Coronavirus Lockdown: Nurse John, Queen of Matcha, and More!

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

Matcha, a Japanese tea, is seeing quite the boom. One Filipina is now the "Queen of Matcha" after learning all about it during the pandemic. 

https://www.businesstraveller.com/insights/queen-of-matcha-jacque-deborja-medestomas/

For most of my career, I worked in digital publishing and production, far from anything related to F&B in the Philippines. Matcha was simply a personal interest. I drank it, learned about it and documented it during the quiet months of the pandemic.

When travel resumed, my trips to Japan would always include activities related to tea. Friends in Manila began calling me the “Matcha Queen”. Strangers asked for recommendations.

In 2023, I launched @jacqueandmatcha_ to separate my hobby from my personal account. The response was immediate. People started recognising me online and offline as the “matcha girl” – even though I had never set out to build a brand.

Around this time, I joined the Urasenke Tankokai Manila Association to study Chadō. Learning the Way of Tea sharpened how I talked about matcha and reframed how I approached content.

With the global matcha boom creating a crowded and often inaccurate space, going intentional became essential; anything I shared needed to add clarity, context or cultural understanding.

Last spring, while harvesting tea leaves in Japan, I understood that this was more than a passing interest. It was work that I wanted to pursue long term.

Instagram became my primary platform – from matcha diaries to café finds, pottery and recipes. Consistency led to pop-ups and my first café takeovers.

TikTok was less structured, yet the matcha content still resonated. I talked about matcha in a grounded, unpretentious manner, which made me more accessible to followers.

People would tell me they had seen – and enjoyed – my photos and videos, which reinforced how digital platforms shape credibility today.

By late-2024, collaborations with cafés arrived, followed by hotels and workshop organisers. Teaching pushed me to deepen my understanding of farming, milling and broader tea culture.

Last year, at a two-day pop-up coffee event in Manila that featured a matcha section, my booth sold out within hours.

Soon after, a major lifestyle platform featured me and coined me ‘the queen of everyone’s preferred green drink’. What began as a casual label became a recognised identity.

The visibility opened doors to communities and brands I never expected to reach. It also created pressure, which I used as motivation to keep learning.

If there is one principle this journey affirmed, it is this: personal branding begins with clarity. When you understand your values and your point of view, you can navigate noise with purpose. People may replicate what you do but never why you do it.

Authenticity is the true differentiator – and sometimes it is the catalyst that transforms a personal pursuit into a professional platform.

It's another case of a pandemic hobby/obsession leading to a lucrative career. 

The Pharmally fraud case is underway.  New documents have been submitted but the COA. 

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2026/06/23/2537086/coa-submits-new-docs-p41-billion-pharmally-case/amp/

The Sandiganbayan accepted yesterday new documentary evidence against former health secretary Francisco Duque III and former budget undersecretary Christopher Lloyd Lao.

The documents, tied to the P41.46-billion Pharmally pandemic fund transfer case, were submitted by Commission on Audit (COA) records officer Eljun Jumamil.

Defense lawyers countered the submission, arguing that they were unaware of the documents’ nature since prosecutors failed to present these during the pre-trial conference.

Associate Justice Maria Theresa Mendoza-Arcega, chairperson of the anti-graft court’s First Division, allowed the evidence, saying it remains subject to verification.

The court dispensed with Jumamil’s oral testimony after he stipulated that he had no hand in the actual COA investigation.

Duque and Lao posted bail of P90,000 each following their indictment in 2024.

They are accused of “gross inexcusable negligence” over the allegedly illegal transfer of billions of pesos from the Department of Health to the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management between March and December 2020.

It's been six years so it's reasonable to expect another ten years before its resolved. 

Consumer confidence is an a post-pandemic low. 

https://business.inquirer.net/597476/bsp-ph-consumer-confidence-slumps-to-postpandemic-low

Filipino consumers turned the most downbeat since the pandemic in the second quarter as the conflict in the Middle East fueled concerns over higher food and fuel prices, while businesses grew less pessimistic on hopes of stronger profits and lower energy costs.

The confidence index for households fell to -42 percent, from -15.8 percent in the first quarter, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported on Friday. It was based on a survey of 5,503 households from April 6 to April 18.

A negative reading means the pessimists outnumbered the optimists. The latest figure was the weakest since the fourth quarter of 2020, when the index sank to -47.9 percent as the country was still grappling with the pandemic.

Respondents cited rising fuel and food costs linked to the nearly four-month-old conflict in the Middle East as their biggest concern. They also pointed to corruption in government and what they viewed as inadequate policies to cushion households from higher living costs.

Consumer prices rose 6.8 percent in May from a year earlier, slowing from April’s 7.2-percent pace but still above the central bank’s 2-percent to 4-percent target range for a third straight month.

