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://philstar.com/business/2024/07/16/2370383/lrt-2-posts-highest-ridership-2019 |
The Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) grew its passenger footprint and fare collection by double digits in the first half of the year due to the growing demand for metropolitan transport.
Based on records from the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA), the LRT-2 increased passenger traffic by 12 percent to 25.89 million from January to June, from 23.18 million a year ago.
This marks the highest first semester ridership in the LRT-2 since the pandemic, closing in on the 2019 level of 29.94 million during the same period.
Further, monthly ridership in the LRT-2 has never gone below four million since July 2023’s 3.81 million. As was expected, LRTA has seen more and more commuters take the railway, driven by the resumption of onsite schooling and work.
In turn, LRTA’s fare revenues went up by 31 percent to P622.61 million in the first semester, from P476.2 million a year ago. Similarly, this marks the highest first semester collection for LRTA, surpassing the 2019 total of P575.61 million between January and June.
LRTA’s fare income ballooned to P1.1 billion last year, exceeding the pre-pandemic high of P1.07 billion in 2019.
Alongside this, ridership surged to 49.43 million on the reopening of economic activities, but has yet to revert to the pre-pandemic level of 56.98 million.
For 2024, LRTA projects that LRT-2 ridership would reach 50.7 million, anticipating a boost from the return of in-person classes and work.
And so are fare revenues naturally.
The Philippines and Vietnam have resumed joint military drills on Pugad Island.
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| https://www.inquirer.net/408925/ph-vietnam-resume-joint-activities-on-pugad-island-in-west-philippine-sea/ |
The cooperative activities between the Philippines and Vietnam on Pugad Island (Southwest Cay) have resumed, marking the first bilateral engagement between both countries in the West Philippine Sea since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The seventh iteration of the joint activity between the Philippine Navy and the Vietnam People’s Navy was held on July 10, navy spokesperson Commander John Percie Alcos said on Tuesday.
Alcos stated that this event, led by the Philippines’ Deputy Marine Commander for Marine Operations in Naval Forces West, Col. Enstein Calaoa Jr., and Vietnam’s Naval Region 4 Deputy Commander, Senior Capt. Ngo Dinh Xuyen, is “another milestone in fostering bilateral cooperation and camaraderie between the two navies.”
“This used to be a regular thing, but because of the COVID it stopped for a while,” Alcos also said in a regular press conference. “I believe after the pandemic, this is the first time that we held this again.”
Alcos said the navies of Manila and Hanoi held a staff-to-staff talk on regional maritime security updates as well as proposals for future cooperation.
The activity, attended by 60 personnel from navies of both countries, also includes friendly games, cultural presentations and even culinary exchanges.
Pugad Island was previously held by the Philippines but was seized by Vietnam in 1975.
Despite this, Manila and Hanoi maintained good relations as both countries faced continuous aggression from Beijing.
Why did these exercises stop when other drills like the Balikatan exercises did not?
The DOH has released the COVID-19 allowance for health workers but barangay health workers are still waiting for their money.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1961680/barangay-health-workers-still-waiting-for-covid-19-allowance |
Barangay health workers (BHWs) all over the country have asked the Department of Health (DOH) to release their much-delayed health emergency allowance (HEA) for the services they rendered at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Other health-care workers (both in public and private hospitals) have long received their HEA. But for us BHWs, we have yet to be paid. We are always the last ones in the distribution of HEA, even if we are the first ones people go to for help when they are sick,” Myrna Gaite, BHW National Capital Region (NCR) Federation president, said in a statement on Tuesday.
“We are urgently appealing to the DOH: You already have the funds, so it is just right to give us what we worked hard for. This is not just an issue of money, but of justice and recognizing our … contribution during the pandemic,” she added.
A survey conducted last month revealed that almost 10,000 BHWs in 13 regions were facing an average of 14 months in HEA arrears, amounting to an estimated P793.3 million.
The bulk of the unpaid HEA were for BHWs in NCR, estimated at P332.5 million, followed by those in the Calabarzon (P166.9 million) and Central Visayas (P88.4 million) regions.
The delay in HEA disbursement has had significant adverse effects on BHWs, who rely on this allowance to supplement their modest incomes.
