Jollibee Group designates hygiene ambassadors in stores to implement stricter safety protocols

To help protect the health of its customers and store teams whose safety is a top priority, the Jollibee Group has designated Hygiene Ambassadors in the stores nationwide of Jollibee, Chowking, Mang Inasal, Greenwich, Burger King, Red Ribbon, Panda Express, and PHO24. 

These Hygiene Ambassadors are dedicated team members in each branch who help ensure the store’s stricter compliance with the intensified safety measures that the Jollibee Group has implemented following the guidelines issued by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

“Employee and customer safety have always been a top priority as reflected by the stringent safety standards that our brands have set up all these years,” said Joseph Tanbuntiong, Country Business Group (CBG) Head for Philippines. “We have tightened our safety standards even further in alignment with government-mandated protocols.”

“We also continuously study and benchmark with global experts on how to improve safety in all our stores even further,” Tanbuntiong added. “As we welcome our customers back to our stores, we would like them to not only see, but also experience our intensified safety measures with the help of our Hygiene Ambassadors.”

The Hygiene Ambassadors will monitor and guide dine-in customers in following the government-mandated safety standards such as undergoing temperature check before entry, proper wearing of face masks, filling out of health declaration forms, using the disinfecting mat before entry, and observing physical distancing inside the store.

Customer Feedback

Renato dela Cruz, a Burger King customer from Iloilo, has noticed the strict protocols. “Very good implementation of social distancing. Alam namin na safe kami dito dahil mula pa lang sa entrance kinukunan na kami ng temperature tapos nakita rin namin na sinanitize ang table and chair. Masarap kumain ‘pag alam mong safe,” dela Cruz remarked.

Jhuriz Benito of Tagbilaran City, Bohol took note of the consistency of the measures by Greenwich: “I feel comfortable and safe. Greenwich store is really consistent in cleaning and sanitation, making us feel at ease while dining in.”

Mary Joy Garcia of Batangas is also appreciative of Chowking’s efforts: “They observe proper social distancing. The staff wears face masks and face shields. Their tables and chairs are well disinfected and sanitized before and after use. Overall, the store is clean, well disinfected, and sanitized.”

Intensified Safety Measures

On top of these measures, the Jollibee Group has also limited the number of people allowed in every store at a time based on the seating capacity prescribed by the dine-in safety protocols of DTI and the IATF.

The Jollibee Group has also provided store teams with their personal protective equipment (PPE) and free vitamin supplements to help keep them healthy while on duty. Store teams are required to have their temperature checks taken before, during, and after duty; wash their hands every hour; and sanitize their hands every 30 minutes and before and after handling food.

Apart from tightening its safety standards for food preparation and handling even further, the Jollibee Group has also intensified its sanitation protocols by cleaning and sanitizing its stores every 30 minutes, especially high-touch objects including doors, door handles, and fixtures. Handwashing areas and sanitizers have also been made available for customers. Hygiene Ambassadors also help ensure that these store protocols are properly executed.

Stores of the Jollibee Group brands have visual cues in place to maintain physical distancing when queuing and marked tables that are not available for use. Stores also practice no-touch transactions by setting up cash containers on counters where customers could put their money when paying for their orders, whether for in-store, delivery, or drive-thru. Customers may also pay using HappyPlus card, Paymaya, and debit and credit cards.

Using gossips in pandemic ‘trivializes’ health crisis

A women’s party list group on Thursday slammed the reported use by the Philippine National Police of rumormongers, or “chismosas,” for contact tracing activities, calling it a mockery of the worries that families have over the rising cases of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country.

Police Brig. Gen. Albert Ignatius Ferro of the PNP Regional Office in Central Visayas on Thursday said authorities have decided to tap ordinary citizens to increase the number of contact tracing teams in the city, and clarified his earlier statement about tapping neighborhood gossips to track down possible carriers of COVID-19.

“You don’t necessarily have to be a chismosa. Anyone, including critics of the government, can volunteer and help in our contact tracing efforts. Everybody is welcome,” Ferro told the Inquirer.

But Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas said at a press briefing that the PNP’s plan was reflective of the “trivialization” by the Duterte administration of the life-and-death situation many Filipinos face due to the continuing threat of COVID-19.

Serious and important

“Contact tracing is a serious and important health program especially in a pandemic, and should never be reduced to dependence on gossips,” Brosas said.