The survey suggests households are already pulling back on spending. More respondents said they did not intend to buy big-ticket items, while fewer expected to save, likely because higher prices are forcing them to devote a larger share of their income to essential expenses.

The gloom is expected to persist. The confidence index for the next quarter fell to -16.3 percent from 1.8 percent previously, while the 12-month outlook weakened to 0.2 percent from 9.6 percent, leaving consumers barely optimistic about the year ahead.

Businesses, however, struck a less gloomy tone. A separate BSP survey of 502 companies showed the business confidence index improved to -25.2 percent in May from -35.8 percent in April.

Firms also turned cautiously optimistic about the near term. The confidence index for the next three months rose to 0.6 percent from -7.5 percent, while the 12-month outlook strengthened to 27.8 percent from 19.5 percent, suggesting businesses expect operating conditions to improve over the coming year.

With the Middle East conflict winding down perhaps prices will stabilize and consumer confidence will once more grow. 

Nurse John transformed his pandemic burn out in a million dollar comedy career.

https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/business-life/2026/06/26/2537975/filipino-canadian-nurse-john-makes-forbes-new-top-creators-list

Fiipino-Canadian nurse and content creator John Dela Cruz, more popularly known as Nurse John, landed on Forbes magazine's "Top Creators of 2026" list.

Nurse John figured in the No. 28 spots, a good middle finish in between American content creators Marques Brownlee and Tana Mongeau.

Forbes noted that Nurse John scored a 12.97% average engagement from his over 19 million followers. His $7.2 million (PP441 million) earnings garnered him an Entrpreneurship Score of 3.

The magazine mentioned in a write-up how the creator "turned hospital burnout into a multimillion-dollar stand-up career," recalling Nurse John's frontline services during the pandemic and the TikTok videos he posted to cope with his industry's chaos.

The past couple of years saw Nurse John sell out a number of comedy shows — including his "Short Staffed Tour" visiting the Philippines earlier this year — as well as appearances in several comedy events like Netflix Is a Joke and Just for Laughs.

It should come as no surprise that topping Forbes' list is Jimmy Donaldson or MrBeast, the most-followed YouTuber to date.

MrBeast was followed by Dhar Mann and Steven Bartlett, with Markiplier and Rhett & Link rounding out the Top 5.

Other familiar names on the list include Druski, I Show Speed, Mark Rober, Khaby Lame, Ms. Rachel, Jacksepticeye, Steven He, and the D'Amelio sisters Charli and Dixie.

Put together the 50 listed creators have combined earnings worth more than a billion dollars.

It's another Filipino pandemic success story. 

Coronavirus Lockdown: Musial Lead Role, Philippines Sport Safety, and More!

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

Rep. Leila de Lima has introduced a bill to give students a 20% "20 percent discount on mobile load and internet services."  This is because they need the internet to study. 

https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/738853/solon-bats-for-20-percent-student-discount-on-mobile-load

House Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima on Wednesday introduced a measure seeking to grant Filipino students 20 percent discount on mobile load and internet services.

House Bill No. 9859, or the Student Discount Para Sa Load Act, seeks to institutionalize a 20 percent discount on mobile load, text, call and internet services for Filipino students enrolled in authorized elementary, secondary, technical-vocational, or higher education institutions, excluding postgraduate programs.

De Lima said the proposed measure would bridge the digital accessibility gap and address the emerging hindrance to quality education by lessening the financial burden on Filipino students, for whom internet access is now a basic educational necessity.

“In the Philippines, the deepening digital divide exacerbates deep-rooted injustices in the education sector that leave students from underprivileged families and communities behind as they struggle to keep up with various learning expenses not covered by existing public education, scholarship, and learning subsidy programs,” she said in a news release.

“Among these learning expenses is the access to mobile and internet services that allow students to make use of online tools, resources, and platforms to enhance their learning experience and school performance,” she added.

Under HB 9859, all telecommunication services shall be covered, including but not limited to prepaid mobile load for text, call, and data; postpaid mobile plans; and broadband and internet services used for educational purposes.

If enacted into law, the National Telecommunications Commission and the Department of Information and Communications Technology shall oversee the implementation of the measure, under which TELCOs shall submit quarterly reports on their compliance.

De Lima noted that even as most schools across the primary, secondary and tertiary levels have returned to the face-to-face class modality, the digital tools, resources and platforms used during the pandemic continue to play a vital role in the delivery of education.

“In today’s digital age, equal access to quality education is inextricably linked to digital connectivity or access to internet services. As the role of digital tools continues to expand, unequal access to technology serves as a barrier to quality education,” she said.