Aries Dawa, president of the BHW Federation in San Juan City, said that she and her colleagues were relying on the release of the allowance before classes resume to buy uniforms and school supplies for their children.
To date, the Department of Budget and Management has released a total of P91.283 billion to the DOH for the Public Health Emergency Benefits and Allowances, covering all benefits for health-care workers from July 2021 to July 2023. Of the total, P73.261 billion has been allocated specifically for HEA.
The payment of HEA is provided for under Republic Act No. 11712, or the Public Health Emergency Benefits and Allowances for Health Care Workers Act.
How long until everyone gets their money? The government says they have it. Now is the time to give it.
Cruise ship passengers will have their tourists visas waives in order to boost post-pandemic tourism.
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Wednesday said the newly launched Cruise Visa Waiver program will attract more cruise tourists to the Philippines as it simplifies the visa process for passengers on cruise ships.
According to Commissioner Norman Tansingco, the initiative is to enhance the Philippines' position as a top cruise destination, offering a secure and efficient entry process for cruise passengers.
He noted that with the program, the country is expecting 117 cruise calls with an estimated 118,000 passengers in 2024.
"The pandemic had a profound impact on our tourism sector, but with initiatives like the Cruise Visa Waiver, we are confident in our ability to rebound stronger. This program is a testament to our dedication to enhancing the tourist experience while ensuring national security,” he said in a statement.
In 2023, the country welcomed 123 port calls, bringing in over 101,000 passengers.
The Cruise Visa Waiver allows visa-required foreign nationals to enter the Philippines for a limited duration, strictly for cruise tourism purposes. This streamlined process is designed to facilitate entry for tourists, ensuring a seamless travel experience.
The cruise visa waiver is non-convertible and non-extendable and would require the bearer to arrive and depart on the same cruise ship. It utilizes the BI’s e-services platform via its website at e-Services.immigration.gov.ph.
The project, which is in collaboration with the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), was launched on Tuesday at the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Authority (TIEZA) in Pasay City.
"The collaboration between the BI, DOT, and DOJ is pivotal in this initiative. We are united in our effort to strengthen cruise tourism and support the country's economic transformation,” the BI chief added.
The program was institutionalized under Immigration Memorandum Circular 2024-001 issued by the BI Commissioner on Jan. 25, 2024 and approved by Justice Secretary Remulla on March 14, 2024.
The initiative came when the Philippines was recognized globally as the Best Cruise Destination at the World Cruise Awards in Dubai and Asia's Best Ports of Call for 2024 at the 19th Asia Cruise Awards in Jeju, South Korea.
Now try streamlining everything else.
The Philippine poverty incidence is back to pre-pandemic levels.
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| https://www.rappler.com/business/poverty-statistics-philippines-january-december-2023/ |
The Philippines has seen a decline in family poverty rates, dropping to 10.9% in 2023, an improvement from the 13.2% recorded in pandemic-hit 2021.
However, in terms of magnitude, the 2023 figure translates to about 3 million poor families, which merely mirrors the pre-pandemic level of 3 million poor families in 2018. This suggests that there was no decrease in the actual number of families classified as poor in the six years between 2018 to 2023.
On an individual level, the poverty rate also showed improvement, decreasing from 18.1% in 2021 to 15.5% in 2023. This reduction means that approximately 17.54 million Filipinos fell below the poverty threshold in 2023, down from nearly 20 million in 2021. Yet, this number remains close to the 17.67 million individuals classified as poor in 2018.
In 2023, 2.7% of Filipino families were classified as food poor, an improvement from 3.9% in 2021 and 3.4% in 2018. Similarly, 4.3% of individuals were considered food poor in 2023, down from 5.9% in 2021 and 5.2% in 2018.
“Based on these preliminary poverty statistics, the poverty situation in the country has returned to its pre-pandemic level,” the PSA said in a press release discussing the findings of its Family Income and Expenditure Survey on Monday, July 22.
“The poverty threshold, which is mainly affected by changes in the prices of food items in the food bundle, increased by 15.3% in 2023. On the other hand, the mean per capita income, particularly of the second decile, or families near the poverty threshold, increased by 22.9%, which is higher than the increase in the poverty threshold. These resulted to the decreases in the poverty incidences among families at 2.3 percentage points and among population at 2.6 percentage points in 2023,” the PSA said.
Hooray?
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