On January 28, around 100 displaced vendors have been temporarily relocated to the newly inaugurated Interim Market Stalls at Unit 2 of Carbon Public Market while the redevelopment of the Modernized Carbon Market is still ongoing.
The temporary stalls are part of Phase 1 of the Carbon Market Modernization Project, which is a Public-Private Partnership between the Cebu City Government and Megawide. The photos, shared by Cebu City counciler Jerry Guardo, highlight the cleaner and more organized stalls, wider spaces and walkways, and cleaner comfort rooms.
One of the modernization project’s objectives is to be able to help Carbon market vendors by constructing a new market building that will centralize the trade of goods in a single space. The population of the previous Carbon Market consists of about 1,300 stall owners and at least 5,000 ambulant vendors who all depend on their goods for income.
Render of the Proposed Carbon Market
The new market will serve as Cebu’s Heritage District and will be composed of a restored Compania Maritima, an improved Freedom Park, and a modernized Carbon Market. It also aims to highlight the natural gifts and rich heritage that Cebu City possesses.
The Sto. Niño Chapel at the Senior Citizens Park, which highlights a 30-foot image of Sto. Niño, is also part of the modernization project and was inaugurated on the same day, January 28.
On Sunday evening, the Department of Health Central Visayas (DOH-7) released its official, consolidated data of the COVID-19 cases in the region as of January 30, 2022.
The whole island of Cebu — Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, and Cebu Province — recorded 517 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, 510 new recoveries, and 4 new deaths. Cebu’s total active cases slightly increased to 15,264 (from 15,262).
Cebu City – Total confirmed: 51,315 (+229 new) – Total recoveries: 42,315 (+312 new) – Total deaths: 1,577 (+2 new) – Active cases: 7,423
Lapu-Lapu City – Total confirmed: 16,268 (+71 new) – Total recoveries: 13,721 (+0 new) – Total deaths: 478 (+0 new) – Active cases: 2,069
Mandaue City – Total confirmed: 14,742 (+56 new) – Total recoveries: 12,900 (+70 new) – Total deaths: 452 (+0 new) – Active cases: 1,390
Cebu Province – Total confirmed: 43,592 (+161 new) – Total recoveries: 36,578 (+128 new) – Total deaths: 2,632 (+2 new) – Active cases: 4,382
SUMMARY OF COVID-19 CASES IN CEBU:
Total Active Cases in Cebu: 15,264 (from 15,262)
Total Confirmed Cases in Cebu: 125,917 (+517 new)
Total Recoveries in Cebu: 105,514 (+510 new)
Total Deaths in Cebu: 5,139 (+4 new)
A total of 2,102 laboratory results were released.
NOTES from DOH-7:
*As per DOH-7, the additional deaths in the report are not due to the overnight spike in deaths but due to more accurate data collection and validating efforts. Not all of those deaths occurred today but occurred more than a week ago.
Reports maybe subject to change as these claims undergo thorough validation by the local healthcare offices and health personnel.
Thai health authorities recently approved the new guidelines outlining the criteria for classifying the coronavirus pandemic as an endemic disease, as the current wave only shows minor symptoms and people are cooperating with the vaccination campaign.
Three criteria are included in the guidelines developed by the ministry’s National Communicable Disease Committee:
There should be fewer than 10,000 new cases per day
Death rate should be not be higher than 0.1 percent of those who are admitted to the hospital with an infection
More than 80 percent of at-risk people have had at least two vaccinations
Thailand has already met all three criteria based on official data. However, the Ministry of Public Health said it would take 6 to 12 months for the government to really decide if COVID-19 should be treated as a chronic condition like the flu or measles.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious diseases expert in the United States, also said that the COVID-19 will not be considered endemic until it lowers to “a level that does not disrupt society.” Despite the caution from the World Health Organization (WHO), Thailand has now joined Spain and Switzerland in considering declaring COVID-19 to be endemic.
