Coronavirus Lockdown: Filipino Streetwear, U.S. Peace Corps, and More!

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

During the pandemic a Filipino streetwear brand was born. 

https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/fashion-and-beauty/2025/07/16/2458193/how-heartbreak-helped-put-filipino-streetwear-brand-during-pandemic

A Filipino streetwear brand is making its mark on the local fashion scene by redefining the meaning of confidence. 

Conceit chief executive officer (CEO) Sam Jacinto and co-founder Kim Mark Dacallos launched the brand in 2020 during the pandemic as a new business venture to survive a difficult period. 

The brand’s mission is to empower individuals to feel good in their clothes and express their self-worth without seeking approval.

Jacinto selected the brand name "Conceit" during a difficult breakup, a time when he was concentrating on self-love. He regarded "conceit" as a controversial yet appropriate term for recognizing one's value unapologetically, seeking to reshape the word's unfavorable associations into an uplifting message of self-assurance.

It began its journey online by selling simple black and white shirts, deliberately avoiding loud or colorful branding. The company was self-funded, with all earnings reinvested into the business. Despite facing obstacles that normally a clothing brand can possibly experience, Jacinto persevered and grew Conceit by prioritizing customer feedback and gut-feel.

While the Philippine streetwear scene is dominated by boastful, printed designs, Conceit has carved a niche for itself by offering minimal, emotional, and quietly confident pieces.

The brand caters to a clientele that prefers to express their inner intensity without being outwardly showy. Conceit's clothes are not for impressing others but for self-expression, and the brand is built on finding a "frequency" that connects with its customers rather than chasing trends.

For Jacinto, creating new collections is a rewarding process, especially the creation of the mood board, which allows him to envision the collection from start to finish. He sees each collection as a chapter in the brand's story, not just a product drop.

The brand is now taking creative risks with its designs, adding minimal prints while still maintaining its core aesthetic. For example, the upcoming Archive Series 1990 #NORULESSUMMER collection will feature a '90s vibe, breaking away from typical summer trends.

Conceit's commitment to its community is a driving force for the brand. Jacinto is motivated by hearing stories from customers, such as students saving up to buy their products or people wearing their shirts for over two years with them still having more character than before.

Recently, the brand marked a significant milestone with the grand opening of its first concept shop at Spatio, Opus Mall. Its founders said that there are plans for future expansion. 

Jacinto shared the core philosophy behind Conceit, emphasizing, “With Conceit, we don't try to be everything to everyone. We stay quiet— minimal, but intentional. While other brands get loud or chase trends, Conceit stays rooted in our philosophy. Our clothes aren't for impressing others; they're for expressing yourself.” 

A streetwear brand was launched when being on the street was basically illegal due to the lockdowns. Makes sense. 

The U.S. Peace Corps is sending its largest group of volunteers since the pandemic. 

https://politiko.com.ph/2025/07/18/u-s-peace-corps-sends-largest-group-of-volunteers-to-philippines-since-pandemic/daily-feed/

The U.S. Peace Corps has deployed its largest group of American volunteers to the Philippines since the COVID-19 pandemic, with 55 new arrivals landing in Manila on July 14 to support community-based initiatives in education, youth development, and environmental protection across Luzon and the Visayas.

The incoming cohort—comprising 48 long-term Peace Corps Volunteers and seven short-term Response Volunteers—raises the total number of currently serving personnel in the Philippines to 140, the highest since 2020.

Over the next two years, the Peace Corps Volunteers will co-teach English in public elementary and secondary schools, facilitate youth development programs at government-accredited shelters, and work with local governments to establish marine protected areas and bolster coastal resource management.

Meanwhile, Response Volunteers will undertake specialized 7- to 12-month assignments focused on disaster risk reduction, solid waste management, and educational capacity-building in partnership with Philippine government agencies and non-governmental organizations.

“Their joint arrival symbolizes our renewed momentum since the pandemic and underscores our deepening collaboration with local partner institutions and Filipino communities,” said Marguerite Roy, Peace Corps Philippines Country Director. “I look forward to seeing how each Volunteer will forge meaningful relationships and contribute to community-led progress.”

The new volunteers, aged 22 to 67, will be deployed to 21 provinces including Benguet, Ilocos Norte, La Union, Pangasinan, Bataan, Pampanga, Camarines Sur, Iloilo, and Leyte.

Before deployment, all participants will undergo 11 weeks of intensive language, technical, and cultural training.

