Coronavirus Lockdown: Impeachment Trial, Lea Salonga, and More!

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

What does the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte have to do with the pandemic? Let's read this article to find out.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2232081/erwin-tulfo-says-sara-dutertes-impeachment-trial-may-start-on-july-6

The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte is expected to start in July, according to Sen. Erwin Tulfo.

“There was already a schedule given yesterday (when) SP (Senate President Alan Peter) Cayetano called a caucus of all members. The impeachment trial will begin on July 6,” Tulfo said in a television interview on Thursday.

“Every Monday, we’ll have a session from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and then from 2 o’clock to sawa [continuously] on Mondays, that’s the impeachment trial. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, the same thing–starting at 3 o’clock in the afternoon until evening. And then Thursdays, we will have hearings, committee hearings,” he added.

Tulfo also said that many senators in the minority bloc do not agree to the proposal of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta to allow Sen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa to participate in the impeachment trial virtually or through teleconferencing for now.

“Many of us, we in the minority, will not agree to that. He has to be physically present,” he said.

“That was allowed during the pandemic. The rules were allowed because … there were lockdowns. Now, everything is okay, so his presence is needed in the Senate,” Tulfo added.

Marcoleta earlier moved to amend the Senate rules to “allow a senator for justifiable reasons to attend and participate in the session through teleconference, video conference, or other reliable forms of remote or electronic means, using appropriate information and communications technology.”

His manifestation remains pending before the Senate committee on rules where it was referred.

Some Senators want to bring back pandemic rules to allow fugitive-from-justice Senator Bato to participate in the trial. 

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/amp/story/manila/cbcp-to-dioceses-hold-pandemic-like-bayanihan-activities

AS THE Middle East conflict continues to rage, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) called on religious institutions on Thursday, May 21, 2026, to consider holding activities to manifest their solidarity with those in need, the poor, and vulnerable sectors.

In a pastoral statement, CBCP president Archbishop Gilbert Garcera said such "bayanihan" acts were already seen during the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic some years back.

"Show concrete expressions of Christian solidarity with the poorest and most vulnerable sectors of society, who suffer most from the economic hardships brought about by this global conflict, especially to families whose loved ones live or work in areas affected by conflict and instability," said Garcera. 

"Let us strengthen parish-based feeding programs, community pantries, emergency relief efforts, and charitable initiatives for individuals and families burdened by inflation, economic uncertainty, and hardships, following the spirit of compassion and generosity witnessed during the pandemic," he added.

Similarly, the CBCP chief said all dioceses and parishes in the country are being asked to offer prayers for peace.

Garcera appealed to all religious and lay communities to pray for peace not only in the Middle East but also in other conflict-hit areas.

"Pray for peace, celebrate the Holy Mass and Eucharistic Adoration, pray the Holy Rosary, and gather in family and community prayer for the gift of peace in the Middle East, in Ukraine, across Africa, and in all parts of the world wounded by war, violence, division, injustice, and human suffering," said Garcera. 

"In this time of crisis, we call upon all dioceses, parishes, religious communities, schools, and lay organizations to offer spiritual accompaniment, counseling, practical assistance, and spaces where fear and anxiety can encounter hope, solidarity, and prayer," he added.

The archbishop said such actions are necessary as Filipinos are also affected directly by the Middle East conflict through the overseas Filipino workers there.

"Although distant from our shores, the Middle East crisis is not remote from Filipino lives. Many of our brothers and sisters work in the region as overseas Filipino workers. Their safety, livelihoods, and futures now weigh heavily on their families at home," he said.

In the same way, Garcera said Filipinos at home are also indirectly affected via rising fuel costs, higher prices for goods, transportation burdens.

"Those who suffer first are the vulnerable: daily wage earners, farmers, fisherfolk, transport workers, the elderly, and families with little savings. Thus, what happens overseas affects the Filipino home, the Filipino table, and the Filipino heart," added Garcera.

It's a wonder these programs were not preserved and strengthened but vanished once the pandemic ended. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippines implemented the BFIRST Project under the 4Ps program to support low-income households and modernize social protection systems, disbursing nearly all of its $600 million loan while achieving strong performance and digital reforms. 

https://mb.com.ph/2026/05/21/philippines-seeks-partial-cancellation-of-nearly-235-million-world-bank-4ps-loan-amid-lower-poverty-rate

The Philippine government has asked the World Bank to restructure and partially cancel over $2.34 million in unused proceeds from a Duterte-era loan supporting the country’s flagship Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), even as the Washington-based multilateral lender cited the project’s “strong performance” and satisfactory implementation.

According to a World Bank restructuring paper disclosed last May 20, the Department of Finance (DOF) requested the cancellation of unwithdrawn funds from the $600-million Beneficiary FIRST Social Protection (BFIRST) Project after determining that the remaining balance—stemming from foreign exchange (forex) differentials—would no longer be needed.

The acronym “FIRST” stands for “fast, innovative, and responsive service transformation” of the originally targeted 4.4 million 4Ps household beneficiaries.

The World Bank noted that the BFIRST Project, approved in September 2020 and implemented since January 2021 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic during the Duterte administration, was designed to cushion the impact of the health crisis on low-income households while modernizing the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) social protection systems.