Loha Prasat, Bangkok, Thailand
An immensely popular Southeast Asian tourist destination, Thailand announced last week that it will be resuming its quarantine-free visa entry for fully vaccinated visitors starting this February, in an effort to revive its crippling economy.
Thailand has administered 113.6 million doses of the vaccine so far with 70% of the population or roughly 48.3 million people being fully vaccinated.
In the Philippines, 58 million Filipinos or around 53% of the country’s population have been fully vaccinated as of January 2022. The government is said to ramp up its goal to 90 million by the first half of the year. The majority of the areas in the Philippines are still placed under community quarantine.
“You’re using your iPhone wrong if you’re not using the back tap feature.”
These were the words of TikTok creator @ellyawesometech after she shared this “secret button” on iPhones. The video went viral with more than 1 million views after 24 hours as many iPhone users were intrigued and did not know about this special feature. In fact, one user commented that the secret button “changed (their) life forever.”
Back Tap feature
The so-called ‘secret button’ is actually the ‘hidden’ Back Tap feature on the iPhone, which is available on any device running iOS 14.
Available since September 2020, this feature allows users to just double-tap their phone near the Apple logo on the back, and their phone will perform whatever function they’ve set into the settings menu such as opening the flashlight, camera, taking a screenshot, or opening Shazam.
To do this:
Make sure you’ve updated your iPhone to at least iOS 14.
Go to Settings then scroll to ‘Accessibility’ and tap ‘Touch’
Scroll at the bottom and select ‘Back Tap.’ Select either double-tap or triple-tap.
You will then choose the functionality of the Back Tap feature. These are some of the options:
App Switcher
Camera
Control Center
Flashlight
Home
Lock Screen
Siri
Shazam
…and more!
P.S. The Back Tap feature also works with a phone case.
Even with a hefty price tag of US$70,000 (about P3.5 million), there’s actually someone in the US with size 11 that wants a pair of the Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 sneaker created by the late American fashion designer Virgil Abloh.
Louis Vuitton recently partnered with Sotheby’s for the bidding of 200 special edition pairs of the Louis Vuitton and Nike “Air Force 1” sneakers. The auction starts at US$2,000 (about P80,000) per pair and a portion of the proceeds will benefit The Virgil Abloh™ “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund.
The majority of the 200 pairs have met their reserve prices. It’s worth noting that the rarest sizes (5, 5.5, 16, 17, and 18), which will only be produced in one pair per size, are currently priced between $24,000 to $35,000. The next highest bid is $50,000 for a US 10.5 — lot 172. Only four other pairs have sold for more than $45,000 USD on Sotheby’s at the moment.
The Scholarship Program awards academically promising Black, African-American, and African students that will help advance diversity, equality, and inclusivity within the fashion industry. The scholars will also receive fashion career mentoring and support.
This auction is a significant addition to Sotheby’s lengthy history of auctioning some of the world’s most valuable and coveted sneakers. It will also serve as a springboard for a series of events that Louis Vuitton will host throughout 2022.
On Saturday evening, the Department of Health Central Visayas (DOH-7) released its official, consolidated data of the COVID-19 cases in the region as of January 29, 2022.
The whole island of Cebu — Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, and Cebu Province — recorded 827 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, 692 new recoveries, and 9 new deaths. Cebu’s total active cases jumped to 15,262 (from 15,136).
Cebu City – Total confirmed: 51,086 (+318 new) – Total recoveries: 42,003 (+583 new) – Total deaths: 1,575 (+4 new) – Active cases: 7,508
Lapu-Lapu City – Total confirmed: 16,198 (+116 new) – Total recoveries: 13,721 (+0 new) – Total deaths: 478 (+0 new) – Active cases: 1,999
Mandaue City – Total confirmed: 14,686 (+114 new) – Total recoveries: 12,830 (+0 new) – Total deaths: 452 (+1 new) – Active cases: 1,404
Cebu Province – Total confirmed: 43,431 (+279 new) – Total recoveries: 36,450 (+109 new) – Total deaths: 2,630 (+4 new) – Active cases: 4,351
SUMMARY OF COVID-19 CASES IN CEBU:
Total Active Cases in Cebu: 15,262 (from 15,136)
Total Confirmed Cases in Cebu: 125,401 (+827 new)
Total Recoveries in Cebu: 105,004 (+692 new)
Total Deaths in Cebu: 5,135 (+9 new)
A total of 2,875 laboratory results were released.