She added that the PNP Central Visayas’ plan also reinforces the chismosa stereotype among the growing number of unemployed women in communities.

“On President Duterte’s fifth State of the Nation Address, we must make him accountable for criminal cuts in health programs and for showing no serious intent to save us from this pandemic,” the party list representative said.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, in a radio interview, laughed off the PNP’s idea, and said that contract tracers “should have a background on criminal investigation.”

At the same time, he admitted that contract tracers need no special qualifications except for the “ability to think and analyze.”

SWS: ‘Large majorities’ of Filipinos practice prevention measures vs COVID-19

“Large majorities” of Filipinos continue to practice health measures to prevent contracting the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), although the number of people who said they observe physical distancing has declined, according to the latest survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

The survey released on Friday showed that 76 percent of adult Filipinos said they always use face masks when going out of their houses in the past month, while 17 percent said they do it most of the time, 4 percent wear it sometimes, and 2 percent said they rarely or never wore a face mask.

SWS noted that the figures hardly changed from the 77 percent who said in May that they always use face masks since the start of the COVID-19 crisis.

Meanwhile, 65 percent said they always wash their hands several times a day, 30 percent most of the time, 4 percent sometimes, and 1 percent rarely or never. Earlier in May, 68 percent said they always wash their hands several times a day.

The survey also found that 59 percent said they always keep physical distance or a safe distance of 1 meter from other people when they go out of their homes. Twenty-two percent said they do it most of the time, 11 percent said sometimes, and 7 percent rarely or never. The SWS noted that the percentage of respondents who said they always observe physical distance has declined from 64 percent in May.

According to SWS, the proportion of respondents who said they always use face masks is highest in Metro Manila, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, at 90 percent. This was followed by Visayas at 82 percent, and Balance Luzon and Mindanao at 72 percent each.

“Compared to May 2020, those who always use a face mask rose by 12 points from 78% in Metro Manila,” said the poll body.

The number of respondents who always wash their hands is also highest in Metro Manila at 73 percent, an increase from 68 percent in May. This was followed by the Visayas at 69 percent, Mindanao at 67 percent, and Balance Luzon at 59 percent.

Those who always keep physical distance are likewise highest in Metro Manila at 68 percent, followed by the Visayas at 64 percent, Mindanao at 57 percent, and Balance Luzon at 56 percent.

The SWS July 3-6, 2020 National Mobile Phone Survey was conducted shortly after the community quarantine was relaxed in most parts of the country on July 1.

The survey was probability-based and was conducted using mobile phones and computer-assisted telephone interviewing on 1,555 adult Filipinos nationwide or those aged 18 years old and above.

According to SWS, the respondents comprise 306 in Metro Manila, 451 in Balance Luzon, 388 in Visayas, and 410 in Mindanao.

The poll had sampling error margins of ±2 percent for national percentages, ±6 percent for Metro Manila, ±5 percent for Balance Luzon, ±5 percent for Visayas, and ±5 percent for Mindanao).

DOH: Home quarantine guidelines out in April, ‘emphasized’ to LGUs

The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday said that home quarantine guidelines were released as early as April, and have been “emphasized” to local government units (LGUs), in response to Malacañang’s claims that the department failed to clarify the guidelines.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in an online media forum that the DOH issued a memorandum as early as April 11, mandating barangay health emergency response teams or BHERTS to monitor suspect, probable, and confirmed cases of COVID-19 who are in isolation in their homes.

A Joint Administrative Order with the Interior Department on April 15 also declared that mild and symptomatic COVID-19 patients cannot quarantine at home if they do not have their own rooms, own bathrooms, and do not have any individual in their house that is considered vulnerable, she added.

“Since April 11 meron na po tayong nilabas na polisya galing po dito sa DOH. April 11 pa po yan. Na-supplement pa ‘yan dahil nagkaroon tayo ng Joint Administrative order with the DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government) noong April 15 ‘yan nilabas na talagang sinabi diyan ‘yung conditions natin na hindi ka pwedeng mag-home quarantine if these specific conditions were not met,” Vergeire told reporters.

(Since April 11, we already have a policy from the DOH. Since April 11. It was even supplemented because we had a Joint Administrative order with the DILG, it was released on April 15 that our conditions really said that you cannot go home quarantine if these specific conditions were not met.)

Malacañang earlier blamed the DOH’s alleged failure to clarify home quarantine guidelines for asymptomatic or mild COVID-19 patients as one of the reasons behind the spike of infections in the country.

