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!
On Friday 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 28, 2022.
The whole island of Cebu — Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, and Cebu Province — recorded 1,013 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, 618 new recoveries, and 21 new deaths. Cebu’s total active cases jumped to 15,136 (from 14,766).
Cebu City – Total confirmed: 50,768 (+421 new) – Total recoveries: 41,420 (+249 new) – Total deaths: 1,571 (+8 new) – Active cases: 7,777
Lapu-Lapu City – Total confirmed: 16,082 (+119 new) – Total recoveries: 13,721 (+0 new) – Total deaths: 478 (+1 new) – Active cases: 1,883
Mandaue City – Total confirmed: 14,572 (+128 new) – Total recoveries: 12,830 (+161 new) – Total deaths: 451 (+3 new) – Active cases: 1,291
Cebu Province – Total confirmed: 43,152 (+345 new) – Total recoveries: 36,341 (+208 new) – Total deaths: 2,626 (+9 new) – Active cases: 4,185
SUMMARY OF COVID-19 CASES IN CEBU:
Total Active Cases in Cebu: 15,136 (from 14,766)
Total Confirmed Cases in Cebu: 124,574 (+1,013 new)
Total Recoveries in Cebu: 104,312 (+618 new)
Total Deaths in Cebu: 5,126 (+21 new)
A total of 3,164 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.
Apple is not just a highly valuable company, but it is also the most valuable brand in the planet, a position it held for five years before reclaiming last year and keeping it this year.
The tech giant’s value in 2022 is now at a whopping USD355 billion (or around PHP 17.75 Trillion), a 35% jump from last year, according to the annual Brand Finance Global 500 index.
Apple was followed by tech companies Amazon and Google, with respective values of USD350 billion and USD263 billion.
Top 10 Most Valuable Brands of 2022:
Apple
Amazon
Google
Microsoft
Walmart
Samsung
Facebook
ICBC (Industrial and Commercial Bank of China)
Huawei
Verizon
Meanwhile, TikTok is the world’s fastest-growing brand, tripling in brand value over the past year. With an impressive 215% growth, the entertainment app’s brand value has increased to US$59.0 billion in 2022 from US$18.7 billion in 2021.
Highest new entrance to the global ranking, TikTok ranked 18th among the world’s top 500 most valuable brands this year.
With the global pandemic still going on around the world, digital entertainment, social media, and streaming services grew in popularity, and TikTok’s emergence demonstrates how media consumption is changing.
Among COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers, Pfizer came in at number 352 with USD6.3 billion in revenue, while AstraZeneca is at number 407 with USD5.6 billion in revenue.
199 of the entries in the Global 500 list were based in the US, followed by 77 Chinese companies and 31 Japanese firms.
One morning in 2017, an 18-year-old student from Indonesia woke up and decided something bizarre: he would take pictures of himself every day for a school project.
Photo from Ghozali Ghozalu Opensea Profile
Five years later, he did not expect that his selfie project would make him rich. In total, he earned approximately one million USD, which is 51 million PHP when converted.
How did he do this? Two words abbreviated into three letters: non-fungible tokens, or NFTs.
Yet what’s unique about the story of this now 22-year-old student is that it all started with a prank on the internet.
Ghozali Every day before blowing up
Ghozali Ghozalo is an Indonesian student who thought of taking selfies of himself every day back in 2017 when he was 18 years old.
Originally, the purpose of these selfies was for a video. He planned on making a timelapse of his face throughout the years, and five years later his project was still going strong.
He might have skipped a few days in his journey, but that did not stop him from amassing almost a thousand selfies in his collection.
Photo from Ghozali Ghozalu Opensea
Then, in 2022, his mind wandered into the depths of the internet. As a joke, he thought of putting his selfies up for sale as an NFT collection on the internet.
In the description of the collection on the OpeanSea profile, it reads, “It’s really a picture of me standing in front of the computer day by day.”
What he didn’t predict was how well it would sell.
Ghozali’s NFT selfies started selling
He put out the sale of his NFTs on the OpenSea marketplace for 3 USD each, and this was back in December 2021.
According to him during one of his interviews, he said that he priced it at 3 USD per piece because he thought nobody would be interested in buying his selfies.
However, this prank of his suddenly made a turn of fortune for him. It first went viral when an Indonesian celebrity chef purchased one.
This celebrity started promoting it online, and his wide reach garnered the interest of others. At one point, the daily average price for one of his selfies became 0.249 ETH, which is approximately $586, or P30 thousand.
Now, he sold P51 million worth of NFTs.
Photo from Ghozali Ghozalu OpenseaPhoto from Ghozali Ghozalu OpenseaPhoto from Ghozali Ghozalu Opensea
What will he do with the money?
Many news outlets and journalists have talked with him about his newfound wealth. Plus, he has been updating regularly on Twitter about the status of his venture.
