On Wednesday night, the Department of Health Central Visayas (DOH-7) released its official, consolidated data of the COVID-19 cases in the region as of September 29, 2021.
Today, the whole island of Cebu — Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, and the Cebu Province — recorded 82 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, 420 new recoveries, and 14 new deaths. This brings Cebu’s total confirmed cases to 101,332, while the active cases increased to 4,971 (from 5,239).
Cebu City – Total confirmed: 40,285 (+34 new) – Total recoveries: 37,762 (+90 new) – Total deaths: 1,380 (+3 new) – Active cases: 1,143
Lapu-Lapu City – Total confirmed: 13,313 (+35 new) – Total recoveries: 11,937 (+27 new) – Total deaths: 375 (+0 new) – Active cases: 1,001
Mandaue City – Total confirmed: 11,912 (+13 new) – Total recoveries: 11,030 (+123 new) – Total deaths: 366 (+3 new) – Active cases: 516
Cebu Province – Total confirmed: 35,822 (+82 new) – Total recoveries: 31,339 (+180 new) – Total deaths: 2,172 (+8 new) – Active cases: 2,311
Summary of COVID-19 cases in Cebu:
Total Active Cases in Cebu: 4,971 (from 5,239)
Total Confirmed Cases in Cebu: 101,332 (+82 new)
Total Recoveries in Cebu: 92,068 (+420 new)
Total Deaths in Cebu: 4,293 (+14 new*)
A total of 4,217 laboratory results were released for today.
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.
The pageant world is making a buzz again as the Miss Universe Philippines 2021 National Costumes have been revealed with its 30 lovely candidates.
And of course, our Cebuana beauties, as always, didn’t disappoint as they wowed us with both very different but jaw-dropping national costumes.
Each costume has different interpretations and inspirations so why don’t we dig deep into that and understand the meaning behind every stitch and every piece.
BAKUNAWA, the moon eater
Wearing the sash for Cebu City is the beautiful badass Ms. Beatrice Luigi Gomez and she went to that national costume slaying as she wears a stunning blue and green piece by fashion designer, Axel Que.
It was inspired by Filipino folklore of “Bakunawa, the moon eater”, a mystical creature whose tales have been passed down through generations from our ancestors.
The tale of the Bakunawa tells the story of the mythical beast believed to have caused lunar eclipses by devouring the moon, earning its notorious moniker: Moon Eater. The beast was driven away into the depths of the ocean and there bides its time, hoping for another chance at fulfilling its sinister desire.
Photo from Miss Universe Philippines Facebook Page
Photo from Beatrice Luigi Gomez Facebook Page
Photo from Beatrice Luigi Gomez Facebook Page
Photo from Beatrice Luigi Gomez Facebook Page
With its more popular description of being a colossal Sea serpent/dragon. The costume’s color palette features cool specter-like hues which mimic the bioluminescence occurring in some marine life.
“The challenge in creating the whole piece was tying it together with the overall theme of Carnival Queen, which was expressed through the more traditional silhouette of the bodice and the hallmark terno sleeves, but done in a more armor-like fashion. “-Edward James Castro
The highlight of the national costume aside from its amazing color palette is its non-traditional which pushed the form further, making it appear larger and intimidating which was very on point to the inspiration.
The avant-garde type of trouser that could even pass for a high fashion pants was detailed with exaggerated micro pleated organza to simulate the fins of the legendary behemoth. It was definitely made with intricacy as the embellishments were strategically layered and positioned to imitate scales, both in texture and finish.
And that headpiece we all thought is a crown symbolizes a double halo to represent the celestial phenomenon of a lunar eclipse.
WEAVER OF HOPE
Representing the Cebu Province, Ms. Steffi Rose Aberasturi’s National Costume had a bit of a surprise effect. By holding the edges with its red color, it depicts the colors of Sto. Nino and when dropped turns into this beautiful golden piece designed by Malayka Yamas.
The national costume was named the “WEAVER OF HOPE” which represents how our hopes are woven and become strongly intertwined to hold all of us together – to keep looking forward to a brighter tomorrow.
