Coronavirus Lockdown: Green Revolution, Pneumonic Plague, and More!

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

Truck operators plan a three-day transport holiday starting October 6 to protest ongoing industry problems. Their leader stated that current conditions in the trucking sector are even worse than those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2026/10/05/2561088/truck-operators-suspend-trips-oct-6-citing-issues-worse-during-pandemic

A group of truck operators will temporarily suspend trips for three days starting Tuesday, October 6, in what it calls a transport holiday to press the government to address problems in the trucking industry.

The Confederation of Truckers Association of the Philippines said Monday, October 5, that high fuel costs and problems involving shipping line operations are among its biggest concerns.

"For example, if we make a trip this Monday, we don't know when our next trip will be because shipping lines don't have enough space for us to return and store our empty containers. Until we can return them and free up our trucks, we cannot make another trip," CTAP President Mary Zapata said in an interview with dzMM.

The truckers group also raised concerns over unregulated destination charges, truck ban policies that disrupt operations and a shortage of truck drivers.

"We're not making any money, and the problem has become very serious. In my personal assessment, the trucking industry is in an even worse situation now than it was during the pandemic" Zapata said.

Zapata said problems in the industry can affect the wider economy because trucks move goods from manufacturing plants and warehouses to retailers and consumers.

She said a three-day suspension of trips could have a significant economic impact. But even without the transport holiday, she said trucking operations are already limited, hurting operators' income.

The group is seeking a direct dialogue with the government and concrete solutions to its concerns.

"I hope they see the important role truckers play in our economy... Almost all government offices concerned with transportation are already aware of these issues. We have raised them, and while they listen to us, we still have not seen any solution," Zapata said.

High fuel costs, shipping line bottlenecks, and other operational issues are driving the suspension. The comparison underscores how post-pandemic challenges have intensified rather than eased for Filipino truckers.

Philippine GDP growth slowed to 2.3 percent in the second quarter, the weakest pace since 2017 outside the pandemic period. Rising inflation and a sharp freeze in public infrastructure spending are now weighing heavily on property development. Household purchasing power has weakened, making families more hesitant to take on long-term commitments such as home mortgages. 

https://www.philstar.com/business/real-estate/2026/10/08/2561792/inflation-infrastructure-freeze-seen-hamper-property-development/amp/

Rising living costs, a sharp drop in public works spending, and slowing economic growth continue to drag on property development.

This was the warning issued by Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian, as fresh Senate hearings and budget deliberations bring the full weight of the downturn into focus.

In an address at the Manila Overseas Press Club, Gatchalian reported that gross domestic product growth slowed to 2.3% in the second quarter, down sharply from 5.4% a year earlier, marking the nation's weakest growth period since 2017 outside the pandemic. The downturn prompted major rating agencies and multilateral lenders, including S&P Global Ratings and the Asian Development Bank, to slash their full-year forecasts to under 3.5%.

A primary driver behind the market strain is a 32% collapse in public works construction during the second quarter, triggered by spending freezes and project delays following corruption investigations into public flood control programs. 

In recent Senate hearings, Gatchalian presented updated macroeconomic estimates indicating that these corruption-related disruptions and opportunity costs have drained roughly P2.75 trillion from the national economy since mid-2025. The abrupt halt in regional civil works has frozen land development momentum and stalled planned commercial buildouts along major growth corridors.

Simultaneously, household purchasing power is being severely eroded by elevated inflation, which reached 6.1% in August following energy price shocks caused by the Middle East conflict. At local pumps, diesel prices soared to a peak of P153.70 per liter while gasoline reached P96.50 per liter.

The mounting cost of basic goods and transport pushed real household consumption growth down to 2.8%, making families increasingly hesitant to take on long-term financial commitments like home mortgages.

The macroeconomic friction outlined by the Senate president aligns with broader industry data indicating a deepening slump in real estate. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas figures show that residential property price growth nationwide decelerated to a near-flat 0.4% in the second quarter, the weakest expansion since tracking began in 2019. Home values in areas outside Metro Manila contracted by 2.7% as high construction input costs and cautious buyer demand left developers grappling with growing unsold inventory. Major real estate firms have responded by freezing new project launches and shifting focus toward moving existing inventory.

The fallout from the infrastructure freeze has directly spilled over into current legislative budget reviews. Senate budget scrutiny led by Gatchalian flagged over 7,000 proposed public works projects due to incomplete site documentation, while the proposed flood control allocation for the upcoming national budget was slashed to P107.4 billion, its lowest relative level since 2019.

