Coronavirus Lockdown: Return of PH Movie Industry, Marcos Shares COVID-19 Experience, and More!

More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.

Residents of Iloilo have been told to obey health protocols after four people have died from COVID-19. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1217240

The Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) has reminded the public to continue observing health protocols as the new strain of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) claimed four lives in Iloilo.

IPHO chief Dr. Maria Socorro Quiñon, on Thursday afternoon, said the province posted 88 of the contagious JN.1 variant, with four deaths in three months based on the Department of Health Western Visayas records.

“The four deaths were all immune-compromised. The oldest death was 87 years old, and the youngest was less than a year old. The two others in their adult stage have underlying conditions,” she said in a media interview.

The cases, she said, were recorded from November 2023 until January this year.

Quiñon added that it has been observed lately that people were suffering from flu-like symptoms. However, it was not immediately known if it was a new strain of Covid-19 because of limited testing.

The health officer said the new strain of Covid-19 is contagious, hence this festival season, the public is encouraged to wear masks, always disinfect, and observe physical distancing, especially the senior citizens, immune-compromised, and even children who still have weak immune systems.

“If possible, don’t get exposed in crowded areas and enclosed spaces,” she said.

So, the people are being given scare propaganda against the JN.1 variant despite it not being known if it was that strain these people had! There are certainly other factors involved and the death rate remains low. 

Puerto Princesa has seen a decrease in adolescent birth rates since the end of the pandemic. 

https://palawan-news.com/puerto-princesa-sees-decrease-in-adolescent-birth-rates/

Puerto Princesa City, in the Mimaropa region, bucks the trend of rising adolescent birth rates in Mimaropa region, recording a decrease in 2022, the Commission on Population and Development reported based on the latest civil registry statistics results released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The population commission stated Friday in a release that according to the statistics authority, the highly urbanized city registered 180 live births among adolescents, showing a decline from its 2021 data.

This situation in Puerto Princesa contrasts with the broader regional trend, where there has been an increase in childbirth among young girls, particularly in the 10 to 14 age group. Palawan province, in contrast, recorded 1,484 live births among adolescents aged 10 to 19, the highest in the Mimaropa region.

Palawan is followed by Oriental Mindoro with 1,448 live births, Occidental Mindoro with 788, Romblon with 422, and Marinduque with 288.

The Commission on Population and Development (CPD) said the region reported a total of 4,610 adolescent births, which is 3.07 percent of the national figure. This includes a rise from 63 live births in 2020 to 94 in 2022 among the 10-14 age group.

Nevertheless, the number of live births registered in Mimaropa is notably less than those in the three adjacent regions with the highest figures, specifically Calabarzon with 19,018 live births, Central Luzon recording 17,107, and the National Capital Region reporting 12,540 live births.

As a result, the Commission is now strongly pushing for the immediate passage of the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill to protect young mothers from potential harm.

“The glaring statistics demand immediate and concerted action and intervention. The rise in adolescent live births not only poses a threat to the well-being of a young mother but also underscores the urgency to pass the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill pending in Congress,” CPD Mimaropa Regional Director Reynaldo Wong said.

The House of Representatives passed House Bill 8910, known as the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Act, in September 2023. House Speaker Martin Romualdez explained then that it aims to tackle the issue of early pregnancy and parenting, a social problem that negatively impacts the mother, the child, and society as a whole.

Based on surveys, he said the matter seemed to have intensified during the pandemic,  a period when the government recommended everyone, including young people, to remain indoors as a measure to curb the spread of COVID-19.

“The social cost of this issue and the negative impact on the national budget could run into billions – in terms of the government having to take care of young mothers and their babies. There is also the human development aspect,” the speaker stated then.

Kind of odd that the lockdowns intensified adolescent pregnancies but overall the Population Commission has said the lockdown actually decreased the birthrate. 

A local movie has grossed P800 million which is proof the movie industry is back according to Senator Robin Padilla. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1217405

Senator Robin Padilla has said the PHP800-million gross profit of the local film “Rewind” in the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival is an indication that the Philippine movie industry is recovering from the pandemic.

"This achievement is a testament to the return of a vibrant and flourishing Philippine film industry - attributed to the hard work and commitment of artists, writers, directors, and all members of the production teams," Padilla said in Senate Resolution 909 he filed on Monday.

Padilla lauded the victory of "Rewind," directed by Mae Cruz-Alviar.

He also congratulated the artists, producers, directors, writers, and all behind the movie starring real-life couple Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera-Dantes.

Padilla said Dingdong and Marian remain an inspiration not just in reel but in real life, promoting "family values, entrepreneurship and philanthropic deeds

He noted how the pandemic forced the film industry to grind to a halt-prompting "indefinite delays in film production, closure of movie theaters, and imposition of social distancing restrictions to the general public."

Padilla also said he is happy that the MMFF 2023 was the "highest-grossing edition of all time" due in large part to the hard work of the artists, writers, directors and production teams.

It's another industry revived from the lockdowns.

The DOF wants to change tax rates. Senator Gatchalian says this will affect the pandemic recovery. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1217382

The proposal of the Department of Finance (DOF) to change tax rates on certain sectors was welcomed on Monday by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian but warned that it might have an impact on the economy which is still recovering from the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

The Senate Ways and Means panel, led by Gatchalian, tackled various measures that seeks to "simplify" the taxation of passive income, financial services, and transactions by reducing the number of tax rates and harmonizing the tax rates on interest, dividends, capital gains, and business taxes imposed on financial intermediaries.

This is through the Passive Income and Financial Intermediary Taxation Act (PIFITA) or the Package 4 of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP) which is expected to provide PHP25 billion additional revenues to the country.

"I read PIFITA. I read the entire bill and there are three words that I would like to describe PIFITA -- “Simplify, Simplify, Simplify”. Simplify in terms of understanding the taxation covering the financial industry, simplify compliance from the point of view of our taxpayers and simplify tax administration from the point of view of our revenue collecting agencies. Three words that will enhance the experience in terms of administration and tax collecting covering our financial institutions," Gatchalian said.

"There might be some negative impact in terms of revenue collection, in my point of view, this negative impact might not be timely because we’re still reeling and recovering from the effects of the pandemic and one of the huge effects of the pandemic to our fiscal health is the increase in terms of public debt, during the pandemic we actually increased public debt from 30 percent of our GDP (gross domestic product) to almost 60 percent of our GDP," he added.

He said outgrowing a public debt means that tax collection must be efficient and should not reduce revenues.

Does the Honorable Senator not know that Marcos has already declared the Philippines is back on its feet? 

President Marcos is full vaccinated yet has contracted COVID-9 three times, two of those being while fully vaccinated. Now he has shared his experience. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1893049/marcos-recounts-experience-having-covid-19-during-pandemic

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday recounted his experience getting COVID-19 at the height of the pandemic.

Marcos tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, three times — once in March 2020, a second time in July 2022, and a third time in December 2023.

“It was unfortunate because it was the first time in my life that I went to the doctor and I asked them ‘what’s happening to me?’ and the doctors would tell me ‘we are not quite sure,’” said Marcos at the launch of the Lung Transplant Program in Quezon City.

“The next question, of course, is ‘how do I get better?’ and the answer also is “well, we’ll try everything, but we are not quite sure yet,’” he added.

The President said that treatment for COVID-19 has dramatically improved, and the pandemic has ended.

Marcos said that he is a longtime asthma and allergy sufferer, so he supports the Lung Center, vowing to help rehabilitate the specialty hospital.

Having COVID is the first time Marcos went to the doctor or the first time a doctor said he was not sure what was wrong with him?