News from the Philippines: 10 April 2024 is Eid'l Fitr Holiday. The Heat is On! Tedros Thanks PH for Support. DOH USEC Tayag Retires. More Deaths of Public Figures. China-PH Tensions Continue.
Link to make public comment on the WHO IRHs (via Roguski's stack). Please review and make your voice heard, a simple statement or a complex argument, up to you!
Today is a holiday in the Philippines to mark the end of Ramadan. The holiday was declared 5 days ago on 5th of April 2024, as a regular holiday1. Employees working on a regular holiday must be paid 100% holiday loading (2xregular rate), employees not working on a regular holiday are paid their regular rate for that day. Base minimum non-agricultural daily wage in Manila currently stands at PHP610 (USD10.78), and outside Manila ranges by region with the lowest rate of P306 (USD5.41) being in BARMM.
Eid’l Fitr is an important Muslim holiday marking the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting.
Greetings to all Filipino Muslims, and all Muslims worldwide. Peace be unto you on this day!
In the 2020 Census, Islam was the second most frequent religious affiliation in the Philippines adopted by 6.4% of Filipinos, following after Roman Catholic which is professed by 78.8%.
Measles Vaccination Drive in BARMM Suspended for 2 Days for Eid’l Fitr
DOH secretary has advised the measles vaccination drive in BARMM will be suspended for a 2-day holiday on 10th and 11th of April, so long as vaccinators can double the vaccination the day after the holiday. DOH have targeted vaccination of 1.3 million children with the assistance of UNICEF, the WHO, and (Philippines) Red Cross, but have only reached about half a million so far. Note that the vaccination date started on 1st April 2024, and the WHO has mobilized 4,579 vaccinators to BARMM. Mark that date and April 2024 for monitoring of BARMM pediatric health outcomes!
The Heat is On in The Philippines
March to May is the hot dry season in Philippines. This is the time of year that rice is harvested and dried, in some rural areas, by laboriously spreading it onto flat concreted areas (basketball courts, roads, as well as custom prepared drying areas) in early morning and sweeping it up each evening: the rice must be properly dried so that it can be stored. This practice of spreading the palay (rice grains) on the highways continues in many locations, even though it is not legal, and may result in a fine.
Heat Causes Suspension of School / Change in Schedules in Some Regions
The heat is making things difficult for many students in public schools which may not be set up to handle the heat. Half day classes and remote learning is being used by some regions to address this.
Revisions to School Year Calendar
The current public-school calendar set the school year start on 29 Aug 2023) and the end of school year on 14 June 2024. DepEd Order No. 22, set out the 2023-24 SY Calendar. My kids are in private schools and their school year started in early August 2023 and will end by the end of May 2024. All students are required to complete a minimum number of learning days in each school year calendar. In case of school cancellations, due to adverse weather or other factors, students may be required to make up school days by attending Saturday sessions.
Prior to Covid-19, the school year started in June and end in March, making April and May the long summer holiday. This both avoided learning and health challenges resulting from hot and poorly ventilated classrooms and allowed the children of rural families to help with the annual rice harvest.
Reverting to the old school calendar may address the hot summer weather, but students will then have to deal with the peak of the typhoon season, which is the summer holiday period in the current school calendar. Bigger issues include limited numbers of poorly resourced and overcrowded classrooms.
Tedros Seems to Consider that the PH acceptance of the IHRs /Pandemic Treaty is a done deal!
Sorreta is a career diplomat; is he negotiating on behalf of the Philippines?
DOH’s USEC Tayag Retires After Nearly 22 Months in his Post
DOH USEC Tayag’s retirement from public duties, which will take effect on 15th April 2024, has just been announced. Having encountered him during the last few sessions of Senate Hearing, he has been a man of many words but few precise answers. His successor will need to answer at the next session of the enquiry into excess deaths and the WHO IHRs which should be resumed in May 2024. Tayag has been DOH USEC since July 2022.
Sudden Deaths of Public Personalities, Philippines
Newly appointed SEC Commissioner Herbert B. Guevarra died on 29th March 2024, a week after collapsing during a football game. He was 55. The loss of men in their prime leave tremendous gaps among the government executive. Succession planning becomes critical in the face of so many unexpected deaths of people in their prime.
PH's 'running pastor' died on Monday 1st April 2024, of cardiac arrest while driving.
Victory was among the churches fully supportive of the Covid-19 Vaccination efforts.
Another pastor, Reverend Nerio Bulic also died in early April. No cause of death was stated. He had lost his wife 6 months earlier.
April 19, 2021 PCEC put out a statement strongly in favor of Covid-19 vaccination and encouraging eligible members of their congregation to get themselves vaccinated. It will be a very tough pill for the council to swallow when they finally admit that they led their congregation astray, resulting in harm.
Tensions Continue in the South China Sea
9th of April 2024 was also a public holiday; Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor). During his speech, Marcos vowed that the Philippines will stand against all oppressors, and never allow them in the Philippines “own backyard”, referring to recent unresolved tensions with China.
The tensions continue in the South China Sea. Philippines has been conducting joint exercises with Japan, US and Australia. While stating that there was no intention to aggravate the current tensions between Philippines and China, the tone of the news reporting belies this. Beijing conducted its own maritime exercises in response. Cool heads are needed!
Philippines and Japan in discussion for joint military cooperation.
What about an Enemy from Within?
Is the Philippines so concerned with external threats that she fails to see internal ones? There is no news regarding the WHO IHRs / Pandemic Treaty, whose dates for voting are drawing near.
Please see Roguski’s stack on how to make your voice heard. Deadline for public comments is 15th April 2024. Every voice counts! Please add yours!
The ongoing excess deaths and illness in 2024 continues to be an internal threat! DOH still denies any role of Covid-19 vaccines in excess deaths and has no apparent intent to further investigate any causal link. History will not look favorably on governments that fail to acknowledge the events and consequences of the past 4-years. The C-19 pandemic outcomes, the harm, and culpability for it is entering public domain! “We didn’t know” will not hold water for much longer!
It is quite usual for the Philippines Government to declare public holidays at short notice, over and above the official schedule of 10 regular and 8 special holidays each year.
By the way, if it's unlawful for farmers to use the roads to dry the palay, why doesn't the govt help them out and provide places and spaces for them to do this? PBBM was supposed to be leading the agricultural sector--to zero avail. No help for farmers in any way. Coconut products with Pinoy labels sold here use Thai coconuts now.
(I still remember when the farmers would take up just a third or half of the roads in Cavite or similar to dry their rice harvests. It was just the way things were done--and Pinas was still a rice-producing, rice-exporting country then, the 60s.)
Carlos Sorreta brokered the Sputnik COVID vaccine donations to the Philippines when he was the Ambassador to Russia.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1138569