Coronavirus Lockdown: Next Pandemic, Toll Free Program, and More!

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

The pandemic is over. Or is it? It's coming back!

https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2026/4/23/next-pandemic-is-inevitable-what-it-means-for-the-philippines-1400

The world may have moved on from COVID-19, but scientists say the next global health crisis is no longer a distant possibility—it is inevitable.

Speaking to ABS-CBN News following the One Health Summit in Lyon, France, virologist Bruno Lina said humanity is bound to see another pathogen spread across the globe.

"There will be another pandemic. It's not a question of will there be, it's a question of when. We don't know when, but there will be another pandemic," said Lina, president of Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1.

COVID-19 may be the most disruptive pandemic in recent memory, but it is far from being the only one.

The 1918 Spanish Flu infected a third of the global population. Influenza outbreaks in 1957 and 1968 followed. In 2009, the "milder" H1N1 swine flu spread worldwide. 

The lesson, Lina said, is simple: pandemics differ in scale, but their occurrence is constant.

Fortunately, experts have and are continuously improving vaccines that can protect individuals from developing serious infections. 

In the case of COVID, Lina said mRNA vaccines have long been researched even before the coronavirus spread across the world, stressing how long-term investment in science made swift vaccine development possible.

More importantly, pathogen data sharing is also seen as something that could greatly improve the world's response for what the World Health Organization is calling "disease X."

In 2025, member states of the World Health Organization adopted the Pandemic Agreement at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. The international treaty aims to strengthen global prevention, preparedness and response to future pandemics.

Among its key aspects is allowing countries fair access to vital information and data on pathogens as well as vaccines and treatments. Such access to information provides governments the opportunity to act and prevent the spread of illnesses with pandemic potential.

For this to be fully realized, countries are encouraged to embark on a "One Health" approach, which acknowledges that no country can ever fully take care of human health, without taking into consideration the health of animals and the environment.

The Pandemic Agreement’s adoption occurred at a time when the Philippines held the presidency of the WHA. But Department of Health (DOH) spokesperson Albert Domingo admitted that some annexes of the agreement were yet to be finalized. 

The Philippines is part of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement that continues to engage in talks with other countries especially in terms of information sharing and access.

"Masalimuot yung usapin dahil maraming mga bansa ang nagsasabi, dapat ang ating pathogen na information, kung saan man yung disease X, dapat agarang din ibigay sa lahat ng mga bansa para makapaggawa ng bakuna," Domingo said.

(It’s a complicated discussion because a lot of countries are saying that pathogen information, wherever disease X may be found, should immediately be given to countries so that they can make vaccines.)

Others argue that if they provide such data, they should be guaranteed free access to resulting vaccines and treatments.

The Philippines, Domingo said, is pushing for equitable access. "Tayo ay pumapanig doon sa open access. Sas mabilis na mapipigilan ang pagkalat ng isang disease X," he said.

(We favor open access. When information is accessed sooner, countries can act faster to prevent the spread of disease X.)

The World Health Assembly is once again scheduled to take place in Geneva, Switzerland in May.

Underlying the agreement is a broader shift in thinking, the "One Health" approach.

It recognizes that human health is deeply connected to animals and the environment — an idea gaining urgency as climate change, deforestation, and urban expansion increase the risk of new diseases.

For Lina, the virologist, preparedness is not just about technology.

"It's a matter of reorganizing things. It's a matter of understanding processes. And so what should the low and middle income countries do to address the questions of one health is maybe not driven by technology but by behavior," he said.

That includes how societies interact with nature whether through land use, agriculture, or wildlife exposure. Protecting ecosystems, he added, could be one of the most effective ways to prevent future outbreaks.

The DOH said the country is better equipped than it was before COVID.

Now, facilities continue to be improved, including testing capacity through the wide use of Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests that allow the swift identification of pathogens.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), a collegiate body tasked to steer the country through the threats of pathogens, is also something that can be activated should the need arise.

"Ito yung incident command. Sa madaling salita, may nagtitimon, may nagsasabi na pag health ang pinag-uusapan, siya ang masusunod at ito ang ginagawa. Standard operating procedure yan sa lahat ng ating mga emergencies," Domingo said.