In his regular press briefing in Malacañang on Thursday, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the Health Department “should have been clearer” about the guidelines for home quarantine from the start of the new coronavirus outbreak.

“I think hindi naging malinaw kasi ‘yung sinabi ng DOH that asymptomatic and the mild (cases) can stay home. Hindi nila nilinaw na you must have your own room and bathroom,” Roque said.

(I think it was not clear when the DOH said that asymptomatic and mild cases can stay home. They did not make it clear enough that you must have your own room and bathroom.)

“Kaya sa tingin ko, isa sa mga dahilan ito kaya tumaas ang numero natin. But we’re rectifying it now. We have fully intensified our testing,” he went on.

(That’s why I think this is among the reasons our numbers increased. But we’re rectifying it now. We have fully intensified our testing.)

But Vergeire stressed that the policy was discussed and “emphasized” to local government units during various meetings amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Whenever we have townhall meetings with the local governments, we always emphasized on this na hindi ka pwedeng maghome quarantine kung wala kang sariling kwarto o kaya sariling banyo at meron kayong vulnerable sa bahay,” Vergeire said.

(Whenever we have townhall meetings with the local governments, we always emphasized on this that you cannot quarantine at home if you do not have your own room or your own bathroom and you have a vulnerable person at home.)

“’Yan naman ay ini-emphasize namain sa kanila kailangan meron kayong sariling ligtas COVID centers so you can put or you can place itong ating mga suspects, probable at confirmed dito sa mga quarantine facilities sa local government,” she added.

(We emphasize to them that you need to have your own COVID quarantine centers so you can put or you can place these suspects, probable and confirmed cases there.)

The government earlier discouraged home quarantine and launched its Oplan Kalinga program where mild and symptomatic COVID-19 patients whose houses are not equipped for home quarantine are transferred to state quarantine facilities.

The Philippines’ COVID-19 caseload hit 74,390 on Thursday with the addition of 2,200 more infections. Meanwhile, 24,282 people have recovered from the respiratory disease although 1,871 died.

Duterte orders probe into alleged PhilHealth irregularities

President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered an investigation into alleged irregularities in the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.’s procurement of an information technology system that reportedly caused a rift between some of the state insurance firm’s officials and its president and chief executive officer Ricardo Morales.

A meeting last Wednesday between Morales and his officials as well as some Cabinet secretaries saw some heated exchanges over the IT system and led to at least one PhilHealth official turning in his resignation letter on Thursday.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed the resignation of lawyer Thorrsson Montes Keith, PhilHealth anti-fraud legal officer.

Roque said he only saw so far the resignation letter of Keith following reports that two others have resigned.

Roque told the Inquirer on Thursday that the President has “authorized” Undersecretary Jose Melchor Quitain, head of the Office of the Special Assistant to the President which in turn is under the Office of the President, to conduct the investigation.

“We enjoined all parties, including Keith, to fully cooperate with Undersecretary Quitain so we can get to the truth,” Roque said.

“In this time of the (Covid-19) pandemic, the President will not tolerate corruption in an agency trusted by all to provide medical assistance to Filipinos,” Roque also said.

In his July 23 letter to Morales, which was provided by an Inquirer source and which Roque confirmed to have seen as well, Keith said his resignation takes effect on Aug.31. Among the reasons he cited were his belief of “widespread corruption in PhilHealth” and his opposition to the mandatory payment of PhilHealth contribution by overseas Filipino workers that he said was “unconstitutional” and against the Universal Health Law.

“It is against my personal values to let the OFWs pay for the spillages of Philhealth,” Keith said.

He also said there was a need for an independent agency to look into “the rampant and patent unfairness” in the agency’s promotion process.

Karol G Recovering From ‘Difficult, Painful’ Battle With Coronavirus

Karol G has confirmed she tested positive for the coronavirus. The 29-year-old star shared the diagnosis during an Instagram Live on Monday.

The Colombian songstress revealed that she found out several weeks ago but didn’t want to worry her parents -- one of the reasons she kept it a secret.

"I didn't want to make it public for various reasons,” she said, addressing fans in Spanish. “I didn't want to make it public because my parents are far away. I didn't want to worry anyone. My family and I are very close and do a lot of things together, and under different circumstances, they would most likely be here with me."

"My single ["Ay DiOs Mío"] was also set to come out, and I didn't want any of the headlines to be about me having the virus,” she added.

