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://news.abs-cbn.com/life/10/25/23/pandemic-documentary-film-to-be-showcased-at-asian-film-festival-barcelona |
Kontra Corona, a documentary film by Juan EU Konek on the coronavirus pandemic and its devastating effect on the Filipino communities in Spain (Barcelona), Italy (Bergamo) and the United Kingdom, has been accepted as an entry under Special Section to the prestigious 11th Asian Film Festival Barcelona (Casa Asia) for 2023.
Kontra Corona is a powerful and moving film which documented and shed light on the challenges faced by Filipinos in Spain, Italy and UK during the Covid-19 pandemic, highlighting the crucial role Filipino frontliners have played in the battle, including those who have sadly lost their lives and those who have survived and continue to put themselves at risk while performing their duties.
It is a raw, real, and heartfelt portrayal of resilience and solidarity within the Filipino diaspora community. It is the first and only video documentation of its kind, emanating from the global Filipino diaspora estimated to be around 10 million, about 10% of the total population.
It was recognised by the Philippine Commission on Filipinos Overseas, Migration Advocacy and Media Awards when it won the Film Documentary award which was held at Manila Hotel in 2022. Distilled from a six-part, 3-hour documentary, the two-hour “Kontra Corona” was shown on Philippine DZMM Teleradyo and ABS CBN The Filipino Channel in 2022.
It was produced by a team of journalists and writers in Europe comprising Rose Eclarinal, Gene Alcantara, Crystal Dias, Sandra Sotelo and Mye Mulingtapang.
It's not actauly a film but a distillation of a larger six-part, 3-hour documentary which was shown on TV last year.
Number coding in Manila was suspended during the pandemic and it has yet to be brought back except in a limited fashion.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2023/10/26/2306535/7-am-7-pm-christmas-number-coding-back-metro-manila |
The number coding scheme imposed on major roads in Metro Manila before the COVID-19 pandemic will be reinstated anytime soon, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
The schedule of the policy, also called the unified vehicular volume reduction program or UVVRP, will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Acting MMDA Chairman Romando Artes noted that they have yet to announce when the 12-hour number coding scheme will be enforced as they will observe if traffic congestion will happen along major roads in Manila starting Nov. 6, when trips going to and around Manila will become more common during the Christmas season.
The 12-hour number coding scheme was suspended in March 2020, when the previous Duterte administration placed the country under total lockdown at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Number coding was restored in June 2020, but it exempted authorized persons like health care workers, TNVS and media practitioners.
It was revised to become effective during the afternoon rush hour from 5 to 8 p.m. starting the end of November 2021.
It was again adjusted in August 2022 with enforcement from 7 to 10 a.m. and from 5 to 8 p.m.
No word on why it has not been fully reinstated.
The number of passengers for Undas is on track to exceed pre-pandemic figures.
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| https://www.philstar.com/nation/2023/10/26/2306524/ltfrb-passengers-undas-break-exceed-pre-pandemic-figures |
The number of passengers during the long weekend will exceed the total volume of commuters before the pandemic as the commemoration of Undas will coincide with the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE), a Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) official said yesterday.
Undas refers to the observance of All Saints’ and Souls’ Days on Nov. 1 and 2.
In a radio interview, LTFRB technical working group chief Joel Bolano said the board has issued special permits to at least 774 provincial buses in anticipation of the expected exodus of commuters from Metro Manila.
He attributed the exodus to the lifting of the national emergency in the country, the return of pre-pandemic routes and the holding of the BSKE on Oct. 30.
“The LTFRB will closely monitor the volume of passengers. If these (774 units) are not enough, we can issue additional special permits if there are additional needs (for buses),” Bolano said.
It's another sign that everything is back to "normal."
"Revenge travel" is still a thing and Ilocos Norte wants to reap the benefits.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1212480 |
Revenge travel continues to boost Ilocos Norte’s tourism industry, with tour operators calling for additional English-speaking tour guides ahead of the expected arrival of over a thousand cruise ship passengers at Currimao seaport on Nov. 1.