The loan, which closes on June 30, 2026, following an earlier one-year extension, has been almost fully utilized, with $597.66 million or 99.61 percent already disbursed to date.

To recall, Manila Bulletin reported in 2024 that the World Bank, in November that year, extended the validity of this 4Ps loan beyond the original end-June 2025 deadline after the DOF, under then finance secretary Ralph G. Recto, requested more time to implement the poverty-alleviation project.

Unlike other World Bank restructuring exercises tied to delayed or troubled projects in the Philippines, the lender said the BFIRST Project “demonstrated strong performance in its implementation,” with most performance-based conditions and result indicators fully achieved.

The latest implementation report last March rated both the project’s progress toward achieving its development objective and its overall implementation as “satisfactory.”

The World Bank described 4Ps as the “backbone of safety nets” serving poor and vulnerable households nationwide. As of March this year, 4Ps covered 2.86 million active household beneficiaries with 6.74 million eligible children across 82 provinces, 149 cities, 1,493 municipalities, and 41,582 barangays.

Of the total active 4Ps beneficiaries, 86 percent or 2.46 million were female grantees, while indigenous households accounted for 354,385 beneficiaries or 12 percent of total active 4Ps households.

The lender also pointed to the near-universal adoption of digital payment systems under 4Ps, with almost all beneficiaries now receiving transfers through transaction accounts.

Under the restructuring request, the DSWD likewise asked the World Bank to revise the BFIRST Project’s results framework to reflect the government’s decision to reduce the target number of 4Ps beneficiaries following the decline in poverty incidence across the country.

The latest Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) poverty data estimated 3.86 million poor families nationwide, prompting the DSWD to recalibrate the annual target coverage for 4Ps beneficiaries to 3.5 million households beginning this year from the previous target of 4.4 million households.

Between 2008 and 2025, the government said 4Ps helped 1.61 million households achieve self-sufficiency, excluding those that exited the program through natural attrition, according to the World Bank.

The restructuring paper noted that 4Ps exceeded its annual targets in both 2021 and 2022.

According to the World Bank, the BFIRST Project also financed several digital reforms within the DSWD, including the integration of the national ID system or PhilSys into 4Ps verification processes, development of an integrated grievance information system, expansion of digital payment mechanisms, as well as creation of a dynamic social registry with a unified database.

The World Bank likewise noted that BFIRST remained fully compliant with legal, environmental, and social safeguard requirements despite some procurement delays affecting a number of remaining contracts.

Once the restructuring is approved, the project is expected to fully disburse the remaining loan amount before its scheduled closing in mid-2026.

The government has now requested the World Bank to restructure the project and cancel unused funds due to reduced poverty and lower beneficiary targets, reflecting a recalibration of social assistance in the post-pandemic context.

Lea Salonga says BTS saved her mental health during the pandemic. 

https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/celebrities/2026/5/22/lea-salonga-recalls-how-bts-saved-her-mental-health-during-the-pandemic-1120

Broadway star Lea Salonga shared how South Korean boy group BTS helped her navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. In a recent podcast interview, the actress recalled how she got to know the K-Pop group back in 2020 when they released their hit song, "Dynamite."

Lea has been a proud member of ARMY as she continues to share BTS content on her social media accounts.

“2020. COVID, and everybody’s stuck at home. I don’t know, I was just going through quite a bit in my life. The isolation and even though my friends and I were making an effort to stay in touch with each other and watching my kid navigate that kind of isolation from friends. That’s a big ask of somebody that young and impressionable and vulnerable,” she recalled.

She shared how there was just “a lot” going on in her life at the point of the pandemic and in August of 2020, "Dynamite" just appeared out of nowhere for her–– marking the start of her being a fan of the seven-member Korean boy group. 

“I’m watching YouTube, as most everybody does to try and get through the day, and I’m like what is this? What is this on my social media? I watched the video and the minute I saw V in that bottle green Gucci waistcoat and flared trousers, like pushing his hair back, I’m like–– and I’m done, this is it,” she expressed.

Lea recalled how she would go down the “rabbit hole” of videos, concerts, and all other BTS-related content during the pandemic. She credited BTS for helping her “pull out” from the things that she was going through at the time. 

“It just pulled me out of this sad, not quite hopeless, but this sad state of affairs that my brain found itself in. I’m like, I’m gonna live here in a minute because I don’t know when this pandemic is gonna end, but I’m gonna open YouTube or open the internet every day, and I’m gonna watch what these guys are doing,” she added.

As an artist herself, the singer-actress expressed how much respect she has for BTS as she could see the sincerity in all of them.

“I have such great respect for them as songwriters, as performers, as musicians, just as artists, and discovering who writes so much of their material. Just how they relate to one another and how they are with their fans,” she said.

“I’m like there is something very genuine. K-Pop has this reputation of being so manufactured, but there is something sincere and real and it seems that these guys have such integrity,” she ended.

Lea admitted that she only follows BTS in K-Pop.

“They had me in a chokehold and I’m still here,” she ended. 

Well, the do say music is good for the soul. 