The "X" singer said that after testing positive for the virus, she immediately decided to self-isolate from her fiancé, Anuel AA, who does not have the illness. Prior to the news, the couple filmed a video for their song, "Follow," in quarantine.

She added that she is now feeling well and is hopeful that her latest test, taken Monday, comes back negative.

“Thank you to everyone who has reached out,” she said. “I did have COVID-19 and it was very difficult, [and] painful, but I'm recuperating.”

"Thank you for the sweet messages and for everyone that has worried about me,” she continued. “All I can [say] is, please take care of yourself. COVID-19 is real. I didn't want to make this news public ... but I'm doing well."

While isolating from Anuel AA will no doubt be difficult, the singer opened up to ET in August last year about the positive aspects of time apart.

"I feel like being apart from each other also helps our relationship and breaks the monotony of things," she said. "Every time we see each other it's like a surprise and I get really excited. So we don't have a [wedding] date right now, but I'm acting as if we're already married."

The couple's wedding was reportedly postponed due to the pandemic.

Karol G is one of several Latin musicians who have tested positive for the virus, including Prince Royce and members of Morat.

Others in the music industry who have contracted the illness include Pink and Babyface.

COVID-19 Is Surging. Donald Trump’s Response Is Shrinking

Dr. Peter Hotez tuned into last Friday’s White House Coronavirus Briefing hoping he might learn something new. Hotez is the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor’s College of Medicine and one of the leading vaccine researchers in the world. He and a team of scientists are currently working to develop a coronavirus vaccine candidate, but that breakthrough could be months or years away. For now, Hotez wanted to know what federal leaders had planned to deal with the new spike in COVID-19 infections.

Sixty days had gone by since the American public had last heard from the White House Coronavirus Task Force. During that two-month lacuna, almost 70,000 of us died from COVID-19 and more than 1.5 million of us tested positive for the virus. Now, while the countries that were first hit by the virus — China, Italy, Spain — began to reopen their economies and send children back to school, the U.S. plateaued and then entered what appears to be a deadly new phase of the worst pandemic in a century.

But as Hotez listened to the briefing’s rotating cast of administration officials last Friday, he struggled to discern any cogent, consistent message about fighting the virus. What he heard instead, he says, was a mix of self-congratulation, stale science, and spin.

Dr. Peter Hotez tuned into last Friday’s White House Coronavirus Briefing hoping he might learn something new. Hotez is the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor’s College of Medicine and one of the leading vaccine researchers in the world. He and a team of scientists are currently working to develop a coronavirus vaccine candidate, but that breakthrough could be months or years away. For now, Hotez wanted to know what federal leaders had planned to deal with the new spike in COVID-19 infections.

Sixty days had gone by since the American public had last heard from the White House Coronavirus Task Force. During that two-month lacuna, almost 70,000 of us died from COVID-19 and more than 1.5 million of us tested positive for the virus. Now, while the countries that were first hit by the virus — China, Italy, Spain — began to reopen their economies and send children back to school, the U.S. plateaued and then entered what appears to be a deadly new phase of the worst pandemic in a century.

But as Hotez listened to the briefing’s rotating cast of administration officials last Friday, he struggled to discern any cogent, consistent message about fighting the virus. What he heard instead, he says, was a mix of self-congratulation, stale science, and spin.

Vice President Mike Pence said the country had “flattened the curve,” even though the trend line of new cases was aimed unmistakably upward. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar described the recent surge in cases as localized “hotspots,” even though the places experiencing the largest new outbreaks — Houston, Miami, Los Angeles, Phoenix — ranked among the top-ten largest metropolitan areas in the country. Pence cited the declining fatality rate as evidence of progress, even though the data is unequivocal that virus-related deaths can lag behind infections by several weeks.

What Hotez didn’t hear, he told me, was anything like a coherent national strategy for fighting COVID-19. There were ongoing efforts by FEMA and other federal agencies focused on procuring critical medical supplies and expanding testing capacity, as well as the administration’s breakneck push to develop a coronavirus vaccine. But top administration officials offered no discussion of which response measures might make the most impact and should therefore be prioritized, leaving Hotez with the impression that they were chipping around at the edges of the problem. “This is not easy for me to criticize them,” he says of senior officials in the administration. “But even after almost six months, they cannot articulate a cogent plan. I have never gotten a sense of what their plan is.”

