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/nation/2024/04/18/2348490/p234-billion-covid-19-allowance-claims-still-unpaid |
At least P23.4 billion is still needed to pay the allowance of health workers who served during the COVID pandemic, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
“Based on individually approved claims... fresh funds of P23.4 billion is needed to pay for 4.3 million claims,” the DOH reported on Tuesday night.
The department said it has received P91 billion from the Department of Budget and Management for the payment of public health emergency benefits and allowances as well as COVID sickness and death compensation from July 1, 2021 to July 20, 2023 aside from special risk allowance and meals, accommodation and transportation benefits from Feb. 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021.
Centers for Health Development are working with private and local government unit (LGU)-owned hospitals and health facilities for the completion of documentary requirements for workers to receive their benefits and allowances.
The law requires non-DOH facilities to execute a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the department before fund transfers can take place.
Commission on Audit Circular No. 2012-001 requires that no additional funds can be transferred unless those previously transferred are fully liquidated.
The DOH gave assurance that it would release the funds as soon as concerned private and LGU hospitals comply with the law that requires a MOA and liquidation.
Of course they are working on rectifying the situation. They have been working on it for four years now.
Sara Duterte has related how she became besties with Singapore Foreign Minister Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan during the pandemic.
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| https://politiko.com.ph/2024/04/17/sara-dutertes-pandemic-tale-how-she-became-friends-with-singapores-top-diplomat/snitch-network/ |
Vice President Sara Duterte is forever grateful for the friendship with Singapore Foreign Minister Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan.
Duterte revealed a touching tale of how she bonded with the Singaporean official during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a Facebook post, Duterte recalled that when a family member faced a daunting COVID-19 quarantine in Singapore, Balakrishnan stepped up to extend a helping hand.
The country’s veep extended her heartfelt gratitude to the Singaporean diplomat during a meeting at her office on Tuesday, April 16.
“Foreign Minister Vivian was one of the Singaporeans who helped a family member navigate the COVID-19 quarantine in Singapore,” she said in a Facebook post on April 17.
“We will always be grateful for the kindness extended by the Singapore government. A memorable chapter in my pandemic stories was when I made friends with Foreign Minister Vivian,” she said.
The Vice President meanwhile hailed the robust ties between the Philippines and Singapore as the two nations mark its 55 years of relations this year. She also cited Singapore as a reliable trade and tourism partner of the Philippines.
“We both look forward to further expanding and deepening these relations, particularly in the field of education,” she said.
Duterte was also moved to hear about Singapore’s appreciation for the hardworking Filipino workers in their country.
Looking ahead, Duterte expects more collaborations and partnerships with Singapore, especially in the field of education.
The Singaporean government helped a Duterte relative navigate the quarantine. But what does that mean exactly? How hard is it to stay indoors?
President Marcos has made Time's list of 100 Most Influential People of 2024. His efforts to stabilize the post-pandemic economy is just one reason cited for this honor.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2024/04/19/2348839/marcos-jr-makes-times-100-most-influential-people-2024 |
President Marcos is among this year’s 100 most influential people of Time magazine, which depicted him as someone who rewrote history but who has “elevated the Philippines on the world stage.”
Time’s description of Marcos, the only Filipino in this year’s list, was not flattering. It called the President’s late father and namesake a dictator and attributed his 2022 electoral victory to the “whitewashing” of his family legacy and “clever” social media manipulation.
However, Time also cited his efforts to stabilize the post-pandemic economy, enhance the Philippines’ image and stand up to China, which has sparked fears and tensions because of its aggressive actions in the South China Sea.
“For Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos to make history, he first needed to rewrite his nation’s. His dictator father plundered billions of dollars from state coffers and stood accused of grievous human-rights violations until his ouster in 1986,” an article written by Time correspondent Charlie Campbell read.
“Yet Bongbong’s desire to rehabilitate the Marcos name has resulted in other shifts. He brought technocrats back into government, steadied the post-pandemic economy, and elevated the Philippines on the world stage,” it added.
According to Time, Marcos has “stood steadfast” against China’s aggression in the South China Sea and bolstered the Philippines alliance with the US in the face of rising regional and global tensions.“Many problems persist, including extrajudicial killings and journalists routinely attacked. But by trying to repair his family name, Bongbong may reshape his country too,” the article read.
But it seems everyone has overlooked that Time literally claims Marcos had to rewrite his nation's history. "For Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to make history, he first needed to rewrite his nation’s. His dictator father plundered billions of dollars from state coffers and stood accused of grievous human-rights violations until his ouster in 1986. Bongbong’s rise to the Philippine presidency in 2022 was owed to whitewashing this family legacy through clever manipulation of social media."
The Philippines and New Zealand are determined to increase their trade by 50% in order to recover to pre-pandemic levels.
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| https://pia.gov.ph/press-releases/2024/04/19/ph-nz-eye-50-hike-in-bilateral-trade |
The Philippines and New Zealand are both determined to increase their trade by at least 50 percent in the next few years, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Thursday.
“In our meeting today (Thursday) we also discussed the huge economic potential in our relationship and we are both determined to grow its rate by at least 50 percent in the next few years,” Prime Minister Luxon said in press statement after his bilateral meeting with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in Malacañang.