Its inspiration came from two things which is Christianity and rattan weaving.
Christianity plays a very big part in every Cebuano’s life and this costume honors the celebration of 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. It honored the colors of one of the most well-known religious relics of the Philippines and patron of Cebu – The Señyor Sto Niño.
The designer also stated that as an advocate for empowering small businesses, the costume pays homage to a traditional Cebuano livelihood that’s been more profound during the pandemic- Rattan weaving.
Photo from Miss Universe Philippines Facebook Page
Photo from GMA News Facebook Page
Photo from GMA News Facebook Page
“During a trip to the north of Cebu, I, along with mother @malayka, had the chance to meet the rattan weavers of Sogod, whose stories of hope inspired me.
A legacy of immense craftsmanship that’s been continued from generation to generation has been revived and given a modern take by the new generation of weavers. This represents how Cebuanos honor the past by using it to move forward, adapt, and innovate a better future. “– Malayka Yamas
Sogod is very well known when it comes to rattan weaving where you see their works displayed along the road going to the Northern part of Cebu.
Both ladies are doing their best in representing our home so let’s not forget to give them our full support in everything that they’ll do in the MUP competition.
We have all loved the jolly bee growing up and even now. He’s a well-known figure here in the Philippines and in every Filipino’s heart.
Now, watching it spread its wings internationally and bringing the taste that is only Jollibee makes for an interesting thing to see as it tries to win the hearts of the locals around the world as well.
Jollibee has been redesigning its international branches to blend in and adapt to the locals in every area in the world and it might have designed its most aesthetic restaurant to date right there in Spain.
Located in the heart of Madrid in Puerto Del Sol square on the popular and historic Calle del Arenal, the branch will open on September 23 this year. It can accommodate up to 180 guests along with its outdoor seating and features its digital kiosks as well.
Photo from google.com
Photo from esquiremag.ph website
Photo from esquiremag.ph website
Photo from esquiremag.ph website
Photo from unsplash.com by Daniel Prado
It is a pretty grand scale for its first restaurant in Spain decked in bright, geometric and modern colors and design. It perfectly shows its island-theme from its high-ceiling dining hall, to seemingly tribal designed placemats up to its full-sized palm tree right at the center of the restaurant.
Paying homage to the Philippines, this beautiful restaurant is expected to be flocked with all the OFW’s in Spain and entice a few locals as well.
Jollibee Foods Corporation’s first restaurant in Spain is a part of its aggressive international expansion plan to open 50 stores in Europe in the next five years where they set aside a budget of €50 million (P2.9 billion).
It is sure a great way of reaching out to all Filipinos out there and introducing one of the Filipino taste to the world.
On Tuesday night, the Department of Health Central Visayas (DOH-7) released its official, consolidated data of the COVID-19 cases in the region as of September 28, 2021.
Today, the whole island of Cebu — Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, and the Cebu Province — recorded 166 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, 349 new recoveries, and 9 new deaths. This brings Cebu’s total confirmed cases to 101,169, while the active cases increased to 5,239 (from 5,428).
Cebu City – Total confirmed: 40,251 (+43 new) – Total recoveries: 37,673 (+107 new) – Total deaths: 1,376 (+2 new) – Active cases: 1,202
Lapu-Lapu City – Total confirmed: 13,278 (+17 new) – Total recoveries: 11,910 (+29 new) – Total deaths: 375 (+1 new) – Active cases: 993
Mandaue City – Total confirmed: 11,902 (+20 new) – Total recoveries: 10,908 (+30 new) – Total deaths: 363 (+0 new) – Active cases: 631
Cebu Province – Total confirmed: 35,738 (+86 new) – Total recoveries: 31,161 (+183 new) – Total deaths: 2,164 (+6 new) – Active cases: 2,413
Summary of COVID-19 cases in Cebu:
Total Active Cases in Cebu: 5,239 (from 5,428)
Total Confirmed Cases in Cebu: 101,169 (+166 new)
Total Recoveries in Cebu: 91,652 (+349 new)
Total Deaths in Cebu: 4,278 (+9 new*)
A total of 3,932 laboratory results were released for today.
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.