Last week’s Task Force briefing was emblematic of a larger problem with the administration’s response to the pandemic. At a time when national leadership, consistent communication, and a well-defined strategy are needed more than ever, doctors, scientists, and public-health experts say the Trump administration is missing in action, content to play a supporting role and to let states and cities take the lead. All the while, President Trump spreads misinformation about testing (“If we did very little testing, we wouldn’t have the most cases”) and insists the pandemic will just “fade away.”

While it’s impossible from the outside to see everything underway inside the federal government, there are clear indications that the administration has scaled back its response even as the COVID-19 crisis worsens. After meeting daily for much of March and April, the Coronavirus Task Force now meets one to three times a week, according to a Task Force official. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top scientist on the Task Force, has seen his access to the president shrink. And a spokeswoman for FEMA tells Rolling Stone that there are 1,000 fewer employees currently assigned to support COVID-19 work than there were at the peak of the agency’s response.

Patch Magtanong donates PPE

Beauty queen Patricia Magtanong donated through Panday Bayanihan personal protective equipment (PPE) to frontliners battling the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

According to the 26-year-old lawyer, she delivered the items to the National Center for Mental Health and the Philippine Children’s Medical Center.

The Miss International Philippines 2019 also thanked her friend and Grace Poe’s son, Brian Poe Llamanzares.

“Also working with Senator Poe’s office to craft and promote legislation pro-women and children. Recently, we filed Senate Bill No. 1410 which abolishes a penal provision legitimizing honor killings against women and children. Looking forward to more!” she wrote as the caption to her Instagram post.

Grace thanked Patch for her good deed.

“I’d like to thank my fellow UP alum Bb. Pilipinas International 2019 Patch Magtanong for her donation of PPEs. Through donors like @patchmag, we are able to help more hospitals in need. The @PandayBayanihan team, led by @heyitsbrianpoe, visited the Philippine Children’s Medical Center—which caters to kids infected with #Covid19 to distribute the PPEs donated by Atty. Magtanong,” wrote the daughter of late action star Fernando Poe Jr.

Ara Mina donates truckload of rice

Actress Ara Mina continues to help people during this public health crisis. She revealed on Instagram that their #TEAMDARVE recently donated a truckload of rice to people in the province of Laguna, Quezon City, Rizal, Caloocan, and Angeles, Pampanga.

“Ang munting tulong na ito ng aming #TEAMDARVE ay sana malayo ang marating,” she wrote as caption to photo of herself in front of the truckload of rice.

“Salamat sa lahat ng LGU’S at volunteers na tumulong sa pamamahagi ng aming nakayanan… Kaya natin ito! Tulong-tulong tayo!”

Prior to this, she prepared and gave milk and choco drink to kids in Caloocan, Malabon, and Binangonan, Rizal through the Goodwill Heart Foundation.

Early this month, Ara also launched a fundraiser to fight COVID-19.

“To celebrate my birthday, I’ve started another fund drive in collaboration with Pia Gladys Perey-Wälte, an International Fashion Designer. The project aims to raise funds to produce Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for our medical frontliners,” she shared at the time.

On her birthday May 9, Ara gave away 200 packs of food and drinks to Commonwealth Hospital and Medical Center.

Rocco Nacino, girlfriend join feeding activity for quarantined marine soldiers

Actor Rocco Nacino and girlfriend Melissa Gohing recently participated in a feeding activity for quarantined marine soldiers spearheaded by Brigadier General Cherisse Manzano of the Marines. The two along with Philippine Navy’s team S.T.A.R.S visited the soldiers to personally extend their gratitude to them for risking their lives in the fight against COVID-19.

“Isipin mo, pagkatapos mo magserbisyo, kailangan mo pa rin magpaquarantine. Imagine yung tagal na di mo makakasama ang pamilya nyo,” he wrote on Instagram.

Before some people think it was like a mass gathering, Kapuso star said they followed a “strict contact policy.”

“Kaya kwentuhan from afar nalang ang naganap with our frontliners,” Rocco said.

“Muli, salamat sa inyo, sa officers natin, at sa kapwa natin reservists at volunteers na nagtutulong tulong para makabangon tayo agad. Snappy salute! #PhilippineNavy,” he ended his post.

FDCP releases guidelines for TV and film production amid ‘new normal’ situation

The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) has prescribed guidelines on shooting TV series and films amid “new normal” situation brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. FDCP chair Liza Diño said film and TV outfits have to forgo shooting of large, elaborate scenes as a way to prevent the transmission of the deadly virus.

