percent) and cats (50 percent) considered as the most popular.
Back in 2021, a year after the start of the COVID-19 crisis, research by the iPrice Group revealed that Filipinos have the highest interest in owning pets in Southeast Asia, saying that overall searches for pets by Filipinos on Google hit almost seven million in September that year.
Dr. Karen Sacdalan, a psychologist, told INQUIRER.net that the lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 put people on a new kind of life, which was quite unpleasant because almost everything changed.
Because of this, she said “we create many coping ways to go about the acceptance [of] and adjustment to [the] change[s].” As she stressed, some people turned to pets to cope with the crisis.
Sacdalan, chairperson of the PAP’s Special Interest Group for Persons with Disabilities, pointed out that pets have “therapeutic value,” which became more evident when the lockdowns were imposed.
“There is really human-animal interaction and it has impacts on our psyche, the total package of our human experience, especially because it gives pleasure. It invites a sense of satisfaction when we have an animal companion,” she said.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1837141/complaint-over-delayed-p5-8-b-allowances-filed |
A group of private healthcare workers has filed a complaint against several regional offices of the Department of Health (DOH) with the Anti-Red Tape Authority (Arta) over the delayed disbursement of P5.8 billion in allowances for over 53,000 medical frontliners who served at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the United Private Hospital Unions of the Philippines (UPHUP), the amount covers the Health Emergency Allowance (HEA) that should have been given as far back as 25 months for healthcare workers who went on duty in 155 private hospitals during the pandemic.
The group, which has 26 hospitals as union members, invoked Republic Act No. 11032, or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018, when it filed its complaint with Arta on Monday.Aside from the UPHUP’s member hospitals, 129 other healthcare institutions with no unions sought the group’s help for the same reason.
In a letter addressed to Arta Director General Ernesto Perez, the UPHUP said it had “initiated inquiries [with] the DOH regional offices regarding the unpaid HEA benefits” of their healthcare workers through an email sent on Aug. 25.
Since then, only five Centers for Health Development (CHDs) — which are in charge of the distribution of COVID-19 allowances to hospitals per region — have responded, the group reported.
On the other hand, 11 other CHDs, namely in Metro Manila, Ilocos, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao, Soccsksargen and Bangsamoro, have yet to reply.
The UPHUP said that under the Ease of Doing Business Act, there should only be a maximum of 20 working days for applications or requests involving activities that impact public health, safety, morals, policy, and other highly technical subjects.
“The nonresponsiveness of these regional offices stands in direct contradiction to these legal provisions,” the group noted in a statement.
“The lack of action from a government agency that should be addressing the problems faced by healthcare workers is not only disappointing but also deeply frustrating,” said UPHUP lead convener Ferdinand Gan, also vice president of the Alliance of Filipino Workers.
How many years will it take for them to get their money.
COVID restrictions have been lifted but employees who have to take time off after contracting COVID still have leave benefits.
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| https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/09/25/2298750/ |
Employees who contracted COVID may still enjoy sick leave and other medical benefits even after the government lifted the state of public health emergency due to the pandemic, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said in an advisory yesterday.
Employers and employees should agree on provisions of sick leave benefits and access to medical insurance coverage as well as other assistance during isolation, the DOLE said.
The agency also encouraged employers to provide COVID-infected workers with paid leave for vaccination unless there are more favorable existing company policies and provisions of the collective bargaining agreement.
“To further ensure safe and healthy working conditions, employers shall promote vaccination among all employees, including contractors’ deployed workers and their families,” Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said.
He said employees who refuse or fail to get vaccinated shall not be discriminated against in terms of tenure, promotion and other benefits.
But aren't most employees vaccinated? Of course vaccination does not prevent infection.
The BSP has given banks until June 2024 to submit their recovery plans.
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| https://www.philstar.com/business/2023/09/29/2299747/banks-given-until-june-2024-submit-recovery-plans |
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reminded mid-sized banks to prepare and submit their recovery frameworks against extreme stress scenarios to restore viability of banks and ensure continuity of operations.
BSP Deputy Governor Chuchi Fonacier said in a pre-recorded message during the 2023 annual convention of the Chamber of Thrift Banks (CTB) that the recovery plan requirements, which were previously applicable only to domestic systemically important banks (DSIBs) or depository corporations, were expanded to apply to all banks, including thrift banks.
“Banks should have recovery plans in place to be able to respond quickly, effectively, and credibly to situations of financial stress to protect depositors and, in turn, safeguard the stability of the financial system,” Fonacier said.
Fonacier said the COVID-19 pandemic brought to the fore the need to ensure that all banks have the ability to restore themselves to financial soundness in a timely and orderly manner.
To give time to develop their frameworks, the BSP official said banks were granted a transition period to submit their first recovery plan on or before June 30, 2024.
Recovery planning is an important process to reduce the potentially significant risks posed by a bank’s distress or disorderly failure to the stability of the financial system and the economy.
It seems like everyone is planning for another pandemic these days.
The aviation sector is recovering a a faster pace.
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| https://www.manilatimes.net/2023/10/02/business/top-business/ph-aviation-sector-recovering-at-a-faster-pace/1912822 |
THE Philippines and the rest of the Asia-Pacific region's aviation market is quickly recovering after the global pandemic, according to industry experts.
Yuli Thompson, area manager for Southeast Asia International Air Transport Association, said passenger traffic trends for international flights in the Philippines were logged at 75 percent of 2019 levels as of June 2023.
As for the Asia-Pacific passenger forecast, Yuli added that domestic travel will fully recover this year, while international travel will occur sometime in 2026. Furthermore, Asia-Pacific is seen to lead in traffic growth in the next 20 years.
However, overcoming current challenges and riding on the current momentum and meeting full recovery will require strong interventions from all players in the aviation sector.
Lei Apostol, Cebu Pacific vice president for Customer Service Operations, said they are looking to encourage travel by ensuring a positive customer experience, aiming to optimize their operations.
"Overcoming industry complexities and challenges while maximizing growth opportunities is achievable by looking at existing technology, keeping the passenger at the heart of what we do, and communicating to our passengers at every step of their journey," Apostol said during the 2023 Aviation Summit.
The pandemic has caused food labels to be changed.
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| https://www.foodnavigator-asia.com/Article/2023/10/02/philippines-updates-policies-governing-sodium-limits-and-caloric-labelling-in-pre-packaged-food-products |
The Philippines Food and Drug Authority (FDA) has announced new changes to sodium content limits and how caloric values are to be displayed on the packaging of pre-packaged processed food products in the country.
In September 2023, the Philippines FDA issued a formal circular highlighting that food manufacturers and distributors in the country will need to adhere to updated labelling requirements for pre-packaged processed food products.
These changes were based on the Recommended Energy and Nutrient Intakes (RENI) nutritional system dietary standards used in the Philippines, which has been in force since 2002 but saw major updates based on advances in the understanding of energy and nutrient requirements back in 2015.
Many adjustments were made to the area of Recommended Energy Intake / Recommended Nutrient Intake (REI/RNI), which is commonly displayed as a %REI/RNI value on food packaging, but adherence to these were not officially mandated in local regulations until this time.
The Philippines is the latest in a long string of Asian countries implementing updates to local food labelling laws after the COVID-19 pandemic, in keeping with rising consumer awareness of health and nutrition and in an attempt to broaden the scope of this awareness to all socioeconomic classes.
Well, it's not as if the government really cared about public health during the pandemic. The lockdowns caused people to stay sedentary and eat unhealthy foods from food ordering apps.
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