Xavier Ruiz, officer-in-charge of the Ilocos Norte Tourism Office, told journalists Wednesday that revenge tourism, or post-pandemic travel, is “real” in this northern gateway, with almost 3 million visitors in 2022, way higher than the 800,000 in the previous year.
“Our tourism establishments would say there is no more lean season -- just peak and super peak,” he said.
Ruiz said this is the reason for further promoting the province as a premiere tourism destination to boost economic growth.
“There’s a huge potential in cruise tourism that is why, we are doing our best to spread the market,” he added.
"Revenge spending" is also still a thing.
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| https://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/revenge-spending-drives-group-to-expand-business |
A GROUP of young entrepreneurs is capitalizing on the flourishing food and beverage sector in Cebu, which is primarily fueled by the still prevalent “revenge spending” trend post-pandemic.
The owners of 1521 Bistro Bar are gearing up for an expansion in Cebu, and are in fact, actively engaged in negotiations to secure new locations for the brand’s growth.
“The group aims to deliver on our promise to elevate the Cebu food and beverage scene. We look forward to introducing new concepts very soon,” said managing group partner Melissa Basubas Padayhag.
1521’s flagship outlet is located in Bonifacio District in Cebu City.
The owners put in a hefty investment knowing there’s a multitude of restaurants that have sprouted in the city post-pandemic, each wanting to get a good share of the dining market that is into celebratory spending.
"Celebratory spending?" How do they even measure such things? The pandemic has been over for about two years now. Who is still celebrating or getting revenge by spending money?
It's an exceedingly silly term that hopefully goes away very soon.
The DOH says COVID-19 cases are plateauing.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1212572 |
The Department of Health on Thursday said the number of new coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases nationwide is plateauing in the past four weeks.
“As of Oct. 23, 2023, Covid-19 cases at the national level are plateauing and have not observed marked increases or decreases in reported cases,” the DOH told the Philippine News Agency.
“The national seven-day moving average per week over the past four weeks has ranged from 164 to 187 cases.”
The DOH Covid-19 tracker’s latest data show that 152 new infections were logged on Oct. 25, bringing the total tally of cases to 4,119,152 with 2,912 active cases.
The number of recovered cases has reached 4,049,506 while the death toll has hit 66,734.
COVID cases this week are down 5% from last.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1853324/1088-covid-19-cases-logged-from-oct-22-to-29-doh |
The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday said it recorded 1,088 COVID-19 infections from Oct. 22 to Oct. 29, lower than the previous week’s cases.
Based on the DOH’s latest weekly tally, the said infections translated to a daily average of 155, which is five percent lower than the 164 average cases recorded from Oct. 16 to 22, or a week’s total of 1,146 cases.
Ten of the total infections were also tagged as critical or severe.
On the other hand, 13 deaths were recorded by the DOH, all of which were recorded in the past two weeks.Based on the DOH’s online COVID-19 tracker as of Oct. 31, the total deaths currently sit at 66,736.
Cases down and plateauing. Yet they still want us to act like it's a deadly disease.
Being on lockdown caused one Filipino-American to take stock of his life. Now he is 3rd runner up in the Mr. Gay American pageant.
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| https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/10/31/23/fil-am-clinches-3rd-runner-up-in-mr-gay-america |
He was overweight, bullied, battled years of depression when he realized he could transform himself, and be the person he wanted to be.
The pandemic came and it was his epiphany moment, and it’s when he started working on himself and eventually his weight goal.
At 38, Filipino-American Dave Valeriano became a professional fashion model. This year, he won two pageant titles consecutively – Mr. Washington D.C., and Mr. Gay America - Washington D.C.
Just recently in Las Vegas, he also finished third in the Mr. Gay America competition.
It may be a gross and repugnant title to hold but at least he isn't fat anymore.
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