A Chinese steel factory is set to being building in June. 

https://mb.com.ph/2026/05/25/chinese-steel-giant-panhua-to-launch-1-billion-sarangani-facility-in-june

China-based steel manufacturing giant Panhua Group Co. Ltd. will begin operations at its $1-billion facility in Sarangani province next month as part of its multi-billion investment commitment to the Philippines, according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

Trade Secretary Cristina Roque told reporters that the Chinese firm’s long-awaited integrated steel facility is now ready to begin commercial operations in June through the project’s first phase.

For phase one, Panhua Group will manufacture metal sheets at its facility, generating more than 4,000 direct jobs in the process.

The $1-billion manufacturing plant covers only a third of the company’s plan to invest as much as $3.5 billion in the Philippines’ steel industry.

“They’re very bullish in the Philippines,” Roque said.

Panhua Group first announced plans to invest in the country in 2018, but development lagged largely due to delays during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Roque said the company’s confidence in the country is so strong that Panhua Group, one of China’s largest thin steel producers, is also interested in exploring tea manufacturing in the Philippines.

This plan was conveyed to Roque during her recent visit to Suzhou, China, where she also held meetings with other Chinese companies that have expressed interest in expanding in the Philippines.

Among these companies are NWOW Technology and Shanghai Launch, which are involved in the manufacturing of electric vehicles (EVs).

Roque said she also met with snack food maker Liwayway China, which sells products in the country under the Oishi brand, as the company plans to develop a coconut manufacturing plant that would produce goods for export to China and other markets.

The DTI chief added that she held talks with premium tea beverage brand Chagee, which already has an extensive presence in international markets, including the Philippines.

While there are no planned investment deals yet, Roque said these companies are serious about their expansion plans to meet growing demand for their products, positioning the Philippines as a key manufacturing hub.

This plant was announced back in 2018 but the pandemic caused delays. Now it's ready to start. 

Coronavirus Lockdown: Philippine Eagle, Ebolavirus, and More!

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

The tourism industry is still recovering form the pandemic. To that end the DOT recently sent a large contingent to attract more Chinese tourists. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1274906

The Philippines has sent its largest tourism business mission to China since pandemic as it doubles down on efforts to attract more Chinese travelers into the country.

The Philippine Tourism Industry Business Mission 2026, led by the Department of Tourism (DOT), brought together 35 Philippine travel-related companies and around 280 Chinese travel agencies.

The Philippine Embassy in Beijing on Wednesday said the delegation will be holding business-to-business meetings with Chinese stakeholders in Beijing, Chengdu, and Guangzhou.

At the mission’s stop in Beijing on May 12, Philippine Ambassador to China Jaime FlorCruz said the event’s strong turnout sends a signal that “despite the challenges and uncertainties of recent years, there remains tremendous interest, confidence, and goodwill between the Philippine and Chinese tourism industries.”

“We are already seeing encouraging momentum. Chinese tourist arrivals to the Philippines have been rising significantly, helped in part by the Philippines’ visa-free policy for Chinese tourists introduced last January,” he said, adding that the Philippines is well-positioned to meet the changing preferences of the Chinese market.

Beyond leisure, the envoy said tourism could serve as bridge to build goodwill and familiarity between Filipino and Chinese people.

“The more our peoples see each other’s sights and sounds, the more they meet each other face-to-face, the more opportunities we create for understanding. And mutual understanding matters especially in times of uncertainty,” he said.

DOT Assistant Secretary Sharlene Zabala-Batin, who is part of the mission, confirmed that this is the DOT's largest tourism business mission to China in terms of the participating stakeholders and coverage since the pandemic broke out in 2019.

Beijing-based Tourism Attaché Ireneo Reyes, who also spoke at the meeting, told Chinese travel firms that the Philippines is ready to welcome more Chinese visitors.

The business mission featured presentations on the Philippines’ diverse tourism offerings, including Boracay, Cebu, Palawan, and Manila, as well as tourism products such as diving; culture and heritage; English language learning; Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE); sun-and-sea tourism; nature-based travel; and cruise tourism.

Business matching sessions and networking activities also provided a platform for Philippine and Chinese stakeholders to discuss cooperation opportunities, market strategies, service improvements, and tourism product development.

New direct routes between China and the Philippines were launched this year, including Chongqing-Manila and Quanzhou-Cebu, with more additional and charter flights in the pipeline, according to the envoy.

Latest DOT data show that arrivals from China reached 150,708 in January to April 2026 from 93,186 recorded in the same period last year.

China currently ranks as the Philippines’ fourth largest source of foreign visitors.

Surely there are other reasons than lack of knowledge about Boracay, et al which are preventing more Chinese tourists to visit. Reasons which are out of the DOT's control. 

During the pandemic Mom's began side hustles which eventually turned into full-time income streams. 

https://mb.com.ph/2026/05/16/from-side-hustle-to-lifeline-how-moms-are-rewriting-the-family-economy

This month, modern Filipino moms are proving that motherhood and entrepreneurship can thrive hand in hand. Across the country, more mothers are stepping beyond traditional roles and embracing life as “mompreneurs,” building businesses from home, pursuing their passions, and reshaping the future of their families through digital innovation.