“Pagdating sa mga location restrictions at sa scene restrictions, dahil nga bawal ang mass gathering, alam natin pagdating sa production shoot hindi naman ‘yan camera at may tao tapos sinu-shoot na natin ‘yung eksena. Talagang nagse-set up tayo at nagsi-simulate tayo ng real life, so hindi muna natin pwedeng gawin ngayon,” Dino said during the Laging Handa briefing.

“Ang mga malalaking eksena, ‘yung mga eksena that constitute mass gatherings, katulad ng mga night club scene, political rallies, mga concerts, parada, festivals, mga malalaking parties, siyempre, it involves people and mahihirapan tayong ma-control ‘yun dahil number one, pinagbabawal sa atin ngayon ‘yun,” she continued.

Strict social distancing among workers should also be observed.

“Kasama rito ang strict social distancing measures na naaangkop at naka-contextualize film industry, ang ating mga health at sanitation protocols, na dapat nating isapuso at isabuhay, at ‘yung medical precautions na dapat nating tinatandaan,” Dino said.

The protocol limits the maximum number of people on set to 50 and mandates the wearing of face masks and personal protective equipment of workers.

“Nakakatuwa dahil magsisimula ang produksyon pero nakakakaba rin dahil nakasalalay din dito ang safety ng ating production workers,” she said.

The Thai duo hopes to visit PH once COVID-19 pandemic is over

The Boys Love (BL) series “2gether”may have streamed its last episode on the GMMTV YouTube account, but songs from the show continue to make waves in the Philippines.

Thai crossover sensation Scrubb dominates streaming platforms such as Spotify with an average of four to six entries a day on the Philippines Viral Top 50.Their back catalog, which includes “Wish,” “Everything,” “Smile,” and “Close,” has consistently charted on the local digital and streaming services for more than a month.

“The author is one of our fans who started writing this story as an online fiction inspired by our songs,” Scrubb’sTorpong “Ball” Chantabubpha was quoted to have said in a statement on how their infectious set of melodic guitar pop tunes made its way to the Original Soundtrack (OST) of the hit series. “Then it got published as a book.

Finally, the series came out, which encouraged more people to listen to our songs. We have to thankJitti, the author, for putting our songs in the original story and making all of these things happen.”

Scrubb’s songs have somehow aided in championing a narrative that supports the unique romantic experiences of the LGBTQ+ community. Their involvement in the official soundtrack of a pop culture behemoth encourages visibility and representation in mainstream media, which has long shunned stories that go against societal norms.

As an artist, we have no specific audience,” said Muey Thawatpon Wongbunsiri, the other half of Scrubb. “Our songs are our diaries. It’s a way for us to keep the good memories from that period of time. I think the listeners can also relate to the song as they face similar situation or atmosphere. We are happy when anyone can enjoy and get inspired by our song no matter who they are.”

Aside from their contribution to the “2gether” soundtrack, the duo recently released their song “Everyday.”

To date, the folk-pop duo has been receiving offers to play a number of shows abroad from international promoters. Maybe in the Philippines too when the pandemic is over?

“Our plans to tour outside Thailand are forced to stop because of COVID-19 outbreak. At the moment we are writing, rehearsing, and preparing to be back on stage once again once this pandemic is finally over. We also hope that we’ll get a chance to be there and play for our fans in the Philippines soon,” Ball said.

Broadcast journalist Howie Severino donates blood plasma to PGH after COVID-19 recovery

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Severino explained the process in order to encourage other COVID-19 survivors to donate their plasma.

"I’m donor number 38 at PGH (Philippine General Hospital), although the process actually took place in a classroom at the nearby UP College of Medicine, so it’s not in a hospital setting with its higher risk of infection. Others choose to donate at other hospitals, but donors are still a small fraction of the survivors who form the pool of potential donors,” he said.

Medical experts at PGH are using convalescent plasma therapy to help patients who are positive for COVID-19.

The journalist has shared photos of him hooked into the machine, which separates the yellow fluid from the blood.

“Surprisingly, the liquid gold as the doctors call it is that color. The med techs were handling it like a newborn baby, and they also let me hold it like I was a mother who just gave birth,” he said.

Severino said a committee of doctors decides on who will receive the plasma, however, there is an ongoing debate whether it should be given only to the gravely ill or also the moderately ill.