Since vaccination has been on top of our list to help save lives during this pandemic, could an immunity in the nose help more?
According to the World Health Organization, clinical trials are underway to evaluate eight nasal spray vaccines. These will be tested to help stop the surge of COVID-19.
China’s Xiamen University, the University of Hong Kong and Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy are on their most advanced efforts for having completed phase-2 trials.
Photo from biospace.com website
Photo from theaseanpost.com website
Researcher Nathalie Mielcarek who is working with Lille Pasteur Institute said that “When the virus infects someone it usually gets in through the nose.”
Therefore, “The idea is to shut the door.”
According to the Scientific American article in March, developing nasal spray vaccines can have an immediate effect on the virus in an infected person’s mucus. There they trigger production of an antibody known as immunoglobulin A, which can block infection.
Photo from lifescienceindustrynews.com website
Photo from qps.com website
Photo from taiwannews.com website
Thailand, on the other hand, is to start their human trials on COVID-19 shots using the nasal spray.
“This overwhelming response, called sterilizing immunity, reduces the chance that people will pass on the virus,” said the article.
These shots offer strong protection against severe forms of COVID-19. However, they are less reliable in preventing the spread of the virusm
Stimulating immunity directly in the nose “lowers the risk of infecting other people”, said Mielcarek.
“From there you have less of the virus infecting the lungs and so fewer severe cases since the viral load is lower,” she added.
Gavi the Vaccine Alliance published an article in March about the vaccine’s advantages. This includes the fact that these sprays won’t need refrigeration and can be seld-administered.
“People would be able to self-administer them at home,” the article says, adding “they are likely to be more popular for the millions of people who don’t like needles”.
Emojis have quite wormed in into our lives that we cannot imagine now how it is to live without them. Whether we just feel like not replying or just to send shit or whatever emotion we want to convey there’s always an emoji to match it and if there’s none, well you might want to see this newly released set of emojis and you might find what you’re looking for.
Unicorn Standard & Unicode Consortium
Photo from techcrunch.com website
A little background fact, a “Unicorn Standard” contains unifying characters for modern and historic scripts, letters of various alphabets, punctuations, symbols, and emojis.
This standard is being maintained and published by a non-profit organization called the Unicode Consortium. They make sure that all of the world’s languages, including dead ones, can be translated through your keyboard and into your monitors or phone screens.
Unicode Consortium recently released 37 new emojis that will be available to your devices by the end of 2021 and earning the spotlight is the super relatable “melting face emoji”.
“Melting face emoji”
Photo from emojipedia.org website
The Melting Face may appear to be a new crowd favorite as this yellow smiley face melting into a puddle is a total mood.
It is a perfect representation of what most of us are feeling these days or this past years with the pandemic and everything that is going on. Its eyes and mouth slip down the face, yet still maintain a distorted smile. A face of “okay but not okay” to be precise.
It has been described to be used on the topic of extreme heat or to convey feelings of “embarrassment, shame, or a slowly sinking sense of dread”. Well, ain’t that us in a nutshell.
Unicode 14.0 emojis includes:
Photo from newsdirectory3.com website
Face with Open Eyes, which can be used to imply shock or surprise
Face with Peeking Eye for expressing disgust or fear
Dotted Line Face, which is an established comic-book trope for feelings of smallness or isolation
Face Holding Back Tears
Saluting Face
Hand gestures, which come in various skin colors
Photo from spot.ph website
Pointing finger
Heart hands
Handshake
Finger hearts (K-Pop)
Photo from spot.ph website
As with the drastic routine change, we have all experienced round the globe among other changes, the emotions are running high and plenty in each of us. These new emojis might just be what we need to fully express them.
Pfizer Vaccine by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech works on Kids age 5-11 according to Pfizer itself. Early results of their trial indicate the vaccine is safe for children and establishes a strong antibody response against the covid-19 virus.
Yes, we are moving further in our efforts of going back to our normal lives and leave this pandemic behind. While kids are known to be at a lower risk of severe illness or death than older people, the schools are slowly being opened to face-to-face classes which calls for the younger kids protection as soon as possible.