Through communities like PLDT Home’s Madiskarte Moms PH (MMPH), the modern “side hustle” has evolved into something far more powerful: a tech-enabled lifeline helping families navigate an increasingly unpredictable world.

For many mompreneurs, the journey began with either necessity or a spark of inspiration, a homemade chili garlic recipe, curated thrift finds, bespoke footwear, or personalized digital art. Some were driven by the economic uncertainty brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially after losing jobs or sources of income. What started as small ventures eventually became sustainable businesses that now support entire households and communities.

“I had just resigned from my corporate job, and I had an 8-month-old baby to take care of. It was challenging at first because running a business means thinking about marketing strategies, finances, and product development 24/7. That’s on top of my responsibilities as a mom. It was daunting at first, but I was able to press on,” says Ayn Stephanie Buyco Angeles, founder of Marikina-based bespoke footwear brand Hers by Godfather.

“My husband and I got laid off in Dubai, so we decided to return to the Philippines to start anew. When I started Momsatwork, all I could think of was that I had to succeed for my family. I wanted other moms who had the same struggles as me to find a support system through MomsatWork. I wanted to make an empowering and educational platform that will provide opportunities for moms like me,” echoes May Martin-Pimentel, founder of consultation firm Momsatwork.

Faced with changing realities, mothers like Angeles and Pimentel chose to adapt, rebuild, and take charge of their futures. With the support of their loved ones and the sisterhood they found through PLDT Home’s MMPH community, they learned how to scale their businesses and to transform homegrown ideas into thriving enterprises.

Apparently this is an advertisement disguised as a news article but it remains true. 

Ebola is making a comeback in Africa. 

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/amp/story/manila/doh-on-alert-vs-bundibugyo-ebolavirus

THE Department of Health (DOH) said Monday, May 18, 2026, that it is currently on alert over the threat of the Bundibugyo ebolavirus after a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO).

In a statement, the DOH said it is prepared to face the threat of the virus and is already in close coordination with the WHO.

"The DOH is always ready and on alert. We have been notified through the International Health Regulations (IHR) channels, and are in active coordination with the WHO," said the DOH.

Nevertheless, the health department said there is nothing to worry about the Bundibugyo ebolavirus since the threat is in countries sharing land borders with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

"The PHEIC declaration is most important for countries sharing land borders with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, where the event is occurring," said the DOH.

"The WHO advice is clear for countries like the Philippines, where there is no Bundibugyo and that does not share a land border with countries that have Bundibugyo," it added.

For countries like the Philippines, the department said the WHO is merely calling for adequate information dissemination regarding the virus.

"The general public should be provided with accurate and reliable information on the Bundibugyo outbreak and ongoing measures to reduce risk," said the DOH.

Over the weekend, the WHO declared a PHEIC over the Bundibugyo ebolavirus spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

However, the WHO said the PHEIC does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency. 

Will that be the next pandemic?

The Philippine Eagle is facing threats to its population. 

https://www.gmanetwork.com/regionaltv/news/114133/ph-eagle-faces-genetic-threat-amid-declining-population/story/

The Philippine eagle, the country’s national bird and one of the world’s rarest raptors, faces not only diminishing population but also genetic threat that could endanger its survival.

According to a study conducted by the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF), Philippine Genome Center, and University of the Philippines (UP), the species has extremely low genetic variation, based on analysis of 35 eagles.

Because their population is dropping, they have no other available mates. As a result, eagles are forced to mate with their own relatives within the forest, which is called inbreeding.

Authorities said inbreeding produces chicks that are weaker and more prone to illness, so they have a lower chance of survival.

They also reproduce slowly as they lay only one egg every two years, making it like a race against their own species’ survival.

"One reason why the Philippine Eagle is genetically or less healthy is that there is not much exchange or gene flow in the subpopulation so what is happening is that many Philippine eagles are being shot that have thrived and migrated or gone to other mountains and this is usually immature and young eagles meaning we are losing our young eagles that supposedly would have carried the genetic diversity of their bloodline," PEF Director for Operations, Dr. Jayson Ibañez, said.At present, only around 392 pairs or 784 mature eagles remain in the wild.

Authorities said humans remain the primary cause of their continued decline as juvenile or young eagles are often trapped or become victims of illegal hunting.

“We have scientific evidence na super taas ng juvenile and sub-adult mortality rate. During the pandemic alone, we rescued a total 20 Philippine Eagles from 2019-2022 that’s the highest rescue rate ever these eagles were shot, were trapped some of them fell to the sea, 18 out of 20 eagles were immature,” Ibañez added.

But during the pandmiec more eagles were rescued than at any other time!

Coronavirus Lockdown: Hiking Boom, Pandemic Threats, and More!

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

The Asian Development Bank says the fuel crisis won't impact the Philippine economy has hard as the pandemic. 

https://mb.com.ph/2026/05/07/oil-shock-wont-hit-philippines-as-hard-as-covid-19-say-adb-economists

Amid comparisons by some local firms claiming that the ongoing oil crisis triggered by the  conflict in the Middle East is hurting their business operations more severely than the Covid-19 pandemic, economists from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said the broader Philippine economy is unlikely to suffer a shock as deep as the country’s worst post-war recession in 2020.