NOTES from DOH-7:
*As per DOH-7, the additional deaths in the report are not due to the overnight spike in deaths but due to more accurate data collection and validating efforts. Not all of those deaths occurred today but occurred more than a week ago.
Reports maybe subject to change as these claims undergo thorough validation by the local healthcare offices and health personnel.
With only a few months remaining before the May 2022 elections, political strife in social media is getting intense more than ever. From lengthy articles to cheap memes, politics is certainly an omnipresent topic in social media outlets, especially Facebook. If you wish to take a break from political ads on your news feed, then here’s some good news for you.
Facebook recently announced that users have now the option of turning off political ads on their feeds, including on Instagram.
Photo from Unsplash
This means that people can now turn off any social issue, electoral, or political ads as long as they have the “Paid for by” disclaimer on these posts.
It can be recalled how Facebook was under fire last 2016, particularly during the 2016 US presidential election. The tech giant has been criticized for its lax policies in terms of limiting political misinformation, where critics have stated that this irresponsibility resulted in the compromise of the nation’s democracy.
In the Philippines, the spread of misinformation and fake news is very rampant, and it goes beyond Facebook and Instagram. Tiktok, YouTube, and even Twitter are being used by politicians to sling virtual mud to their political rivals. Unfortunately, many Filipinos fall for fake claims.
Tech giants like Facebook have since then made improvements tackling this issue. Despite this progress, Facebook’s new policy of turning off political ads is opt-in, meaning you still have to follow a series of steps to achieve this.
So, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to turn off those political ads both on Facebook and Instagram:
Photo from Unsplash
FACEBOOK
Through your Facebook app settings
In the Facebook app, tap the menu button (three horizontal lines in the bottom right corner of your News Feed).
Tap the Settings button.
Tap Ad Preferences > Ad Topics.
In the pop-up menu, tap See fewer ads about this topic.
Or through a political ad in your Facebook feed
Pick any political ad you come across in your Facebook feed (marked as “Paid by” a political campaign, candidate, or group).
Tap the Confirmed Organization button.
In the pop-up menu, tap See fewer ads about this topic.
Photo from Unsplash
INSTAGRAM
Through your Instagram app settings
In the Instagram app, go to your profile.
Press the menu button (the three horizontal lines in the upper right corner).
Tap the Settings button > Ads > Topics Preferences.
Tap Social Issues, Elections or Politics.
Tap Save.
Or through a political ad in your Instagram feed
Pick any political ad you come across in your Instagram feed (marked as “Paid by” a political campaign, candidate, or group).
They say that dogs are man’s best friend, and that is the case in a heartwarming story about how one cop proved that adage to be true: by saving a five-year old Labrador trapped in a building on fire last January 24 in Barangay Liloan, Santander.
Patrolwoman Mona Lee Saludar of the Santander Police Station did not waste time to hesitate to rescue Daebak, a five-year-old black Labrador whose home was hit by a fire Monday afternoon. According to Saludar, Deabak was hiding under the table near the kitchen. The poor dog was left inside the burning house scared and confused.
“Ingon ko sa akong mga kauban nga akong sudlon ang iro. Giingnan ko nila nga dili na lang kay hapit na mahugno ang second floor pero di gyud nako makaya nga ako lang syang pasagdaan,” she narrated.
The black Labrador Retriever named Deabak is one of the three dogs of resort owners Sim Sunbo and Han Eun Kyeung, both Korean nationals. Both were out of town when the unfortunate fire happened.