“That choice becomes less wrenching if more survivors donate plasma, and more patients receive it, which is one reason for doing this story assuring potential donors that this process is not dangerous or scary, and perhaps one of the easiest ways to save a life,” he underscored.

The journalist assured the potential donors that this process “is not dangerous and perhaps one of the easiest ways to save a life.”

6,500 returning OFWs to receive certificate, clearance to secure transportation going home

More than 6,000 returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), who tested negative for the coronavirus disease, will be given certificates that they can use to secure transportation back to their home provinces and cities, the Philippine Coast Guard said Friday, May 15. Admiral Joel Garcia, Coast Guard commandant, announced that 6,500 returning OFWs who underwent swab test administered by the Sub-Task Group for the Repatriation of OFWs, “will receive certificates from the Philippine Red Cross and quarantine clearances from the Bureau of Quarantine after yielding negative results on the RT-PCR testing for COVID-19.”

The certificate and clearance will be used by the OFWs to secure transportation from local manning agencies, Garcia said.

Garcia met with 62 local manning agencies last Thursday to seek their cooperation on the safe and secured transportation of OFWs who are cleared to go home this week.

“Naibigay na natin sa mga manning agencies yung listahan ng mga OFWs na may Red Cross certificate at quarantine clearance. Hiningi natin yung tulong nila na kausapin yung mga OFWs para makapaghanda at makakuha ng biyahe sa barko o eroplano ngayon Sabado o pagkatapos ng bagyo (we have submitted the list of OFWs with Red Cross certificate and quarantine certificate to the manning agencies. We sought their help to coordinate with the OFWs so they can prepare and secure transportation via ships or airplanes this Saturday or after the typhoon,” Garcia said.

While hundreds of OFWs, who completed their mandatory 14-day quarantine have already gone home, Garcia appealed for understanding from the OFWs staying at the three quarantine sites in Port Area, Manila , waiting for their swab analysis and release of necessary certificates.

“Iniingatan po natin na mahaluan ng COVID-19 positive ang mga taga-probinsya. There are 55 provinces na hindi under enhanced community quarantine. Ibig sabihin, halos lahat po ng nag-po-positibo, maliban sa NCR, ay nanggagaling sa abroad. (We do not want to bring positive cases in the provinces. There are 55 provinces not under the enhanced community quarantine. That means, almost all positive cases, aside from NCR, came from abroad),” Garcia explained.

“Ito po yung iniingatan natin - na hindi sila mahawaan. Kaya nauunawaan rin po natin yung mga LGU (local government unit) kung bakit mahigpit sila sa pagtanggap sa kanilang mga constituents (This is what we are taking care of - for them not to be infected. We understand why LGUs are enforcing strict measures on welcoming back their constituents),” the commandant furthered.

After the meeting with stakeholders and other concerned agencies, the Sub-Task Group for the Repatriation of OFWs also assured local manning agencies that Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the Department of Transportation will actively assist them on the release and transport of OFWs to their respective home provinces or cities.

Baguio City artists join forces to make PPEs for garbage collectors

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a dismal effect on our economy. Lots of workers have been displaced as businesses have been put on hold. Among those badly hit is the art community. With lockdowns and quarantines in place, exhibits and cultural shows have been postponed, if not canceled. Artisan stores and shops have also been closed.

But in Baguio City, the country’s first ever Creative City as awarded by UNESCO, local artists are extending their hands to those most vulnerable. Although most of them are also struggling financially, these artists have been using their skills and talents, coming together to provide food assistance for medical frontliners and to create personal protective equipment (PPE) for the city’s garbage collectors.

This initiative is headed by sculptor and fashion designer Laydeh Alberto, working together with performance artist Francis Siapno a.k.a Miz Kiki Krunch. In a conversation with Manila Bulletin Lifestyle, these two creatives share how Baguio City’s local artists have come together to make this project possible and what inspires them to do it.

Delicious food, relief packs, and PPEs

Laydeh owns Café Cueva, a food store at Ili-Likha Artists Village. Under quarantine, the store has been closed, only available for online and take-out orders. With access to a kitchen that serves mouthwatering food, she decided to provide delicious meals to medical frontliners. While doing this, she thought of the garbage collectors tirelessly working around the city.