The pandemic changed how education is done in the Philippines and around the world really. Internet access is now a necessity and not a luxury when it comes to learning. 

OPM singer Miguel Escueta is celebrating his coffee business. They had a lot of trouble during the pandemic. 

https://www.pep.ph/lifestyle/lifestyle/192607/miguel-escueta-frank-dean-tips-a721-20260616

OPM singer and entrepreneur Miguel Escueta is celebrating a major milestone as his coffee brand, Frank & Dean, hits its seventh year.

Speaking during the press launch of his album Stand in the Fire held at Pandan Asian Café in Quezon City on May 26, 2026, Miguel expressed gratitude for the continued support the brand has received over the years.

According to Miguel, Frank & Dean started in 2019 and has since grown to six locations, mostly situated in corporate offices around Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

"We've been open for seven years na kami,” Miguel said.

“And we're just so grateful for the people who come and have our coffee every day.”

From the beginning, Miguel revealed that a clear strategy helped shape the company’s direction—focusing on office-based locations and building partnerships within corporate spaces.

"I think what worked out for us is we, we decided to go the corporate route,” he shared, “and build our relationships in the companies that we're in.”

This decision led Frank & Dean to carve out a niche in what Miguel describes as “corporate coffee.”

He explained: “I think the biggest thing from a business standpoint is, number one, figuring out what, what your niche is.

"And for us, we've found that niche in corporate coffee.”

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He added that their stores are intentionally placed in office environments.

“When I say corporate coffee, we are located in office locations, whether exclusively inside offices or in the ground floor of office buildings.”

Despite reaching seven years, Miguel admitted that running a coffee business remains a daily challenge—especially in an industry where closures are common.

“It is challenging,” he said. “Di ba nakakalungkot when you see establishments close because so much goes into putting it out. Di ba?”

For Frank & Dean, consistency has been key to staying afloat.

“For us, it's always been about staying consistent with our product and always catering to our market the best way we can.

"And I think that's what's allowed us to continue.”

Still, he acknowledges that the work never really gets easier. “The challenges don't stop. It's there every day. So we just try our best.”

That same consistency extends to product quality—something Miguel considers non-negotiable.

“And then number two, focusing on the product, making sure it's consistent all the time.

“Because what we've learned is when people come to the shop, they already know what they want.”

“So our goal is to give it the same way every single time.”

Beyond products and location, Miguel emphasized the importance of community in their business model.

“And the third is, focusing on the customer,” he continued.

“And what we call it is we don't see them as customers but our regulars, which we call 'coffee-driven neighbors.'"

For him, it’s all about shifting perspective.

“They are the hero of our story. We're not the heroes.

“They are the hero and we're just here trying to help them, achieve their goals through, through our coffee.”

Like many businesses, Frank & Dean faced its toughest test during the pandemic—a period that forced the team to rethink their operations.

“And I think the pandemic forced us to pivot to some extent,” Miguel shared.

This shift led to major developments within the brand, including sourcing and roasting their own beans.

“That's when we started sourcing and roasting our own coffee,” he said.

It was also during this time that they introduced new products.

“That's also when we built our signature products, like our Dream Latte, which is a bottled coffee.”

The product, born out of necessity, has since become a strong seller.

“That was born because of the pandemic, but it continues up to today to be one of our best-selling products.”

While he described the pandemic as “the toughest time,” Miguel said it also reframed how he approaches challenges in business.

“The challenges never end. The problems don't go away.”

Hence, he changed his mindset.

“We don't look at them as problems, but we look at them as opportunities to get better every day.”

“I think when you... when you're able to shift our mindset to that, it became easier for us to navigate issues when they come along.”

Seven years in, Frank & Dean continues to grow, with new locations opening within corporate hubs.

“Well, we just opened a new espresso bar... corporate espresso bar in the Mead Johnson headquarters in BGC,” Miguel shared. “So that's our sixth.”

Another branch is already in the works.

“And we're opening our seventh at the end of this month in a CrossFit gym called TLC in BGC.

“And hopefully we can open a couple of... couple more corporate espresso bars, uh, before the end of the year.”

As Miguel balances music and business, Frank & Dean’s steady growth reflects his focus on purpose, adaptability, and community—ingredients that have kept the brand thriving for seven years.

The pandemic forced them to adapt and the did. Now they are thriving. Another pandemic success story.

The stage show "Bongga Ka, 'Day!: The Annie Batungbakal Musical" is in production. 

https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/2026/06/17/2535889/atasha-muhlach-bags-annie-batungbakal-musical-lead-role/amp/

After her twin Andres Muhlach took on the role originated by their father Aga in "Bagets" musical, it is Atasha Muhlach's turn to take on the lead role as the titular star in "Bongga Ka, 'Day!: The Annie Batungbakal Musical."

