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/business/2025/06/24/2452753/tourism-stakeholders-slam-survey-naming-philippines-least-safe-tourists |
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco led the pushback, denouncing the HelloSafe Safety Index 2025 report as “built on questionable data, lacking in transparency, and entirely disconnected from realities on the ground.”
Arthur Lopez, president of the Philippine Hotel Owners Association, warned that such unverified rankings could undo years of hard work in rebuilding tourism post-pandemic. “The HelloSafe report is misleading, unfair and detrimental to the efforts of the tourism and hospitality industry.”
Maria Paz Alberto, president of the Philippine IATA Agents Travel Association and Philippine chapter chair of the Pacific Asia Travel Association, said misleading narratives such as the HelloSafe index can “deter prospective visitors and cause lasting repercussions to businesses reliant on inbound tourism.”
Philippine Tour Operators Association president Arjun Shroff added that responsible messaging is critical, false narratives are corrected swiftly, and is vital that the government officials project confidence in local tourism capabilities.
Tourism leaders call the survey unfair and misleading. They are also not happy with the DILG Chief's remarks about the peace and order situation in the country.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2025/06/23/tourism-industry-leaders-concerned-over-dilg-chiefs-remark-on-ph-peace-and-order |
Local tourism industry leaders have expressed concerns over the statement of Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla on the relationship between low foreign tourist arrivals and the peace and order situation in the country.Instead of defending what they described as misleading survey results of the “HelloSafe Safety Index 2025”, local tourism industry leaders said Remulla’s statement appeared to concede the premise of the survey and eventually undermined the efforts of the Department of Tourism.They are referring to the part of Remulla's speech of Remulla during the 3rd Hotel Sales and Marketing Association’s (HSMA) Sales and Marketing Summit: People do not want to come to the country because they don’t feel safe. They are afraid. There is cynicism in all the bad news that goes on here, and in the political atmosphere.”In the same summit, Remulla, however, vowed to address the country’s safety concerns by strengthening its law enforcement institutions to support the growth of the tourism sector among them is the revitalization of the unified 911 Emergency System and the plan to install closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras across the country.It was DOT Secretary Cristina Garcia-Frasco who took the lead in calling out and lambasting HelloSafe, an insurance company, for incorrectly branding the Philippines as the “least safe” country.Frasco also demanded accountability from HelloSafe for presenting questionable data in the guise of an objective safety index stressing that the index is “entirely disconnected from realities on the ground.”Frasco’s pushback was supported by tourism industry leaders.Philippine Hotel Owners Association (PHOA) president Arthur Lopez warned that such rankings—and worse, official admissions that appear to support them—could undo years of hard work in rebuilding tourism post-pandemic.“The HelloSafe report is misleading, unfair, and detrimental to the efforts of the tourism and hospitality industry. We fully support Secretary Frasco’s call to set the record straight,” Lopez said.Maria Paz Alberto, president of the Philippine IATA Agents Travel Association (PIATA) and Philippine chapter chair of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), said misleading narratives such as the HelloSafe index can “deter prospective visitors and cause lasting repercussions to businesses reliant on inbound tourism.”For his part, Philippine Tour Operators Association (PHILTOA) President Arjun Shroff said that responsible messaging is critical and false narratives must be corrected swiftly.“It is vital that the government projects confidence in local tourism capabilities,” he said.Tourism officials had hoped for unified messaging from the administration to reinforce safety reforms, improved police response times, and the deployment of tourist police.
Instead of calling the survey results misleading an an affront to the nation, Remulla said tourists do fear for their safety which is why he "vowed to address the country’s safety concerns by strengthening its law enforcement institutions to support the growth of the tourism sector."
However all that hand wringing was for nothing because the Philippines was not actually on the list.
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| https://www.esquiremag.ph/life/travel/least-safe-countries-list-by-hellosafe-a3690-20250618 |
News broke in early June that the Philippines is the least safe country to travel to in the world, according to a ranking by HelloSafe. It indicated a safety index of 82.32, where the larger the number, the less safe the country is.
However, the same website (as of June 18) showed a different list, with Sudan ranking as the least safe country in the world and a safety index of 82.32. Following it are: South Sudan (79.21), Afghanistan (78.42), Ukraine (77.86), Democratic Republic of the Congo (75.65), Syria (74.60), Mali (72.94), Somalia (70.80), Central African Republic (69.69), Iraq (68.03), and Burkina Faso (64.09).