At one point, he tweeted, ““Today [I] sold more than 230+ [selfies] and until now I don’t understand why you want to buy #NFT photos of me !!! but [I] thank you guys for 5 years of effort paid off.”
He has not told his parents yet about the money he acquired, as it can be complicated to explain. He said, “to be honest I still haven’t got the courage to tell my parents, they would be wondering where I got the money from.”
Photo from Ghozali Ghozalu Opensea
Amusingly, the Indonesian government also has their eyes on Ghozali, who gave him advice on how to pay his taxes. He responded, “this is my first tax payment in my life. Of course, I will pay for it because I am a good Indonesian citizen.”
He plans on opening an animation studio of his own, but for now, he is investing his money.
After the disastrous events of Typhoon Odette, everyone would want to relax themselves away from the stress of the city. As what they say, #BangonCebu is out, and #HigdaCebu is in.
Photo from Castle Shore Facebook Page
What better way to get your mind off the tension than to ease up in the comforts of a house that makes you feel like royalty? While not exactly a castle, Castle Shore in Catmon, Cebu is the place you need to be to feel like royalty by the sea.
Photo from Castle Shore Facebook Page
Quiet, intimate, and beautifully spacious
Quiet, intimate, and beautifully spacious: these are the three words that Castle Shore describes themselves, and it’s true. The place is perfect for families and big groups, so if a family gathering or a barkada reunion is near the horizon, check this place out.
Walking inside the space will make you feel like you are living in a mansion. The interior is beautifully designed and well-planned. You can sit in comfort on the couch and watch some TV while you chill.
The luxurious rental space has multiple rooms that can fit many people and still feel comfortable. Everything just feels so clean and neat, it makes you feel like a king.
Photo from Castle Shore Facebook PagePhoto from Castle Shore Facebook PagePhoto from Castle Shore Facebook Page
Beach, pool, jacuzzi, and more
The place boasts a beach front view that you can take a dip in if you want your skin to feel the kiss of the ocean. The waters are clear and cool without a doubt. They also have kayaks for the sea lovers who feel adventurous and energetic.
When you are done with the beach, you can move on to their swimming pool. Much like the ocean, you can swim to your hearts content, only this time, you do not have to worry about the waves. Instead, you can simply float your worries away.
At night, you can warm yourself up with their saltwater jacuzzi. The lights of the place are mesmerizing to watch, and just chilling in a jacuzzi makes the experience ten times better.
Do you want to feel the heat of the morning sun? They have a sun lounge deck that you can just relax and take in the sea breeze. Do you want to grill some barbeque for lunch? They also have a grilling area for feasts.
Photo from Castle Shore Facebook Page
The beach house of Paul Jake
Apparently, this fine property is in the hands of Paul Jake Castillo, known for being the runner-up on Pinoy Big Brother: Double Up. He has acquired many fans because of his looks and his mature view of life.
He has been in many films such as Be Careful with My Heart in 2012, For the Hopeless Romantic in 2015, and much more. So, you can expect an extraordinary experience from someone who understands class and luxury.
Exact location: Catmon, Cebu – 50 kilometers away from Cebu City (Note: in Google Maps, its plus code is M29C+Q9 Catmon, Cebu)
BY BUS: Catmon is a northern province of Cebu. So, you can reach it by riding a bus that can pass by Catmon in the North Bus Terminal. The place is just by the national highway in Panalipan. According to Google Maps, it is further from the Ocean View Hotel and Beach Resort but does not go past La Casa de Playa. You can look out for local convenience store named Czarnota Store as the place is just across the street from it.
BY CAR: Navigate with Waze or Google Maps and set your destination to “Castle Shore” in Catmon. Parking space is available.
On Thursday 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 27, 2022.
The whole island of Cebu — Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, and Cebu Province — recorded 1,142 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, 723 new recoveries, and 3 new deaths. Cebu’s total active cases jumped to 14,766 (from 14,291).
Cebu City – Total confirmed: 50,347 (+431 new) – Total recoveries: 41,172 (+158 new) – Total deaths: 1,563 (+2 new) – Active cases: 7,612
Lapu-Lapu City – Total confirmed: 15,963 (+165 new) – Total recoveries: 13,721 (+0 new) – Total deaths: 477 (+0 new) – Active cases: 1,765
Mandaue City – Total confirmed: 14,452 (+131 new) – Total recoveries: 12,671 (+114 new) – Total deaths: 448 (+0 new) – Active cases: 1,333
Cebu Province – Total confirmed: 42,807 (+415 new) – Total recoveries: 36,134 (+3451 new) – Total deaths: 2,617 (+1 new) – Active cases: 4,056
SUMMARY OF COVID-19 CASES IN CEBU:
Total Active Cases in Cebu: 14,766 (from 14,291)
Total Confirmed Cases in Cebu: 123,569 (+1,142 new)
Total Recoveries in Cebu: 103,698 (+1,723 new)
Total Deaths in Cebu: 5,105 (+3 new)
A total of 3,573 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.