“And it’s great to see bilateral trade between New Zealand and the Philippines able to recover to pre-pandemic level and continue to increase,” he said.
The New Zealand Prime Minister also mentioned the increasing interest in the local information and technology sector, manufacturing, renewable energy, and food [processing] with more New Zealand companies looking to set up operations in the Philippines.
Travel and tourism are also major drivers for trade growth as more people travel between the two countries to visit family and friends and to spend holidays in the Philippines.
“We want to do more to grow both of our countries’ tourism industries,” he said.
Last year, New Zealand ranked as the Philippines’ 28th trading partner (out of 230) with total trade amounting to US$495.37 million and is also the country’s 38th export destination and 24th import source. The Philippines has a US$361.94 million trade deficit with New Zealand.
In 2021, New Zealand was ranked the 34th source of approved investments in the manufacturing and wholesale and retail trade industry.
From 2018 to 2022, approved investments from New Zealand amounted to US$3.49 million in key sectors such as manufacturing, administrative and support services activities, wholesale and retail trade, and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles.
In 2023, the country recorded a total of 29,272 tourist arrivals from New Zealand, up from just 17,503 in 2022, making the foreign nation the 22nd source of visitors to the Philippines.
Of course increasing tourism is playing a big part in this bilateral trade.
Moody's says consumer spending has not yet recovered from the pandemic.
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| https://business.inquirer.net/455661/consumer-spending-in-ph-not-yet-healed-from-pandemic |
Consumer spending in the Philippines has yet to return to prepandemic normal, Moody’s Analytics said in a new report that highlighted how sticky inflation is derailing the recovery of consumption in Asia-Pacific from the pandemic onslaught.
In a commentary, the unit of the Moody’s Group said the Philippines has yet to fully reverse the “big shift” in consumption pattern that was created during the pandemic—when lockdowns and strict social distancing protocols crushed demand for travel and other services, but boosted sales of goods, especially online.
Moody’s Analytics said services spending in the Philippines and Thailand remains far below the prepandemic trend, reflecting “a high degree of pandemic scarring on both economies.”
Meanwhile, goods consumption in the Philippines and Thailand also fell post-lockdown amid “smaller policy support for households and worse economic damage from the pandemic.”
To make things worse, Moody’s Analytics said stubbornly high inflation is crimping the recovery of consumer spending in the Philippines, where consumption historically accounts for over 70 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product.
“Goods typically make up a smaller share of private consumption than services, so weaker goods consumption won’t completely derail these economies as long as services consumption stays on course,” Moody’s Analytics said.
“But weaker goods spending is a headwind at a time when growth is already hard to come by,” it added.
Data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed consumers’ overall confidence index (CI) declined to 2.7 percent for the second quarter of 2024, from 5.6 percent previously.
That the CI stayed positive means the optimists outnumbered the pessimists, although the weaker reading indicated a less upbeat sentiment among consumers. Findings showed the pessimists mostly came from low-income households.
And the weaker optimism would likely persist for much longer after the consumer CI for the next 12 months sagged to 13.4 percent, from 15 percent in the previous survey.
"Sticky inflation is derailing the recovery of consumption in Asia-Pacific from the pandemic onslaught." Seems like that ought to be dealt with first.
Filipino boy band SB19 thought the pandemic killed their career. They were wrong.
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| https://www.khaleejtimes.com/entertainment/meet-sb19-the-filipino-boy-band-that-rose-from-trainees-to-post-pandemic-stars |
SB19's story is one of astonishing success, going from being trainees to becoming wildly popular self-managed idols under 1Z Entertainment. "Starting in 2016, we had auditions back then," recalls Stell, one of the band members. "Pablo, Josh and I auditioned in the same year."
What started as personal dreams soon turned into a shared vision, leading to the creation of SB19 and an adventure that would surpass all expectations. Originally a trio with Stell, Josh and Pablo, the group grew to include Ken and Justin. Reflecting on their journey, Stell reminisces about the difficulties they encountered and the surprising happenings that resulted in them founding their own company, 1Z Entertainment. He emphasises their common ambition of making a mark on the music industry and cultivating future artists.
Josh shares a story highlighting the importance of social media in their career and says, “We always try to find ways to put ourselves out there and be known by people. During the pandemic, we thought we were over. There were no gigs or live events. But because of social media, we survived. A lot of people got to know our story. I think our story is magical and we are thankful.”
Social media has played a pivotal role in SB19’s journey. In 2019, the band released a dance rehearsal video for their song Go Up which went viral on Twitter and Facebook. Social media has also allowed them to connect to their fans, receive feedback and share their story on a global scale. “Social media helped us to not only connect with our fans but also other artists, helping us to grow and learn. It allows us to create something big and different”, says Stell. It has played a crucial role in shaping their career trajectory.
The band is currently on their ‘Pagtatag! World Tour’, comprising 18 shows that started on June 24, 2023, in Quezon City, Philippines. They have put on shows in the Philippines, the United States, and Canada so far. Fans, referred to as A'TIN, in the UAE and worldwide can expect an exciting concert with a complete setlist of popular songs like Gento, Crimzone, Bazinga, and more. SB19 has shared the final portion of their Asian tour, bringing their thrilling performance to Dubai as the next-to-last stop.
Without social media to buoy them during the pandemic these boys might not have a music career.
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