The previous list had the same numbers, but for different countries, with Colombia (79.21), Mexico (78.42), India (77.86), and Russia (75.65) among the 15 least safe countries in the world.
This part, titled "The Philippines, Colombia, and Mexico Emerge as the 3 Least Safe Countries in the World in 2024," in HelloSafe's Canadian domain, remains unchanged in the 2025 update.
Iceland remains to be the safest country in the world with 18.23 safety index, the same as before. Singapore (19.99) comes second, which makes it the safest country in Asia, also with the same numbers as in early June.
Europe remains the safest continent for travelers worldwide, holding most of the safest countries, including Denmark (20.05), Austria (20.31), Switzerland (20.51), and the Czech Republic (21.19).
The current map, however, doesn't align with the numbers on the current list, where the Philippines still has the safety index of 82.32 and the darkest shade of purple, indicating "Very Dangerous: Greater Than 80 Points" safety level.
The Map of the Safest Countries to Travel to in 2025, according to HelloSafe. Hovering the cursor over the Philippines would reveal a safety index of 82.32, as of June 18, 2025.
HelloSafe is a comparison platform specializing in financial products (insurance, loans, investments) in over 10 countries worldwide. Its annual HelloSafe Safety Index is calculated based on a set of 35 criteria divided into:
- occurrence of natural disasters (30 points), including coastal and river flooding, earthquakes, tsunamis, and rising sea level;
- violence in society (20 points), including perceived level of criminality in society, number of refugees and percentage of internally displaced persons, number of homicides, and number of people imprisoned;
- involvement in internal or external armed conflicts (20 points);
- healthcare infrastructure (20 points), including number of hospital beds and budget allocated for healthcare; and
- militarization (10 points), including percentage of military expenditure in GDP.
This index, scored out of 100, assigns 100 to the least safe countries and 0 to the safest. Data are drawn from official reference sources, including UN agencies, the World Bank, and international research organizations.
The platform's disclaimer indicates: "this index is not intended to reflect the tourist attractiveness of a country, but rather a global index of security and safety based on the largest possible number of objective criteria."
While the Philippines is not officially the least safe country for tourists it is on the top 3 list of emerging least safe spots. Kind of strange Mexico is an emergent unsafe country when kidnapping tourists has been happening for years. Maybe this list isn't reliable? Also natural disasters takes the lions share of criteria and the Philippines does face flooding problems due to storms and typhoons.
Vice Ganda sat down for an interview to reminisce about the struggles he faced during the pandemic.
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| https://kami.com.ph/entertainment/celebrities/177071-vice-ganda-pandemic-director-left-basang-sisiw-kami-nun/ |
Vice Ganda, a Kapamilya star and one of Philippine entertainment's most enduring personalities, recently guested on KC After Hours, a YouTube program hosted by Karmina Constantino-Torres.
In the candid interview, Vice revisited the emotionally turbulent days of the pandemic and the enormous challenges It's Showtime and their home network, ABS-CBN, has faced back then.
Karmina opened the conversation by asking Vice to walk them through what happened to the show during the early days of the global health crisis, prompting to recall and reflect about it.
"Nung pandemic, syempre, it was a surprise to everyone. No one saw it coming, no one was ever prepared nung panahon na yun. It was a shock. Akala namin, when we were asked to say goodbye, akala namin sandali lang. Yung ilang days lang, ilang weeks lang," Vice recalled.
But the pandemic was only the beginning. Vice pointed out that on top of the health crisis, the team also had to deal with the devastating loss of the ABS-CBN franchise back in 2020.
"Meron ka ng pandemic, meron ka pang hinarap na pagkawala ng franchise. It was a very stressful moment for everyone sa ABS-CBN," he added, highlighting the difficulties they endured.
As the interview progressed, Karmina asked how that period became a turning point in Vice's career. "That was also life-changing for you because hindi ka lang basta naging talent, you took on... ano na ba ang posisyon mo ngayon? You're now the Creative Director?" she asked.
Vice then answered, "Parang ano, ako na yung Creative Head. Almost everything sa production," revealing the expanded role he took on behind the scenes for his beloved noontime show.
Karmina then pressed further, wondering why Vice didn't simply say no to the added responsibility, prompting Vice to recall how the departure of their director left a void in the team.