The production is based on the songs of the Manila Sound band Hotdog, which was supposed to be staged six years ago but was postponed due to the pandemic.

The '70s-Manila set musical will follow Atasha's Annie who sneaks into the glamorous disco scene to chase her dream of becoming a fashion designer and risks losing herself in the process.

Hotdog hits like "Manila," "Pers Lab," "Beh, Buti Nga," "Panaginip," "O, Lumapit Ka," "Ikaw ang Miss Universe ng Buhay Ko," and the titular track are expected to be featured.

Newport World Resorts, VIVA Communications, and The Philippine STAR are reuniting to produce after staging "Bagets the Musical" earlier this year at the Newport Performing Arts Theater.

"Bongga Ka, 'Day!: The Annie Batungbakal Musical" will run this September at the same venue where coincidentally Atasha made her theater debut in 2011 for "The Sound of Music" as Brigitta von Trapp.

That musical and several Jollibee commercials with her family were initially Atasha's only showbiz experience as she focused on graduating from college. 

She signed a contact with VIVA in 2023, which led to stints a hosting stint in "Eat Bulaga,"  and starring in the shows "Bad Genius," "Everyone Knows Every Juan," and "Da Pers Family" with her parents, Aga and Charlene, and twin Andres.

Atasha was also able to record and releases her first single "Pasuyo."

Atasha joins previously announced actors KD Estrada and alternating stars Sam Concepcion, Jeff Moses, and Anthony Rosaldo.

Jackie Lou Blanco and Ring Antonio will alternate the head of House of Pasion.

Annie's gay co-worker and best friend, Toots, will be played by Gerhard Krysstopher, while Air Paz-Pablico will play Annie's mom, Suzy.

Yani Lopez and Andrea Babierra will alternate as Annie's younger sister, Iste, while the street-smart balut vendor Amor will be played by Akie Cedilla. 

Completing the main cast are John Lapus and Dindo Divinagracia as they take turns playing Coco Banana's proprietor Tarurit and the Batungbakals' neighbor, Tito Tambay.

It was postponed due to the pandemic but is now about to show. 

Philippine sports is fragmented, with different institutions like schools, clubs, and leagues following separate and inconsistent rules. This creates gaps in accountability and protection, especially when athletes move between systems and no clear handover of safety information exists. The COVID-19 sports bubble briefly showed how a unified safety system with clear roles and protocols could work effectively.

https://politiko.com.ph/2026/06/20/everyones-responsibility-no-ones-job-the-fractured-state-of-philippine-sports-safety/roy-mabasa-reports/

If you map out who is supposed to keep an athlete safe in the Philippines, the picture is not a straight line. It is a scattered set of dots, each operating in its own orbit.

Schools have one set of rules. Clubs have another. National sports associations may have none at all. Professional leagues fall under different regulators. Local government units that own sports venues may have their own requirements, or none whatsoever.

Coaches and athlete support personnel, standing in the middle of all this, are often left to fill the gaps with instinct and goodwill.

No single person or body holds the whole picture. That is the problem.

When the deaths of Ateneo student-athletes Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili forced the country to confront safety failures, the immediate instinct was to search for a point of failure. What rule was broken? Who was in charge? What protocol was missed?

These are fair questions, and they deserve answers. But if we stop there, we miss the larger truth. Our system is not broken at one point. It was never built as a system in the first place.

I have spent years moving across the different layers of Philippine sport. I have served as a national officer of a wrestling association, worked for the Games and Amusements Board, managed training venues for the First Summer Youth Olympic Games, organized several professional fighting leagues, and helped develop the return-to-play protocols that brought professional sports back during the pandemic. I have seen the view from every level. What strikes me is not how different these institutions are, but how disconnected they remain.

Each part of the system operates according to its own logic. Schools prioritize academic calendars and enrollment targets. Clubs function on tight budgets and volunteer energy. National federations are often underresourced and politically fragile. Professional leagues answer to commercial pressures. Regulators have limited reach.

The Philippine Olympic Committee’s Safe Sport Commission is a step in the right direction, but its mandate largely covers athletes under the Philippine Sports Commission and national sports associations. That leaves the vast landscape of school sports, community clubs, and private leagues outside its direct scope.

The result is a patchwork system in which responsibility is passed around like a ball nobody wants to hold. Athletes move through these spaces every day, yet no single standard follows them.

This fragmentation has consequences. When a school team travels to a competition, who is accountable for what happens off campus? When a young athlete moves from a collegiate program to a national team camp, does anyone transfer their medical history or risk profile? When a coach or support staff member works across multiple environments, which set of safety rules applies?

The honest answer is that nobody knows because nobody has designed the handover points. We treat each setting as an island, and athletes are left to navigate the gaps on their own.