ADB chief economist Albert F. Park told a media briefing last Wednesday, May 6, that the Manila-based multilateral lender’s latest downgrade in regional growth forecasts remained far less severe than the economic collapse experienced during the pandemic.

Last month, the ADB downgraded its 2026 Philippine gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast to a post-pandemic low of 4.4 percent, matching last year’s flood-control scandal-weakened expansion, while raising its inflation projection to a possibly 18-year high of 6.3 percent.

“The perspective of private-sector [companies] could be different. But at the economy-wide level, we don’t think it would be the same level of shock,” Park said.

Park explained that the Covid-19 crisis disrupted both supply and demand simultaneously, unlike the current oil-driven shock stemming from geopolitical tensions due to the war in Iran.

At the height of the most stringent pandemic lockdowns, “people are not spending, people are not going out—so it’s hugely disruptive. And I don’t think we’re seeing that” now, he pointed out.

“There’s still quite a lot of robust domestic demand in many countries in the region,” he added.

Still, Park acknowledged that persistently elevated oil and food prices would create significant challenges for both households and businesses, especially firms heavily reliant on fuel inputs.

“This is certainly a headwind. Because if oil prices are high and later food prices are higher, then that’s more money [consumers] have to spend on those things—less money they have to spend on other things in the economy,” Park said.

He noted that such pressures could not only weaken consumer demand but also raise production costs for private firms.

For his part, ADB deputy chief economist Abdul Abiad said the ongoing oil crisis, “even under a more severe scenario,” would be unlikely to trigger a contraction comparable to the Philippines’ economic collapse at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, when annual GDP shrank by 9.5 percent in 2020.

For Abiad, the two crises’ shocks “are very different.”

In this current global oil price and supply crisis, “a lot of what will be felt will actually be on the inflation side rather than real activity,” he explained. Philippine inflation already surged to a 37-month high of 7.2 percent in April.

“The other difference is that you had that sharp contraction in 2020, and then you had a quick bounce back” as the domestic economy gradually reopened from pandemic restrictions, he added.

“It’s hard to say how this Middle East conflict would evolve—it could get worse, but it’s difficult to compare. But definitely, in terms of just the shock to real activity, you’re not going to get something as big as that Covid shock in 2020,” Abiad said.

So, it could get worse but it might not. But it could. 

Economic growth has hit a new post-pandemic low. 

https://business.inquirer.net/589015/philippine-gdp-growth-slows-to-2-8-in-first-quarter

The local economy grew at a slower pace of 2.8 percent in the first quarter as the oil shock from the Middle East war added to pressures from a major infrastructure graft scandal.

The first-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) growth, which the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Thursday, further weakened from 3-percent expansion in the fourth quarter of 2025.

The figure landed below the government’s 5 percent to 6 percent target for 2026 and also slumped from the 5.4 percent GDP expansion seen in the same period a year earlier.

It likewise missed the 3.4 percent median estimate of 14 economists polled by the Inquirer.

The main contributors to the first quarter 2026 year-on-year growth were:

• Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, 4.6 percent; 
• Financial and insurance activities, 3.4 percent; and 
• Public administration and defense; compulsory social security, 8.6 percent.

Among the major economic sectors, services grew by 4.5 percent in the first quarter. On the other hand, the agriculture and industry sectors declined by 0.2 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively.

This outcome has now dragged the Philippines economy deeper into one of its weakest runs in 16 years outside the COVID-19 pandemic period.

The country had still been trying to rebound from weak growth in 2025, when infrastructure spending contracted sharply amid the fallout from the flood control corruption scandal, which weighed on both government disbursements and business sentiment.

But in March—the last month of the quarter and the first month of the ongoing Middle East war—an energy shock began to bite, driving up fuel costs and pressuring household purchasing power and business confidence.

It appears the pandemic will remain the weakest economic run but remember, it could get worse. 

The ASEAN is meeting in Cebu this month and they are looking to strengthen "regional healthcare cooperation and building more resilient public health systems amid growing health and pandemic threats across Southeast Asia."

https://mb.com.ph/2026/05/10/asean-pushes-stronger-regional-healthcare-ai-driven-health-systems-amid-pandemic-threats

The 11 leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening regional healthcare cooperation and building more resilient public health systems amid growing health and pandemic threats across Southeast Asia.

In the Chair’s Statement of the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, the leaders emphasized the importance of ensuring universal access to essential health services and accelerating the adoption of digital health systems across the region.

They said ASEAN remains committed to “building a healthier, more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable ASEAN Community” through stronger regional coordination on healthcare and disease response.

The leaders also highlighted the need to address child malnutrition and improve immunization efforts, while enhancing the region’s preparedness and response to outbreaks, pandemics, and emerging health challenges.

Public health emergencies

ASEAN leaders acknowledged the region’s vulnerability to public health threats, including pandemics, disease outbreaks, and natural disasters.

“We reaffirmed our resolve to strengthen regional health security through a coordinated, whole-of-ASEAN approach,” the Chair’s Statement read.

The leaders said ASEAN would work to improve prevention, preparedness, detection, and response systems for future health emergencies.

They also welcomed the planned establishment and operationalization of the ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED), which will serve as a regional hub for surveillance, research, training, and information exchange.