Donald James Gawe, executive director of the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency, described the volunteers as “builders of hope and catalysts of change,” and expressed optimism that they would successfully complete their service and make a lasting impact in their assigned communities.

This batch marks the 282nd deployment of Peace Corps Volunteers and the 55th group of Response Volunteers to the Philippines, where the Peace Corps has maintained a continuous presence since 1961.

The Philippines hosts the second oldest Peace Corps program in the world, with more than 9,500 Americans having served in partnership with Filipino communities over the past six decades.

I don't recall reading anything about the U.S. Peace Corps helping out during the pandemic. 

The loans taken out during the pandemic are not doing the Philippines any good but the DOF says the situation is under control. 

https://mb.com.ph/2025/07/18/dof-insists-fiscal-situation-under-control-despite-high-debt-repayment-ratio

With the Philippines being flagged as one of the developing countries that spent more than 10 percent of its income on debt repayments in 2023, the Department of Finance (DOF) argued that the fiscal strain stemming from mounting debt payments remains under control.

“We’re managing it,” DOF Secretary Ralph G. Recto told Manila Bulletin when asked if the government faces a challenge on the fiscal side due to the increasing debt payments.

“That’s why we are doing fiscal consolidation—reducing the deficit every year while growing the economy,” Recto said.

“What’s important,” he stressed, is that “we grow the economy faster than the growth of debt.”

Similarly, National Treasurer Sharon P. Almanza told Manila Bulletin that the country’s debt burden “remains manageable.”

“Also, we expect that this will gradually improve as the government continues its commitment to fiscal consolidation coupled with prudent management of our debt portfolio,” Almanza said.

As reported by the Manila Bulletin, rising post-pandemic debt repayments in developing economies across the region, including the Philippines, have been flagged by the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI). According to the Tokyo-based think tank, this setup deprives governments of more funding for public goods and services.

“Between 2008 and 2019, annual interest expenses averaged just 7.35 percent of overall government budgets. However, from 2020 to 2023, debt servicing absorbed an average of 10.33 percent of government budgets in the developing countries in the Asia and Pacific region,” ADBI reported.

As of 2023, the debt service ratios in the Philippines, Bangladesh, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Papua New Guinea, and Sri Lanka exceeded 10 percent, ADBI noted.

“Increasingly expensive debt burdens are crowding out other vital government expenditures due to rising debt service costs; indeed, approximately 83 percent of the population of developing Asia and the Pacific, excluding China—2.2 billion people—live in countries where governments spend more on debt servicing than on healthcare,” the think tank lamented.

In ADBI’s developing Asia debt and climate heatmap, the Philippines’ gross debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio of 57 percent was tagged as “moderate.”

However, the country’s 16.4-percent share of interest payments to government revenues was flagged by ADBI as “high.”

Sorry to break it to the DOF but this is all the taxpayer's money. What exactly have they gotten out of all this?

Tourism, not manufacturing, remains a key growth sector under President Marcos. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1254705

The Marcos administration recognized tourism as a vital pillar of the nation’s development, with the sector contributing 8.9 percent to the national economy and providing 6.75 million direct jobs to Filipinos.

In 2024, the country’s Tourism Direct Gross Value Added (TDGVA), an indicator that measures the value added of the tourism industry, rose to PHP2.35 trillion, or 11.2 percent higher than the PHP2.12 trillion recorded in 2023.

Days before President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s third State of the Nation Address (SONA), Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco underscored a “holistic approach” to tourism development.

“We are guided by a holistic approach to tourism development. One that balances economic opportunity, cultural integrity, and inclusive infrastructure,” she said during her July 16 speech in Cebu City.

In the past 12 months, Leechiu Property Consultants (LPC) Director for Hotels, Tourism, and Leisure Alfred Lay said strong domestic travel was able to buoy the industry amid the shortfalls in international arrivals in the country.

Domestic tourism expenditure in 2024 reached PHP3.16 trillion, surpassing the pre-pandemic level of PHP3.14 trillion in 2019.

International tourism expenditures, on the other hand, stood at PHP699 billion, up from PHP600 billion pre-pandemic levels, despite the country missing the 2024 arrival targets.

“Our domestic tourism is really strong and it's envied across the region how strong our domestic tourism market is," Lay said in a pre-SONA interview.

The country, he said, could build on this success and extend more marketing efforts to attract foreign travelers.

“We need to increase our budget given to the Department of Tourism to conduct these marketing efforts and promotion of the country. In the private sector, we need to craft better experiences,” he said.

Tourism continues to expand pre-pandemic.