The COVID-19 pandemic briefly forced a different approach. I saw it firsthand. The professional sports bubble was not merely a set of health protocols. It was an attempt to create a unified environment in which every person knew their role, every risk was mapped, and every line of accountability was clearly drawn. It worked because the crisis left no room for the usual fragmentation.

But the lesson was never extended. Once the urgency passed, we retreated to our separate corners.

What the Philippine sports industry needs now is not another set of guidelines. It needs a connective spine. It needs a national framework that links every level of sport, from school programs to professional leagues, through a consistent set of safety standards, reporting mechanisms, and accountability structures.

This does not mean centralizing everything into a single bureaucracy. It means agreeing on minimum standards that every institution must meet and creating clear bridges so that safety information and responsibility do not disappear at the boundary between one domain and the next.

Other countries have done this. They have established national sports safety authorities, independent of federations and government departments, with the power to set standards, investigate complaints, and impose sanctions. They have created a single point of reference that athletes, coaches, and parents can turn to, regardless of the sport they play or the level at which they compete.

The Philippines has nothing equivalent.

We have individual initiatives, passionate advocates, and reactive crisis management. We do not have a system.

We have the knowledge. We have people who have worked at every level and understand the gaps because they have lived inside them. What we lack is the political will to connect the dots and the determination to reject the notion that fragmentation is simply the natural state of things.

It is not natural. It is a choice, renewed every time we decide that someone else’s domain is not our problem.

The families of Rene and Divine did not lose their children because of a single broken rule. They lost them within a system that lacked a coherent safety architecture. That is a harder truth to confront because it cannot be fixed through a single investigation or a single dismissal. It requires rebuilding the way we think about safety in sport from the ground up.

Every athlete who steps onto a court, a field, or a mat tomorrow deserves to move through a system where safety is continuous, not confined to one setting. A system where the dots are finally connected.

That is the reform we have not yet attempted. And it is the only one that will endure.

However, that approach was not sustained, and there remains a need for a permanent, connected national framework for athlete safety across all levels of sport.

Coronavirus Lockdown: Myth Of A Richer Philippines, Waterfront Manila, and More!

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

Mompreneur must be one of if not THE worst neologism ever coined. But this lady put her skills to use during the pandemic and has become a huge success. 

https://business.inquirer.net/594498/cebuano-mompreneur-rambie-go-rises-above-the-pandemic-to-build-a-gawad-madiskarte-winning-brand

When Rambie Go returned to Cebu after nearly 12 years of working in Dubai, she faced an uncertain future. Unemployed, adjusting to life back home, and navigating the challenges brought about by the pandemic, she turned to handmade crafts as a creative outlet and source of comfort.

Today, that passion has evolved into Rambie’s Collection, a thriving Cebu-based accessories brand known for its handcrafted statement pieces inspired by Filipino culture, sustainability, and Cebuano artistry. Her inspiring journey recently earned her the Diskarteng Fiber Biz Mompreneurs’ Choice Award at the 4th Gawad Madiskarte, in recognition of her creativity, resilience, and entrepreneurial spirit.

Accessories add the perfect finishing touch to any outfit. Even a simple shirt and jeans can be enhanced with the right jewelry. It becomes even more special when you incorporate a bit of Filipino culture into your accessories, transforming a fashion item into a story that’s alive and personal.

Through Rambie’s Collection, she creates distinctive accessories using upcycled materials and locally sourced elements. Inspired by nature, travel, and the confidence of strong women, each piece reflects the beauty of Filipino heritage while celebrating the artistry of local craftsmen.

Rambie’s Collection was born from Go’s love of design. She first explored making handmade accessories and crafts in college. When she moved to Dubai to work in corporate, she set aside her creative passions to focus on supporting her family.

In 2019, Go and her family returned to Cebu to start a new chapter. The transition was anything but smooth. Hit hard by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, both Go and her husband found themselves jobless after years of working abroad. Long disconnected from the local Philippine market, they faced staggering financial uncertainty and periods of deep self-doubt.

Amid adjusting to life back home and navigating a personal battle with depression, Go picked up handmade crafts again as a hobby and an emotional outlet.

“What began as a simple creative escape slowly became my passion and purpose,” Go recalls. “I realized I wanted to create pieces with purpose—designs that are not only beautiful but also meaningful, sustainable, and proudly  Filipino.”

From creating pieces entirely alone at home, Go has grown the brand into a small, community-centered venture. As the brand expanded, so did its heart. Rambie’s Collection began partnering with local weavers, artisans, students, mothers, and small-scale suppliers. This turned a personal lifeline into a community livelihood, providing local craftsmen with opportunities to proudly showcase sustainable Cebu-made products.