According to the statement, the center aims to strengthen the region’s preparedness and response capabilities during future public health crises.

ASEAN leaders also underscored the importance of strengthening Emergency Operations Centers and the ASEAN EOC Network to improve information sharing and regional coordination during emergencies.

AI, digital health

The leaders also recognized the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare delivery and public health management.

They said AI could help improve diagnostics, imaging, surgical care, patient monitoring, therapeutics, rehabilitation, healthcare operations, and public health systems.

The bloc also expressed support for the ASEAN Health Sector’s digital health and health information systems initiatives as part of broader efforts to modernize healthcare systems across the region.

Earlier in the statement, ASEAN leaders also emphasized the role of AI and emerging technologies in supporting health services and improving regional resilience.

What's the next pandemic? Hantavirus? 

There has been a post-pandemic hiking boom across the Philippines. It has not been great for the environment. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1274712

Interest in communing with nature surged following the pandemic, as more people sought ways to ease worries and pressures brought about by movement restrictions and the challenges that followed.

Camping and hiking were among the activities that gained more enthusiasts, benefiting the local tourism industry.

One of the beneficiaries is the municipality of Barlig in Mountain Province, which recorded a total of 10,529 visitors across its four tourism areas in 2025 alone.

The municipality is home to Mt. Amuyao, one of the highest peaks in the Philippines with an elevation of around 2,702 meters above sea level, which attracted 1,135 tourists last year. The Macalana Rice Terraces also drew 1,135 visitors, while Lake Tufob welcomed 1,064 tourists and the Eagle View Deck logged 7,195 visitors.

In the first quarter of this year alone, around 2,900 tourists visited the municipality’s destinations.

While this is seen as a positive development for tourism, problems arise when undisciplined visitors leave waste behind or improperly dispose of trash in these areas.

In an interview with the Philippine News Agency, Queenie Martinez Francisco, a mountaineering fundamentals training provider who holds a Leave No Trace (LNT) training certification from the United States, said hiking became increasingly popular after pandemic movement restrictions were lifted.

She said hiking became one of the outlets people turned to “for fitness and mental health, amplified by social media exposure.”

“This growth has brought both benefits and challenges to local communities, generating income through tourism, tour-guiding, and small businesses, but also causing issues like overcrowding, environmental damage, and disrespect of local culture due to irresponsible hikers,” she said.

“To address this, the government can implement stricter permit systems, limit daily visitor capacity, require environmental orientation or accreditation for hikers, enforce penalties for violations, and work closely with local communities to ensure sustainable tourism practices that protect both the natural sites and the people who depend on them,” she added.

Leave No Trace

Francisco emphasized the importance of personal knowledge and preparedness when going to the mountains.

She underscored the need for Leave No Trace (LNT) or basic mountaineering course (BMC) training before starting a hiking or mountaineering journey, noting that “most accidents in the mountains happen because of lack of knowledge, (resulting in) getting lost, dehydration, injuries, or making poor decisions during sudden weather changes.”

“Through training, you learn essential skills like navigation, proper pacing, emergency response, and basic first aid, all of which are critical in real outdoor situations,” Francisco said.

“Training also emphasize environmental responsibility by teaching principles such as Leave No Trace, proper waste management, and respect for nature and local communities. At the same time, it builds teamwork and leadership skills, which are essential since hiking often involves group dynamics, communication, and shared responsibility.”

Francisco, who provides BMC training at a popular sports store in the country, said such training benefits not only tourism sites but hikers themselves by equipping them with the necessary mountain skills.

“Mountaineering training is not just for serious climbers, it is for anyone who plans to hike regularly and wants to do it safely, responsibly, and with confidence,” she said.

“Most importantly, it gives you real confidence, not the kind that relies on guesswork, but one (that is) grounded in knowledge and preparation. In the end, joining mountaineering training is not about being ‘extra,’ but about being prepared, minimizing risks, and fully enjoying the mountains the right way,” she added.

How hard is it not to litter? How hard is it to to adequately prepare by bringing proper supplies and looking at a map? Apparently very hard. 

Coronavirus Lockdown: New Gateway, Lasting Effects on Fatherhood, and More!

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

A long-term study by Harvard University on the USA and the Philippines on the lasting effects of the COVID lockdowns on fatherhood was recently released. 

https://www.newswise.com/articles/long-term-study-of-covid-lockdown-and-family-life-shows-unexpected-lasting-effects-on-fatherhood/

In the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, much has been said about how the lockdowns created conditions for dual-parent families to spend more time at home with their children. In an ideal vision of family life, this would have led to parents sharing in quality time and caregiving responsibilities, and bonding with their children in a way they hadn’t been able to do before.

In the United States, ample attention was given to the novelty of how dads, in particular, were getting much more time to participate in the daily, often mundane and yet intimate tasks of child-rearing. Many people hoped that the change would persist, allowing dads more time and flexibility in the long term — ultimately reshaping how we view fatherhood in general.

However, according to new research from anthropologist and fatherhood expert Lee Gettler of the University of Notre Dame, those fathering benefits have not outlasted the pandemic itself.