To stimulate economic recovery, Gatchalian urged the fast-tracking of priority legislative measures, including the Masterplan for Infrastructure and National Development (MIND) Bill, a proposed 30-year roadmap to restore infrastructure predictability and targeted tax relief initiatives, such as the proposed "Ginhawa Bill," aimed at rebuilding disposable household income.

The current slowdown echoes some of the economic pressures first felt during the COVID-19 crisis, though the triggers today are different.

Infectious disease expert Dr. Rontgene Solante said Filipinos need not worry about the possible pneumonic plague case reported in Russia. He assessed the chance of the disease reaching the Philippines as extremely low or near zero. 

https://mb.com.ph/2026/10/08/no-need-to-worry-over-possible-pneumonic-plague-solante

Infectious disease expert Dr. Rontgene Solante said Filipinos need not worry about possible pneumonic plague reported in Russia, but stressed that the country’s quarantine and safety protocols should remain in place amid continued international travel.

He said the measures being taken in Russia make it unlikely for the infection to spread to other countries.

“There seems to be zero possibility that it will reach the Philippines if the infection came from there. It really seems unlikely because they have already placed people under quarantine, are controlling it and are conducting a lot of tests. This is also something that is treatable. It seems unlikely in terms of international spread,” Solante said in a DZBB interview on Thursday, Oct. 8.

However, he said quarantine and other safety protocols should remain in place because infectious diseases can potentially spread across borders through travel.

“These microbes can potentially affect other individuals, especially now that people travel by plane and go to other countries. So there is always a potential for them to spread. But for me, this is not something that we need to worry about,” he said.

Solante also noted that the reported death in Russia has yet to be confirmed as pneumonic plague.

He explained that pneumonic plague is a rare complication of bubonic plague, a bacterial infection caused by Yersinia pestis that is commonly associated with rodents and fleas.

The pneumonic form affects the lungs and can spread from one person to another through respiratory droplets, although Solante said the risk of further infections is very low.

He said the disease can be treated with antibiotics.

“Highly effective ang gamot nito. That's why it may be different from others. The medicine is highly effective. That's why it may be different from others. If there is medicine for it, it is easier to control the situation,” he said.

“For pneumonic plague, the symptoms are not different from those of other pneumonia patients. There is cough and fever. In severe cases, coughing may sometimes produce blood, and the patient may have difficulty breathing. That's why the most common cause of death here is respiratory failure,” Solante said.

The comments come amid public sensitivity to new infectious disease threats following the COVID-19 pandemic. Health authorities continue to monitor the situation while emphasizing that the risk remains minimal.

President Marcos is calling for a revival of the “green revolution” and backyard vegetable planting to prepare for a projected super El Niño. He specifically cited the pandemic-era “plantita” trend, when many Filipinos took up home gardening during lockdowns. 

https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2026/10/13/2562846/philippines-eyes-green-revolution

The Marcos administration will embark on a campaign to encourage the public to reuse water and revive a “green revolution” to ease the impact of a “super El Niño.”

In a media interview on Sunday here, Marcos cited the need to think about ways to collect every drop of water from dams and households and explain to Filipinos the climate phenomenon.

“Part of that public service and those public service messages will be collect, buy buckets so that when it rains, you can collect everything,” Marcos said.

“We will teach you... We will give you the filter. We’ll teach you how to do everything so you will not get sick and you will treat water properly. And it will be healthy even for little children. So that’s water supply,” he added.

Vice President Sara Duterte said, “We can no longer expect anything from the President. I will not comment on his buckets.”

An El Niño information campaign is being prepared by the Office of the Vice President.

El Niño is projected to intensify in the coming months and persist through the first half of 2027.

Marcos is pushing for a “green revolution” to ensure enough vegetable supply, which is expected to be hit hard by the dry spell due to potential water supply issues.

“Let us go back to the green revolution. Let’s encourage everybody. We had a green revolution before, a long time ago. Then, during the pandemic, the ‘plantita’ was revived. Let us continue that,” he said, referring to Filipinos who made planting a hobby during the lockdown.

“Let’s just keep that going. Get everybody to plant their own vegetables... It won’t solve the entire problem, but it will help,” he asserted.

In 1973, the late president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. launched a “green revolution” to boost food supply and nutrition efforts.

The project encouraged backyard planting of vegetables and fruits.

The administration wants to keep that momentum going as a way to boost local food supply. The article therefore links current climate-adaptation efforts directly to a practice that became popular during the COVID-19 pandemic.