“Cafe Cueva has been feeding frontliners from the get-go,” she says. “But I wanted to do more. I can see that the focus is on helping medical workers but we somehow neglect the garbage collectors. They’ve been working continuously even in the ECQ, rain or shine. They work unprotected, to think that they are the ones handling hazardous wastes from hospitals.”

With a limited budget, she looked for ways she could turn her vision of helping these workers into reality. She came across Miz Kiki’s donation drive and that was how their collaboration began. “The café’s sale is down and as much as I wanted to help, I didn’t have the funding for it,” says Laydeh. “That’s when I saw Miz Kiki’s fundraising and I pitched to her my ideas.”

Unexpected collaboration

Kiki’s original plan was to hold a one-man drag queen show for the celebration of her 30th birthday this year. But thanks to Covid-19, this plan was canceled, so she found ways to divert this project into something more useful and helpful.

“I had initial sponsors for my supposed show. Then naisip ko na yung ibibigay sana nila na sponsorship for the show, i-laan ko muna dito sa donation drive since ito naman mas kailangan (I thought of using that sponsorship money to set up a donation drive since it was what was more urgently needed),” says the drag show performer. “We raised around P90,000. We used the initial P60,000 to provide relief packs for the jeepney drivers of Baguio and La Trinidad, Benguet. We also gave to utility workers of the city hall and University of the Philippines-Baguio. The remaining budget, that’s what we’ve been using to make PPEs for garbage collectors.”

According to Kiki, some artists, who didn’t have cash to donate, sent their crafts and products instead for her to sell. The money from the sale has gone to the donation drive. Meanwhile, some used their social media influence to inform people about the fundraising project.

With all these efforts combined, Laydeh has been able to start making PPEs for the garbage collectors. Due to limited access to materials, she used umbrella textile she bought from a local shop. Using an old sewing machine, the fashion designer has been tirelessly sewing these PPEs by herself. The empty Ili-Likha, owned by National Artist for Film Kidlat Tahimik, serves as her studio and production house.

“I’ve been doing it alone, from cutting to sewing,” she says. “We’re aiming to give PPEs to garbage collectors of five barangays. That is equal to 30 PPEs. My thought is, if we protect them, we protect ourselves. It really goes hand in hand.”

Kiki and Laydeh say they are doing all of these because they appreciate the efforts of garbage collectors to serve the community. “They are so brave,” Kiki says. “We’re truly grateful for their service. They are too passionate about their job and I hope they have the same passion when it comes to taking care of themselves. They are frontliners and we need them now more than ever.”

People Claim This Dean Koontz Novel Predicted the COVID-19 Outbreak as “Wuhan-400”

There are so many conspiracy theories about the 2019 novel coronavirus (now named as COVID-19) outbreak that it is hard to tell whether any of these is actually true at all. But there’s a recent impressive “prediction” that has gone viral because an old Dean Koontz novel appears to have predicted the COVID-19 outbreak with some accuracy! The virus involved in the novel is called “Wuhan-400”. And though the one in the movie had a faster incubation period and a 100% mortality rate, it supposedly happened in 2020 and that is the exact year we are in! The book, entitled “The Eyes of Darkness”, was published in 1981.

The bestselling suspense author Dean Koontz wrote the book that tells the story of a Chinese military lab that creates a virus as part of its biological weapons program. “They call the stuff ‘Wuhan-400’ because it was developed at their RDNA labs outside of the city of Wuhan, and it was the four hundredth viable strain of man-made micro-organisms created at that center,” explained Carl Dombey, one of the characters in the novel. The character went on to explain the scary characteristics of the Wuhan-400, saying that it can’t live without a human host of longer than a minute. “If I understand you, the Chinese could use Wuhan-400 to wipe out a city or country, and then there wouldn’t be any need for them to conduct a tricky and expensive decontamination before they moved in and took over the conquered territory,” another character, Elliot, said in reply. Did Dean Koontz Really Predict the Wuhan Outbreak? Eerily, there are many parts of the novel that appear to have really predicted the virus. There is a Wuhan Institute of Virology located just a few kilometers away from Wuhan City. Moreover, COVID-19 is believed to be unable to survive without a host after a few minutes; though it is believed to have come from animals before finding a human host. But according to Mashable, as impressive as the book might have been in “predicting” the Wuhan outbreak, the novel had a Russian biological weapon named “Gorki-400” when it was first published. It was only in later publications that the antagonists became Chinese, the locations moved the China, and the virus renamed to “Wuhan-400”.