According to the caretaker, the fire started in their room on the second floor where their two small dogs, a poodle, and a shih tzu, were staying. When the caretaker noticed a thick smoke from the room, they opened the door and the two small dogs ran downstairs and got out of the building.
Around 2 PM, the Santander Police Station received a call about the fire where upon arrival, the fire was already out of control due to the second floor being made of light materials.
Locals mentioned that there was no one left inside the establishment, except Deabak the dog. Upon knowing, Saludar immediately volunteered to risk retrieving the poor dog. Ultimately, Saludar went in where the responding firemen wet her clothes to cushion the effect of the heat inside the burning building.
“Ako gigunitan iyang collar. Ni-resist sya at first. Di sya mobarug. Ako gigakos, gihapuhap unya akong gistorayahan nga mogawas lang mi aron maluwas sya. Mao to, nikuyog na sya nako,” Saludar added.
Saludar successfully retrieved Daebak, where Daebak was given water afterwards and then reunited to its Korean owners around 5 PM, together with the other two small dogs.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, with an estimated damages totaling to P1.5 million.
Saludar, 26, joined the police service in 2018 and after finishing her training in 2019, where she was assigned to the Police Regional Office 7 and in March 2021, she was reassigned to Santander Police Station. Saludar herself and her family are fond of dogs, where growing up, stray Aspins or ‘asong pinoy’ are taken care of by their family.
The Philippines’ arsenal is about to get an upgrade as it buys itself a cruise missile! Yep, you heard it right.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana posted on Facebook on January 14 about the details of the purchase.
Photo from Kamal Kishore
The cruise missile was developed by BrahMos Aerospace Private Ltd., which is a defense joint venture run by Russia and India.
After deals with the government of India, the purchased missiles are set for the country’s coastal defenses, which is perfect considering our nation is an archipelago surrounded by seas and oceans.
Cruise missiles worth P19 billion
The price for these missiles is worth $374 million, or P19.19 billion.
According to various sources, these missiles are currently the fastest in the world, reaching speeds of 2.5 mach.
Remarkably, that is over twice the speed of sound! It also has a long-range, reaching targets up to 400 kilometers.
Along with the purchase are batteries and the necessary training to operate them, bundled in a package known as the Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) package.
Photo from Unsplash
Upgrade for the Philippines’ coastal defense
Lorenzana expects the missiles to arrive within a year, and in his post is a scanned document of the Notice of Award directed to BrahMos. Furthermore, he states:
“The Coastal Defense Regiment of the Philippine Marines will be the primary employer of this modern strategic defense capability of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.”
He then discloses that the deal was conceptualized as early as 2017, and the Office of the President gave their approval for its inclusion in the Horizon 2 Priority Projects three years after, which is 2020.
Furthermore, PN spokesperson, Commander Benjo Negranza discussed the deal during an interview on January 17.
He stated that it will enhance the nation’s capability to defend itself. He noted:
“The (Shore-Based Anti-Ship Missile System Acquisition Project) is a big capability enhancement for the end-user.”
Photo from Unsplash
Other countries interested in India’s deal
According to a report from The Diplomat, India is far from penetrating the global defense market as a supplier.
In the previous years, India has solely depended on other countries for weapon manufacturing. Thus, it has not developed itself as a supplier.
Now, thanks to BrahMos, the joint venture between them and the government of Russia, they are able to sell cruise missiles to other countries.
Photo from Defence Research and Development OrganisationPhoto from Defence Research and Development Organisation
Philippines’ purchase of these missiles will help them in their economy and position as a weapons supplier.
Neighboring countries of the Philippines such as Vietnam and Indonesia are also eyeing them, expressing their interest in buying some for themselves.
This year is the year of the Water Tiger — a year of all types of extremes and fortunes. Take a quick look at your Chinese New Year horoscopes for this year!