(This is the incident command. In other words, it leads and directs. It’s standard operating procedure for all health emergencies.)

The Philippines endured one of the longest lockdowns in the world, drawing criticism over its economic and social impact.

For experts, preparedness now is not just about infrastructure but clarity, coordination, and public trust.

Even as countries negotiate frameworks and refine systems, the next pandemic may already be taking shape somewhere.

Years after COVID-19 brought the global economy to a halt, the warning from scientists remains unchanged: another pandemic will come.

The next pandemic is inevitable in how many years? 

7-Eleven halted growth during the pandemic but is not growing at an exponential rate!

https://business.inquirer.net/586987/7-eleven-sales-in-philippines-steady-amid-rising-costs

The exclusive licensor of 7-Eleven stores in the country said its sales have held steady despite rising costs from the Middle East crisis, even as some goods begin to post price increases.

Philippine Seven Corp. (PSC) chair Victor Paterno told reporters on Thursday that the company has yet to see a drop in demand, with convenience stores benefiting from their proximity to consumers as higher fuel costs discourage longer trips.

While some items have become more expensive—such as hotdogs and siopao—due to higher input and energy costs, this has yet to dent sales across 7-Eleven’s offerings, according to Paterno.

“We haven’t seen a decrease in sales due to the crisis,” he said.

To manage risks, PSC has moved to hedge its exposure to rising electricity costs, which Paterno flagged as the main pressure point as liquefied natural gas prices climb.

The company is aggregating the power demand of its stores, allowing multiple sites within a common area to pool consumption.

This initiative now covers a significant portion of its more than 4,500 stores, Paterno said.

On the logistics side, PSC is also preparing for potential diesel supply constraints that could disrupt distribution across its network of around 600 delivery trucks.

Despite the cost pressures, PSC is keeping its expansion plans intact.

PSC aims to open more than 400 new stores by the end of 2026.

Paterno said the rollout is backed by a capital expenditure budget of about P4 billion to P5 billion this year.

In 2025, PSC spent P4.39 billion in capital expenditures, up 11.8 percent from P3.93 billion the year before.

Most of the planned stores have already broken ground, leaving little room to slow down without affecting next year’s pipeline, Paterno said.

“You just keep going. The only time I put the brakes on was the pandemic,” he added, noting that the current crisis differs from the Covid-19 pandemic, when there were mobility restrictions in place.

As such, Paterno said PSC is pushing ahead with its goal to open 5,000 stores by yearend.

As of end-2025, it operated 4,491 stores nationwide, with 53 percent company-owned and 47 percent franchised.

Thank goodness 7-Eleven has not reverted to pandemic times By slowing growth.

Food needs to get to the store so people can buy it. A program launched on April 20th which covers trucks accredited under a program launched during the pandemic is seeking to be extended. 

https://mb.com.ph/2026/04/27/pwede-ba-humirit-villafuertes-seek-expanded-agri-trucks-toll-free-program

Camarines Sur-based lawmakers are prodding the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of Transportation (DOTr) to expand the scope and duration of its month-long toll-free transport of farm produce.

Rep. Migz Villafuerte of the province's 5th district and Rep. Luigi Villafuerte of the 2nd district said such expansion would help stabilize for a longer period both the supply and retail cost of rice and other food items amid elevated global fuel prices

The Villafuertes earlier lauded the one-month exemption from tollway fee payments of truckers hauling food items, under a newly launched project facilitated by the DA and DOTr,

Launched last April 20, this “Agri-Trucks Toll Free Program” was facilitated by the DA, DOTr and the DOTr-attached Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) with toll concessionaires Metro Pacific Tollway Corp. (MPTC) and the SMC Tollway Corp. (SMCTC). It covers 1,162 trucks that were already accredited under the DA’s Food Lane program, which was initiated during the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure the continuous transport of goods amid mobility restrictions.

The DA says that although there are actually 4,000 registered truckers, only 1,162 have valid accreditation at present.