"At that time, that was the moment na we were left by the director. The director left and also created his own show sa other network, so talagang basang sisiw kami nun. I needed to step up."
Despite the circumstances, Vice felt a deep sense of accountability to his colleagues, to the network, and to himself, and said he will never allow the show to lost just like that as well.
"The trust from the bosses, from the management, parang I can't let go of that trust and I couldn't fail them. But most of all, I couldn't fail myself. I will never allow that family, or that program to just vanish, or to just lose. I will never allow Showtime to lose, I will fight for it just like fighting for my life," Vice opened up, earning praise from the viewers of Karmina's show on YouTube.
From the quarantine to ABS-CBN's losing their license 2020 was a devastating year for Vice Ganda but he overcame it because he felt accountable to his colleagues, the network, and himself.
The new normal in healthcare is here. It's tele-medicine.
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| https://philstar.com/opinion/2025/06/29/2454045/new-normal-health-care |
We know how health care is an important issue for everyone, something wanting in our society. The rise of telemedicine tries to answer this gap. Since the pandemic, Filipinos have turned to telemedicine, not by choice but by necessity.
They have discovered even today, with the pandemic hopefully behind them, that health care does not have to begin at the hospital lobby; it begins with a mere tap on the mobile screen. Telemedicine has firmly established itself as a practical, reliable and increasingly preferred way to seek medical attention for non-emergency cases. Whether it’s a mother asking a pediatrician about her child’s persistent cough or a young professional consulting a primary care physician for recurring headaches and body aches, online consultations have become a part of everyday life, especially in the post-pandemic era.
Telemedicine platforms like KonsultaMD, NowServing, mWell and Doctor Anywhere (many are available and reliable – take your pick) are helping lead this shift by offering 24/7 on-demand access to primary care physicians, even on holidays, with a mere five-minute or less wait time. Additionally, scheduled video consultations with specialists across various fields and mental health experts are available daily. These services bring more than just convenience. They also enable faster, more accessible health care for common health concerns. As more Filipinos turn to online consultations, this shows a shift in how people take charge of their health.
To better understand the health needs being addressed through online consultations, for reference, Doctor Anywhere’s 2024 data highlight the top five most in-demand specialties: dermatology, ear, nose and throat (ENT) care, obstetrics and gynecology (OB-GYN), pediatrics and pulmonology.
Pulmonologists often manage cases of asthma and recurring respiratory infections, while ENT specialists are frequently consulted for conditions like tonsillopharyngitis, pharyngitis and the common cold. OB-GYN consultations typically focus on pregnancy-related concerns, abnormal uterine bleeding and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). In dermatology, the most common concerns include acne, eczema, contact dermatitis and skin rashes. Pediatricians, on the other hand, commonly treat upper respiratory infections, viral illnesses, skin infections and diarrhea.
Aside from these specialty-specific conditions, many common illnesses and chronic conditions can also be effectively treated through online consultations. Patients can seek help for common illnesses such as fever, cough, sore throat, laryngitis, flu, sinusitis, cold sores, headaches and red eye. Chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, migraines, gout, painful menstruation, chronic back pain and even cancer are also regularly managed through online consultations. In some instances, patients may receive treatment for related ailments linked to these chronic conditions, such as heart disease and peripheral artery disease.
Commonly prescribed treatments include sinus relief, dry cough medicine, fever reducers and over-the-counter medications for mild symptoms. Antibiotics for bacterial infections and allergy medications are also frequently prescribed, particularly for respiratory and ENT concerns. For chronic conditions, medications for gout, arthritis pain and diabetes management remain in high demand, reflecting the ongoing need for maintenance treatments. There’s also an increasing focus on gut health, with prescriptions for probiotics and related treatments. Through the Doctor Anywhere app, patients can easily order their medications after their online consultations and have them delivered to their homes, removing yet another barrier to accessing health care.
More than just revealing patterns, the data show where care is needed most and how technology is helping to meet that need. The growth of telemedicine isn’t just about convenience. It’s about giving people real access to health care, even when hospitals or clinics are far or hard to reach. With reduced travel time, shorter wait periods and simpler access to doctors and medications, platforms like Doctor Anywhere are making health care more accessible, cost-effective and patient-centered, all while improving the overall health care experience.
It may have become the new normal but telemedicine will never replace the doctor-patient relationship.
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