For Go’s immediate family, the business became a source of stability during uncertain times. “Rambie’s Collection helped our family regain stability and hope after years of difficult transition,” she notes. “More than financial support, it became a source of inspiration for my children and family. It taught us resilience, creativity, and the importance of supporting one another through hard times.”

Determined to prove that beautiful fashion can coexist with sustainability, Go built her collections around a striking assortment of raw and upcycled materials, chosen specifically so every piece would reflect sustainability, creativity, and uniqueness. Her signature designs use raffia leaves, wood, upcycled fabrics, mixed metals, gemstones, semi-precious stones, pearls, and crystals.

By blending traditional Cebuano craftsmanship, local weaving influences, and tropical inspirations with contemporary design, each piece tells a uniquely Filipino story.

The impact of this unique artistry has traveled far beyond Cebu’s shores. Through key partnerships and government-supported initiatives, Rambie’s Collection has been showcased in major exhibitions and events, including the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu.

This article is actually an advertisement for PLDT but that does not negate her accomplishments. 

Reconstruction on the Waterfront Manila Hotel & Casino was shelved during the pandemic and it will remain that way for at least another two years. 

https://mb.com.ph/2026/06/11/gatchalian-shelves-waterfront-manila-rebuild-as-costs-double

Acesite (Phils.) Hotel Corp., a hospitality firm led by businessman William Gatchalian, is shelving the reconstruction of the fire-damaged Waterfront Manila Hotel & Casino for at least two years.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, the firm said the decision comes after estimated costs more than doubled to ₱3.6 billion, compounded by a prolonged slump in tourism and the local gaming sector.

“The management of Acesite (Phils.) Hotel Corporation is currently revisiting the business prospects of reopening the Waterfront Manila Pavilion Hotel,” the firm reported.

Reconstruction of the 22-story structural shell, which was severely damaged by a fatal fire in 2018, commenced in 2019 using ₱1.5 billion recovered from insurance claims.

The company slowed rehabilitation work during the pandemic, expecting to ramp up operations once international visitor arrivals established a clear trajectory toward recovery. Instead, persistent inflation and supply-chain pressures have altered the economic outlook for the development.

“The revised reconstruction estimates today of ₱3.6 billion have shown a marked increase in refit costs as compared to original cost estimates made during the pre-pandemic era,” Acesite said.

Both material and labor costs have spiked alongside rising fuel prices, pushing the budget far beyond the insurance collected. Acesite added that imperative structural and civil corrective measures, alongside important design re-layouts, have driven the overall reconstruction budget even higher.

The phasing plan initially conceived and submitted to regulators targeting a soft opening in 2026 was meant to balance the investment timing with the reconstruction program's cash requirements.

“However, the inability of the local market to generate sufficient foreign room sales in 2026, as well as the weak indications of an uptick in tourism arrivals projected for 2027 due to the ongoing, protracted US-Israel-Iran War, are issues that need serious attention,” Acesite said.

The company also noted that Manila's gaming market is facing a plateau as online gaming grows in popularity. Despite a no-visa policy for Chinese tourists, inbound tour operators from China have been reluctant to bring back the players who frequented the city when Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) were still permitted.

“These considerations have prompted management to reconsider pouring additional considerable sums into reopening the hotel at this point in time. Until industry indicators on visiting tourist arrivals stabilize, management elects to adopt a cautious stance toward committing the sizeable investments needed to rebuild the hotel,” Acesite said.

The firm added that construction will only restart when projected marginal increases in average room rates, room occupancy, and gaming revenues are evident enough to cover loan repayments and investment returns. The earliest estimate for this is 2028.

To improve the company’s balance sheet, ₱764 million in retained earnings was recently appropriated for the hotel's reconstruction. Moving forward, Acesite said it will put an annual maintenance budget in place to keep the hotel superstructure in a safe and usable condition.

Costs continue to rise!  If only the pandemic had not occurred reconstruction on the hotel would have been finished by now.  

A measles outbreak has hit the Philippines and other SEA countries exposing vulnerabilities to future pandemics. 

https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/what-measles-reveals-about-health-security-in-southeast-asia

While the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda commands headlines due to its deadly and exotic nature, the risk of the virus spreading widely is epidemiologically low – little comfort for those dealing with the immediate consequences, but a relief for the wider world with still-fresh memories of a global pandemic.

But the threat from virus infections remains very real – and in a region much closer. The resurgence of measles in Southeast Asia reveals more about the state of regional health security than a distant outbreak ever could.

