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Saturday, July 11, 2020

Lessons from the Philippines' Failure Against Covid-19



Wazzup Pilipinas!

Under the Uncertainties of COVID-19

The deadly widespread COVID-19 has presented the world unprecedented challenges. It is not only a global public health emergency that has claimed thousands of hundreds of people’s lives, but also causes immediate and long-term economic impacts which have devastating effects on billions of households. Philippine becomes the second hardest-hit country by COVID-19 in Southeast Asia. As of early July, there are 51,754 confirmed cases and 1,314 fatalities reported . The number of confirmed cases has been increasing rapidly since June.

The most marginalized across the country– the 33 million children who make up around one-third population of Philippine[i] – are likely to be hit the hardest. Too many children have been denied healthcare, been torn out of school, or left in abusive homes without access to protection.

But in crisis there is also opportunity. The pandemic is a chance for regional governments to build back better, safer and greener. In July, Save the Children set out a post-pandemic agenda for the Asia Pacific region as well as Philippine – a road map for how we can use the disruption of Covid-19 to create fairer and more inclusive societies. We believe that the virus must lead to a fundamentally different world – a new social contract between governments and people, drawing on lessons from the pandemic’s impact on all of our lives.

With the COVID-19 fatality rate of 3.37%, Philippine has the second-highest fatality rate in Southeast Asia[ii]. The rapid spread and relative high death ratio of COVID-19 have shown the inefficiency of the healthcare system as well as insufficient public health management capacity of Philippine. Broadly speaking, countries with well-functioning hospitals and stockpiles of crucial supplies including Personal Protective Equipment have done better in protecting their populations from the pandemic. Philippine’s low healthcare expenditure mainly explains the low efficiency. The healthcare expenditure of Philippine as part of the GDP has been around 4.4% for several years, much lower than the world’s average level of 9.89%[iii]. Philippine also has faced a shortage of vital medical supplies. “The average number of ventilators in small hospitals around the Philippines is very small compared to what is really needed.” According to media report[iv]. While countries with better-resourced healthcare systems such as Thailand and Vietnam have done much better. For example, Thailand could provide 10,000 ventilators for a population of 70 million. The pandemic is a wake-up call for governments to target at least five percent of their GDP spending on healthcare moving forward.

The education sector has also been disrupted on an unprecedented scale, with 28,451,212 students affected in Philippine due to the nation-wide school closures[v]. To stem the spread of coronavirus, in early March, all educational institutions were enforced to close schools and classes have been shifted online[vi]. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte recently says he will not allow students to go back to school until a coronavirus vaccine is available, even as some other countries resume in-person classes[vii]. However, virtual classrooms are inaccessible to those without internet connections. The pandemic has exposed the sharp digital divide in Philippine, where most children living in rural and remote areas and have no access to the internet. Philippine’s network readiness index scores only 47.7, ranking 71 worldwide, compared with Singapore’s 82.13[viii], which shows the most of Filipino children are not technically prepared for long-term online learning.

Internet access is becoming more than just a daily necessity but is also crucial to fulfilling a number of children’s human rights – including access to education and information. With online education likely here to stay, the Philippine government must redouble efforts to ensure that everyone can access the internet, including in marginalized and rural communities.

The combination of lockdown and school closure has also heightened the risks of increased Violence Against Children (VAC), particularly online sexual exploitation in Philippine. The financial and psychological pressures brought about by the pandemic have increased tensions in the home, resulting in huge spikes in calls to domestic violence hotlines in Philippine. Children have been particularly hard hit by what the UN has called a “shadow pandemic”, as they have been unable to access the protection services they normally would or find sanctuary and safety in schools. The Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Cybercrime said 279,166 child sexual abuse cases have been reported from March 1 to May 24 this year, compared to 76,561 cases over the same period in 2019. The cases of internet-based sexual exploitation of children this year was an increase up to 264 percent, the Philippine’s DOJ pointed out[ix].

The government leaders must use the pandemic to strengthen systems protecting children from domestic violence and other forms of abuse. They must invest in remote monitoring systems that can better detect violence against children behind closed doors in family homes. The virus has also shown that social service workers who play a crucial role in protecting children from harm must be deemed “essential” in the same way that medical doctors and nurses are.

The pandemic has wrought havoc across war-torn and wealthy societies worldwide. In Philippine, the situation is not any better with 33 million children facing different forms of issues associated healthcare, learning and violence on different levels. We owe it to children to learn our lessons from the virus and create a world where they can not only stay alive with their families, but also grow and thrive.

Could Republic Act 6735 Save ABS-CBN?


Wazzup Pilipinas!

Hey ABS-CBN ( In The Service of the Filipino), have you considered this?

Republic Act 6735 otherwise known as "The Initiative and Referendum Act" was approved on August 4, 1989 to provide for system of initiative and referendum to directly propose, enact, approve or reject, in whole or in part, the Constitution, laws, ordinances, or resolutions passed by any legislative body.

How come nobody significant or in position is talking about this option?

Pustahan, hindi man lang masisimulan itong Republic Act 6735 dahil karamihan lang naman ng ingay sa social media ay hanggang dito lang talaga.

Maraming matapang lang online. Puro satsat, reklamo at bash, pero mga takot din ang mga yan kumontra sa gobyerno dahil no one in  government plays clean especially these traditional politicians.

The numbers might not even reach 11k which is supposedly the number of ABS-CBN employees. Iba na kasi usapan kapag identified na sila. Baka maidagdag pa names nila sa War on Drugs list.

Yang mga pabidang Senators at artistang react to the max, hindi na magpaparamdam mga yan. Mananahimik na lang sila.

Seryosong usapan, I'm sure the TV network's team of lawyers have exhausted all possible options to regain its franchise, even to the point of getting the public's sympathy so the people could in turn influence the decision of their congressmen. Kaso there must be too little a commotion. The effort was not enough to get a favorable decision.

It's a sign it must be undeserving. Huwag ipagpilitan ang sarili sa ayaw sa iyo. Tutal American citizen rin naman si Lopez, he could setup his new TV network in the US instead....isama nya yung 11k na empleyado nila. At least away from a menacing Duterte. By the way, meet Trump, the US version of the Davao mayor.

E-commerce Portals Lazada and Shopee: Leading in the Philippines



Wazzup Pilipinas!

Lazada and Shopee are founded in Singapore. But the products sold at their sites are mostly made in China.

Sadly China-made products are still the cheapest especially when compared to Philippine-made.

Shopee is a Singaporean e-commerce platform headquartered under Sea Group (previously known as Garena), which is a global consumer internet company founded in 2015 by Forrest Li.

Lazada Group is another e-commerce company founded by American Maximilian Bittner in Singapore with the backing of Rocket Internet in 2012, and now owned by the Alibaba Group.

The two companies are merely portals that conveniently gives you access, and also a platform to sell, several products from different vendors. They are online malls or shopping centers.

Aside from the two, there are a few more similar e-commerce sites out there also not free from mischievous sellers, and buyers.

We still have to be extra careful in dealing with the sellers, or buyers, on these sites as there are several complaints and irregularities that have been documented.
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