“COVID didn’t really lead to a large-scale uptick in this new vision for fathering on the part of dads across the board,” said Gettler, the Rev. John A. O’Brien College Professor of Anthropology and chair of the Department of Anthropology, as well as an affiliated faculty at the Eck Institute for Global Health and the William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families.

“I think what’s been missing from many of those initial reports was a wider perspective on what the realities are for families and fathers in the United States and around the world following the pandemic,” he said, “especially as we think about common jobs for men, precarity in the workplace and economic inequality.”

To address those gaps in understanding, Gettler and his team, which included co-author and postdoctoral research associate Sarah Hoegler Dennis, relied on 15 years of longitudinal data to compare fathers’ pre-COVID to post-COVID behaviors. The researchers looked at this data from a non-Euro-American perspective in a major metropolitan area in the Philippines.

What they found was that fathering behaviors, for the most part, did not change much before COVID began versus shortly after the pandemic ended.

“There was this idea out there that a meaningful percentage of dads were spending more time with their kids during the lockdown periods, even if they were still working, and that the dynamics of COVID would lead to this long-term effect on what and how much dads were doing within their families,” Gettler said. “And we just didn’t see that prevailing change.”

The research team drew on a large sample of men who were around 25 years old at the start of the study and followed them for the next 15 years as part of a larger set of research in Cebu, Philippines. Gettler and his team have been studying fathering and the “biology of fatherhood” as part of this project for close to 20 years, and have found that fathers in Cebu have become much more involved in the past few decades, mirroring father involvement in the United States.

During the pandemic, the Philippines also had one of the longest lockdown periods in the world, according to Gettler, with some of the most strict, government-mandated quarantine guidelines in place, making this an appropriate site to test for the effects of the stay-at-home orders on fathering.

The researchers used waves of socio-demographic and fathers’ caregiving data collected prior to the pandemic (2009 and 2014) and after the pandemic (2022-23). The main analyses focused on caregiving changes over time for fathers who had young children at home both pre- and post-pandemic, looking at how involved they were with routine, hands-on care for babies and young children, recreational play and activities, and educational caregiving tasks.

“What we found is that COVID — and the time dads spent at home with their children during that period — did not change fathering in any lasting way,” Gettler said. “As soon as life gets back to normal, we see that dads are continuing to do the same thing they were doing before COVID.”

With one exception, Gettler noted.

For the group of fathers who found themselves going from employed to either unemployed or underemployed because of the pandemic, their involvement with their children’s educational care shot up noticeably, and the change persisted.

“We see this link with employment status and fathers’ ability to spend more time helping kids with school work and homework,” Gettler said. “But that’s the only hint that the conditions surrounding COVID may have contributed to some sort of change in what dads are doing at home.”

At the end of the day, dad’s employment status is the primary predictor for how much care he is providing, Gettler said. He believes that policy changes within the workplace — such as paid paternity leave and widespread flexibility on working from home or setting working hours — might lead to a more lasting change in fatherhood behavior. These structural changes could support permanent shifts in expectations and norms for men as caregivers, and open up more opportunities for dads to get — and stay — involved.

Gettler argued that society needs to recognize how it can better support dads and give them the chance to be more available at home, without the caveat of having to become unemployed or underemployed in order to enjoy such chances to be with their families.

“There are questions remaining about how we can continue to encourage dads in dual-parent families to pull their weight, be a supportive partner or to balance the responsibilities of what it takes to run a household and take care of young children,” Gettler said. “COVID exposed or habituated more dads to what that can look like, but now we need to enable them to continue that behavior.”

Gettler, who is also director of the Hormones, Health, and Human Behavior Lab, works with collaborators at multiple global sites and is an expert on fatherhood and healthy families, including the psychobiology of motherhood and fatherhood and parents’ physical and mental health, as well as child growth, development and physiology. Presently, Gettler works on research projects related to these interests in the United States, the Philippines and the Republic of the Congo.

In the Philippines, lasting increases in fathers’ involvement with young children are unlikely without workplace policies like paternity leave and flexible hours that make caregiving feasible, rather than relying on temporary disruptions like lockdowns.

The pandemic changed the way the Philippines works and now many AI gadgets are available to assist in that change. 

https://www.gmanetwork.com/lifestyle/news/132771/new-office-gadgets-offer-ai-driven-tech/story

As the world moves forward with hybrid work, office gadgets are forced to adapt to change.

The pandemic has drastically changed the way the world works. Deliveries are part of daily life, there's a boom in online jobs, and offices have adopted hybrid work systems.

As working from home is now more commonplace, software and hardware products are offering solutions that make home and office setups better.

For Jabra, a tech company known for its headsets and video technology, its products have also evolved from simple audio and video solutions to artificial intelligence-driven products.

“For the past years, the way we work has fundamentally changed. Hybrid work is no longer a trend, it's the reality for many organizations here in the Philippines. The cons are taking calls from busy offices, from the comforts of their home or from a coffee shop or everywhere in between. At the same time, customers' expectations have gone up, every interaction is expected to be clear and of course we all know during calls there are a lot of disturbances,” explained Larsen Sandoval, country head of Enterprise Philippines, Jabra.