Measles is not an emerging disease. It is among the most extensively studied vaccine-preventable diseases in public health. A safe and highly effective vaccine has been available for decades. Measles was one of the first diseases targeted when the World Health Organization launched the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) in 1974, and vaccination has subsequently become part of routine childhood immunisation across Southeast Asia. Therefore, when measles returns at scale, it reflects weaknesses in health systems – not scientific uncertainty, unlike the situation in the early days of Covid-19 when uncertainty itself led to poor outcomes.

Measles outbreaks are increasingly viewed as a sensitive indicator of health-system performance. Working towards elimination requires consistently high vaccination coverage, effective surveillance, strong primary healthcare, and public confidence in immunisation programs. Unlike Ebola, which primarily tests emergency preparedness and outbreak response capacities, measles tests whether health systems can reliably perform their most fundamental functions over time: vaccinating children, reaching underserved populations, and sustaining routine healthcare delivery, therefore maintaining public trust.

The scale of these outbreaks should prompt reflection on how health security is understood in the region.

Recent trends across Southeast Asia are concerning. The Western Pacific Region recorded a 743% increase in measles cases between 2022 and 2024. The most recent data revealed that from January to May 2025 Vietnam reported more than 81,000 suspected measles cases. Cambodia reported 2,150 cases between January and April 2025, while the Philippines reported more than 2,000 cases during the first months of that year. WHO and UNICEF attribute much of the resurgence to immunity gaps created during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The scale of these outbreaks should prompt reflection on how health security is understood in the region. Since Covid-19, governments have invested heavily in epidemic intelligence by establishing laboratory networks and employing genomic surveillance. This supported emergency preparedness mechanisms and maintaining its investments remains essential (Shet et al., 2022). Yet preparedness for extraordinary events does not necessarily translate into resilience in routine public health functions. The pandemic exposed how gains in emergency response can coexist with declining childhood vaccination coverage and widening inequalities in access to essential services.

This exposes a fundamental tension in contemporary health security thinking. Much of the post-pandemic discourse has focused on future threats: the next pandemic, the next zoonotic spillover, or the next Ebola-like emergency. Yet health security is ultimately sustained through ordinary institutions rather than exceptional interventions. Resilient health systems depend not only on surveillance and emergency response capabilities but also on strong primary healthcare, routine immunisation programs, reliable supply chains, and trusted relationships between communities and health authorities.

Measles reveals whether countries and their health systems have truly recovered from Covid-19, including their ability to reach missed children, protect vulnerable communities, and rebuild vaccine confidence.

This challenge is inherently regional. Increased mobility through tourism, labour migration, and economic integration across Southeast Asia mean that immunity gaps in one country can quickly become vulnerabilities elsewhere. The effectiveness of one country’s measles control effort is linked to the performance of neighbouring health systems, as infectious diseases do not recognise national borders.

For the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the policy implications are significant. Regional health cooperation has understandably prioritised pandemic preparedness since Covid-19. However, the current measles resurgence suggests that preparedness frameworks should place equal emphasis on strengthening routine immunisation systems. Investments in surveillance and laboratory capacity remain important. But they cannot substitute for vaccination outreach, community engagement, and strong primary healthcare.

Indeed, immunisation programs should increasingly be viewed as health security infrastructure. They build trust, generate surveillance data, and create delivery platforms that can be mobilised during future emergencies. Strengthening routine immunisation therefore improves both current health outcomes and future pandemic preparedness.

In this sense, measles functions as a governance audit for health systems. It reveals whether states can convert policy commitments, financing, and surveillance capacity into routine population protection. While global attention remains focused on Ebola, a more revealing test of regional resilience is unfolding much closer to home.

Measles is not the next pandemic. But its resurgence suggests that health security ultimately depends less on preparing for exceptional threats than on sustaining the ordinary institutions that prevent known ones.

Immunity gaps due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That means during the pandemic children were not being vaccinated. This article says nations maybe prepared but are not necessarily resilient. There is still a lot of work to be done. 

After the pandemic, the Philippine automotive industry is reassessing the market as the economy has grown but incomes for most Filipinos have not risen equally.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2026/06/16/fast-times/the-dangerous-myth-of-a-richer-philippines/2366075/amp

AFTER years of silence caused by the pandemic, the Automotive Vehicle Importers and Distributors Inc. (AVID) revived its industry summit this week, bringing together executives, economists, and industry stakeholders to discuss the state of the Philippine economy and the future of mobility.

The timing could not have been better.

The automotive industry is undergoing its most dramatic transformation in decades. Chinese brands are disrupting established players. Electric vehicles (EVs) are challenging conventional business models. Consumers are becoming more demanding even as economic uncertainty lingers.

Against this backdrop, one presentation at the AVID Summit stood out — not because it talked about cars, but because it explained the market every car company is fighting for.