The solon-siblings expressed hopes these agencies could work with toll operators on making this initiative last for longer and cover as many as 4,000 trucks that transport a combined 16,000 metric tons (MT) of farm goods to markets on a daily basis.

“We are appealing to the DA to take extra effort to onboard the rest of the 4,000 registered truckers as a way to expand the scope of this novel initiative by streamlining its registration process, expanding enrollment on-site and/or online, and faster approvals of interested or would-be applicants,” Rep. Luigi said.

“Also, we are calling upon the DA to consider with the DOTr, TRB, MPTC and SMCTC the possibility of extending this toll-free project for more than a month,” he added.

This initiative is part of the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) program of President Marcos for the agricultural sector, to ensure that food items remain accessible and affordable despite surging oil prices arising from the Middle East war and supply disruptions at the Strait of Hormuz.

According to reports, the 1,162 truckers thus far accredited under this project could save P52 million to P152 million in transport expenses. Every trucker can reportedly save P1,500 to P6,000 per trip.  

Earlier, Rep. Migz backed the proposal of the House Legislative Energy Action and Development (LEAD) Council for a two-month suspension on the collection of the value added tax (VAT) on petroleum products.

“I agree with Rep. Miro that a two-month VAT suspension is feasible, in light of the projected P20 billion windfall profits that the government has thus far collected from the outrageously high diesel and gasoline prices at the pump after  the US-Israel joint attack on Iran began nearly two months ago,” Rep. Migz said. 

The LEAD Council is being presided over by Marikina City 2nd district Rep. Miro Quimbo. It is where House members have pitched both short-term and long-term solutions to fuel price crisis.

It seems the program never went away when it was first initiated. 

According to a new SWS half of Pinoys say life has worsened which is the lowest level since the pandemic. 

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2026/04/23/2523043/sws-half-pinoys-say-life-worsened-bleakest-pandemic-era-2021

Half of adult Filipino adults believe their quality of life has deteriorated over the past 12 months, according to a new Social Weather Stations survey, which saw people's perceived well-being sink to its worst since 2021. 

The First Quarter 2026 survey, conducted March 24-31 among 1,500 adults, found 50% said they were worse off, 26% said nothing changed, and 23% said they were better off. 

This produced an overall net score of –26, classified as "low," SWS said. 

That is a 19-point drop from -7 in November 2025, and 18 points below the full-year 2025 average of -8.

The survey results released Thursday, April 23, are the SWS' worst reading of this well-being indicator since September 2021, when the country was grappling with COVID-19 lockdowns, and the score sank to an "extremely low" -44.

The March survey was fielded as inflation, transport costs, and rice prices continued to squeeze household budgets in the first quarter of the year, with the United States-led war in the Middle East driving fuel prices up worldwide.

The November 2025 cycle — the comparison point — had itself already marked a slide from a brief rebound to +12 in June 2025.

Every region, every demographic fell

Mindanao suffered the steepest dive, falling 33 points from +2 to -31. Metro Manila dropped 19 points to -31. Balance Luzon fell 16 points to -23 and the Visayas slid 11 points to -25.

Urban residents took a harder hit than their rural counterparts, falling 22 points to -32 versus a 15-point drop to -18 in rural areas. Men and women declined by nearly identical margins, or 20 and 19 points, respectively.

Young adults lost the most ground

The sharpest single-group collapse came among 18-to-24-year-olds, whose score plummeted 35 points — from an "excellent" +31 in November to a merely "fair" -4 in March. Every older age bracket also worsened, with Filipinos 45 and above now deep in "very low" territory at -38 to -39.

Perceptions of a worsening quality of life also did not vary much by educational background. College graduates posted the mildest decline, slipping 13 points to a "mediocre" -19. 

Non-elementary graduates fell the hardest, dropping 35 points to a "very low" -39.

A gauge tracked since 1983

SWS has asked Filipinos this quality-of-life question 164 times since April 1983, according to its news release.

The score spent most of those decades in negative territory, turned positive only around 2015, then collapsed during the pandemic. 

It briefly recovered to near pre-pandemic levels in mid-2023 and again in the second half of 2024.

With the ongoing fuel crisis, the sinking peso, and inflation it seems attitudes will not be improving.