“Our mission is simple but judicious, to help people hear more, do more, and be more. For us in Enterprise, that means designing professional audio and video solutions that are not only technologically advanced but also deeply human,” he added during the launch of its latest products.

The company recently launched the Evolve3 headset and PanCast Room Kit.

The new headset has a more sleek design and the mouthpiece is noticeably absent. The brand wants its users to utilize the product while working and can be simply used as headphones for listening to music and other entertainment.

It is powered by deep neural network (DNN) technology delivering a promise of clear calls even in noisy environments. The headset's Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation adjusts in real time and helps reduce background distractions.

It has two variants, the 85 (over-the-ear) and 75 (on-the-ear). It also boasts of 37 hours of battery use. Price starts at P40,725 for the 85 variant and P32,229 for the 75 variant.

On the other hand, the PanCast Room Kit is an audio and video solution for office meeting rooms.

The kit is composed of the 55 VBS video bar that has audio and multi-camera configurations; the SpeakerMic, an extension microphone that can be placed on the table; and expandable camera and intelligent speaker tracking.

It uses an AI-driven multi-camera system powered by Huddly Crew. The SpeakerMic picks up voices from any part of the meeting room for clearer audio.

The new kit will be available in Q2 of 2026.

I think this is an advertisement disguised as a news article. 

Tourism is still recovering. Air China has opened a new gateway to Manila from Chongqing. 

https://bilyonaryo.com/2026/05/03/air-china-opens-new-gateway-to-manila-from-chongqing/travel/

A new chapter in Philippine–China travel connectivity took flight this weekend as Air China launched its first direct service between Chongqing and Manila.

The inaugural CKG–MNL flight, carrying more than 150 passengers, landed shortly after midnight on May 2 at Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

The arrival was welcomed with a reception organized by the Department of Tourism, which described the new route as a strategic step toward restoring visitor flows from China.

Just over an hour later, the same aircraft departed Manila for Chongqing with 145 passengers on board.

Chongqing, one of China’s largest cities and a major outbound travel hub, is expected to generate a steady stream of leisure travelers to the Philippines.

The government recently reinstated visa-free entry for Chinese nationals arriving through key gateways such as Manila and Cebu, allowing stays of up to 14 days.

Air China also operates direct flights to Manila from other major Chinese cities, including Chengdu and Beijing, strengthening its role in reconnecting the two countries.

In the first quarter of 2026 alone, the airline mounted more than 100 direct flights to the Philippines, offering tens of thousands of seats.

Before the pandemic, China was among the Philippines’ top sources of international visitors. While arrivals have yet to fully recover, recent e-travel data shows more than 150,000 Chinese visitors recorded by end-April this year—an encouraging sign of gradual rebound.

However, with the recent worldwide fuel crisis those number might not recover for a while. 

The World Bank has granted the Philippines $18.85 million to battle pandemics. 

https://mb.com.ph/2026/05/04/world-bank-backs-philippines-pandemic-fight-with-1885-million-grant

The World Bank has approved an $18.85-million grant to strengthen the Philippines’ pandemic response, as the country is considered a global hotspot for emerging infectious and zoonotic diseases.

The Washington-based multilateral lender’s board approved last April 29 the investment project financing (IPF) for the Pandemic Fund-Resilient Philippines Project, which aims to improve the country’s capacity to detect, report, and respond to existing and emerging pathogens with epidemic potential among humans, animals, and wildlife, documents showed.

The project will be jointly implemented by the departments of Agriculture (DA) and of Health (DOH), as well as the DA’s Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI).

The grant will be sourced from the Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response Trust Fund (Pandemic Fund), which was established in 2022.

The World Bank said the project has three components focused on human health, animal health, and overall implementation support.

The human health component aims to strengthen early warning and disease surveillance systems, improve laboratory capacity and diagnostics, and build a more resilient health workforce through training and regulatory support, the World Bank said.

Meanwhile, the animal health component enhances surveillance, information systems, and laboratory capabilities while building local government capacity, with the final component covering project management, monitoring, and evaluation, it added.

The World Bank noted in documents published last year that the Philippines is considered a global hotspot for emerging infectious and zoonotic diseases due to its rich biodiversity and factors such as habitat loss, urbanization, and illegal wildlife trade, which heighten the risk of disease spillover.

The lender also cited that the country has faced repeated outbreaks, including avian influenza or bird flu and African swine fever (ASF), alongside growing threats like antimicrobial resistance that complicate disease control and increase economic and health burdens.

While a 2024 World Health Organization (WHO) evaluation noted improvements in Philippine surveillance, laboratory capacity, and emergency response systems, gaps remain in workforce size and specialized skills needed for pandemic preparedness, it pointed out.

According to the World Bank, despite improvements in preventing, detecting, and controlling public health threats, gaps persist due to fragmented surveillance systems, limited local capacity, manual processes, and weaknesses in laboratory standards, diagnostics access, and workforce readiness.

The animal health sector faces similar constraints, with largely reactive surveillance, coordination challenges in a devolved system, and limited resources and integration needed for timely detection and rapid response to disease outbreaks, according to the World Bank.

"The Philippines is considered a global hotspot for emerging infectious and zoonotic diseases." So this grant is mostly for non-human diseases.