Presented by SGV, the briefing painted a picture of a Philippines that is growing rapidly, attracting investment, and emerging as a major economic player in Southeast Asia.

But hidden within the data was a reality many automotive executives still appear reluctant to confront.

The Philippines may be getting richer.

But most Filipinos are not.

Every few years, someone presents a slide deck proclaiming that the Philippines is finally on the verge of becoming an economic powerhouse.

The numbers certainly look impressive.

A nearly $500-billion economy. More than 114 million people. One of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia. Investment-grade ratings. Infrastructure spending. Free trade agreements. Foreign investors arriving with increasing frequency.

On paper, the Philippines has never looked more attractive.

But buried inside an economic briefing presented this week was a statistic that should make every business executive — and especially every automotive executive — sit up and pay attention.

Only 3.6 percent of Filipinos belong to the upper-middle-income, high-income, and rich categories combined.

Let that sink in.

The overwhelming majority of Filipinos remain clustered in the low-income and lower-middle-income segments. Even the much-celebrated middle class remains relatively small and highly vulnerable to inflation, fuel prices, interest rates, and economic shocks.

In other words, the Philippines may be getting richer, but it is not rich.

And that distinction is becoming one of the most important realities shaping the future of the automotive industry.

For years, many established automakers approached the Philippine market as if economic growth alone would automatically translate into rising vehicle prices and higher margins. The assumption was simple: As incomes rise, consumers will naturally move upmarket.

The problem is that the numbers increasingly suggest otherwise.

Filipinos are becoming more sophisticated buyers, but they are not necessarily becoming wealthier at the same pace.

That is precisely why the biggest disruption in the automotive industry today is not coming from technology.

It is coming from value.

The rise of Chinese brands has exposed a blind spot many legacy manufacturers failed to recognize. While traditional automakers focused on protecting brand prestige, premium positioning, and established pricing structures, Chinese manufacturers studied the actual income profile of Filipino consumers.

The result is now visible everywhere.

Consumers who previously could not afford advanced safety systems can now buy them. Families who once thought an electric vehicle (EV) was out of reach can suddenly enter the segment. Features once reserved for luxury models are becoming available in mainstream products.

This is not simply a product story.

It is an economic story.

The Philippine consumer is sending a very clear message: Value matters more than heritage.

Meanwhile, government policymakers are attempting to shift the country’s growth model away from its traditional dependence on remittances and business process outsourcing (BPO). The new emphasis is on investment-led growth supported by trade agreements, structural reforms, and infrastructure spending.

That strategy makes sense.

Remittances remain important, but their share of gross domestic product (GDP) has steadily declined over the years. The BPO sector remains a global success story, but it too is evolving amid rapid technological change.

To sustain growth, the country needs more investments, more factories, more infrastructure, and more industrial activity.

For the automotive sector, that presents both an opportunity and a warning.

The opportunity is obvious.

The Philippines is becoming too large a market to ignore.

With a population approaching 114 million and vehicle ownership rates still relatively low compared with neighboring countries, the long-term potential remains enormous. Every global automaker wants a larger share of that future.

But the warning is equally clear.

The Philippines is still too price-sensitive to misunderstand.

Many executives continue to look at headline GDP figures and conclude that consumers are ready for ever more expensive products. Yet the income distribution data tells a different story.

Most Filipinos are still making difficult financial decisions every month.

Every peso matters.

Every monthly amortization matters.

Every fuel bill matters.

And increasingly, every kilowatt-hour matters as electric vehicles gain traction.

The brands that succeed in the next decade will not necessarily be those with the most prestigious badges or the longest histories.

They will be the ones that align their products with economic reality.

That means affordable electrification rather than aspirational electrification.

It means practical mobility rather than marketing-driven mobility.

And it means understanding that consumers do not buy vehicles based on GDP statistics. They buy vehicles based on household budgets.

The lesson extends beyond automobiles.

Real economic progress is not measured by how large the economy becomes. It is measured by how many people actually participate in that growth.

A country can boast record GDP numbers while millions remain one emergency, one illness, or one inflation spike away from financial distress.

That is the vulnerability hidden behind the growth story.

The Philippines is undoubtedly moving forward. The investment momentum is real. The reforms are underway. The opportunities are growing.

But perhaps the most dangerous mistake businesses can make today is believing that a bigger economy automatically means a wealthier consumer.

Because the data says otherwise.

The Philippines is no longer too small to matter.

But it is still too poor to misread.

And in the automotive industry, those who fail to understand the difference may soon discover that market size alone is no guarantee of market success.

While demand for vehicles is recovering, most consumers remain price-sensitive, which is pushing automakers to focus more on affordability and value rather than premium branding. This shift is also accelerating the rise of lower-cost Chinese brands and electric vehicles in the market.