Jollibee Food Corporation (JFC) has announced that it will close 255 stores after suffering from a net loss of 11.96 billion pesos for the first six months of the year. By closing some of its stores, the company hopes to rebuild its business in order to meet the change in consumer behavior brought about by […]
Education undersecretary Nepomuceno Malaluan said that at least 4 million learners are not coming back to school this year due to continuing COVID-19 threat. To address this concern, the Department of Education is planning for interventions that will give non-enrollees access to various opportunities for learning. Editor’s Note: We are now seeing the negative impacts of the […]
The Philippine economy is experiencing its greatest contraction in two decades following the extension of lockdowns in the country. The Reuter poll in June projected a 9% decline in economy, but official figures are now much larger, now pegged at 16.5%. Economic planners are now projecting an annual shrinkage of 5.5%. Editor’s Note: For non-economists, such […]
Following the call medical community’s call for timeout last August 2, 2020, representatives from various medical societies have been included in the technical panel for crafting the “whole of nation approach”. According to Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, the inclusion of medical experts is due to the President listening to their sentiments. The expert panel is […]
The following article was penned by the Philippines’ Department of Education (DEPED) Secretary, Leonor Briones. In it, she relates some of the decisions the DEPED had to make during the pandemic. Briones cites the resumption of classes in many countries for pushing for the start of classes on August 24, 2020. She also explains how […]
In a press briefing yesterday, July 22, 2020, presidential spokesperson said that the Philippines’ capital may revert back to a stricter quarantine if coronavirus cases reach 85,000 by July 31. Under a stricter quarantine level, businesses can only operate up to 50% and limitations to transport services will continue. Editor’s Note: This is what happens when […]
In a press briefing held today, July 9, 2020, DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that they could no longer see link of current infections to any positive case, which means that infections are coming from everywhere. Editor’s Note: Even as other countries are now focused on strengthening health care systems and jumpstarting economies, ours is […]
In this article by Ian Nicholas Cigaral for Philippine Star, he reports the data on the mobility of Filipinos during the community quarantine in the Philippines. Using mobility data collected by Google and Apple (this is collected from phones that had their location services turned on), Cigaral discovered that majority of Filipinos have opted to stay […]
The Philippines will soon be joining either Phase Two or Phase Three of the clinical trials for the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Sinovac Biotech. According to Science and Technology secretary Fortunato Dela Pena, the trials will likely begin September 2020. The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) has recently approved the country’s participation in at least five […]
Yesterday, Independence Day, the front page of The Manila Times newspaper headlined a study from the University of the Philippines. It said: “Covid transmission significant – experts. 40,000 cases seen in June”. [efn_note]https://www.manilatimes.net/2020/06/12/news/headlines/covid-transmission-significant-experts/731127/[/efn_note] The “experts” advised not to lift the lockdown. For many, this news headline was the last thing they wanted to see. Instead […]