Pfizer said it studied the lower dose, for safety and effectiveness, in 2,268 kids in kindergarten and elementary. Giving a two-dose regimen of 10 micrograms administered 21 days apart, the shot was well tolerated according to both pharmaceutical companies.
Photo from nairametrics.com website
Photo from medpagetoday.com website
Photo from ft.com website
This trial used a smaller vaccine dosage, 1/3 of the 30-microgram dose used for older people.
It is not a scientific publication but is called an immune “bridging” study. It seeks to provide evidence that the younger children developed antibody levels already proven to be protective in teens and adults.
After their second dose, the children developed coronavirus-fighting antibody levels just as strong as teenagers and young adults.
Known similar or fewer temporary side effects are:
Sore arms
Fever
Achiness
Photo from nbcnews.com website
Photo from reuters.com website
The study is still ongoing but once analysis of the trial is completed, Pfizer and BioNTech will submit the results to the Food and Drug Administration in US for review and possible emergency use authorization.
As the study is not yet completed and taking into consideration the authorizations from different sectors among different countries after their initial review to be requested, it would likely be available by the end of 2021 or early 2022.
Pfizer and Moderna are also currently studying even younger ones, toddlers in fact, down to 6-month-olds. Results are expected to come later in the year though.
On Monday night, the Department of Health Central Visayas (DOH-7) released its official, consolidated data of the COVID-19 cases in the region as of September 27, 2021.
Today, the whole island of Cebu — Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, and the Cebu Province — recorded 93 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, 1,145 new recoveries, and 27 new deaths. This brings Cebu’s total confirmed cases to 101,003, while the active cases increased to 5,428 (from 6,497).
Cebu City – Total confirmed: 40,208 (+34 new) – Total recoveries: 37,567 (+776 new) – Total deaths: 1,374 (+9 new) – Active cases: 1,267
Lapu-Lapu City – Total confirmed: 13,261 (+11 new) – Total recoveries: 11,882 (+29 new) – Total deaths: 374 (+1 new) – Active cases: 1,005
Mandaue City – Total confirmed: 11,882 (+18 new) – Total recoveries: 10,878 (+39 new) – Total deaths: 363 (+0 new) – Active cases: 641
Cebu Province – Total confirmed: 36,652 (+30 new) – Total recoveries: 30,979 (+301 new) – Total deaths: 2,158 (+17 new) – Active cases: 30
Summary of COVID-19 cases in Cebu:
Total Active Cases in Cebu: 5,428 (from 6,497)
Total Confirmed Cases in Cebu: 101,003 (+93 new)
Total Recoveries in Cebu: 91,306 (+1,145 new)
Total Deaths in Cebu: 4,269 (+27 new*)
A total of 1,300 laboratory results were released for today.
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.
Ah, the chorizo. A pork sausage enjoyed in various parts of the world, including Spain, Mexico, and North and South America. Here in the Philippines, we have our fair share of chorizos and longganisas.
Arguably, one of the most famous chorizos in the country is Chorizo de Cebu.
Chorizo de Cebu comes in small balls of explosive flavor. These sausages are made with a delicious blend of flavors: savory, sweet, smoky, and spicy. It’s one of those delicacies that are so simple, yet deliver such a complex array of taste.
Photo from angsarap.net website
Photo from whattoeatph.com website
This version of chorizo is made of tender ground pork meat and ground pork fat that is wrapped in a flavorful sausage casing. If you don’t already know, this sausage casing is made from the cleaned and processed intestines of animals (often pigs). However, there is no leftover taste from the casing and in the end, you are left with flavorful balls of meat.
The Chorizo de Cebu is distinctively red in color due to the use of achuete seeds. Inside the casing, the meat is seasoned with salt, saltpeter, sugar, anise liqueur (anisado), paprika, black pepper, garlic, and chilis; all adjusted to taste.
Photo from peanutbrowas.com website
Photo from google.com
Photo from foursquare.com website
Whether barbecued on a grill or fried in a pan, the chorizo is a smoky delight that goes well with rice, puso (hanging rice), or garlic rice. Because of this, the beloved delicacy often makes its appearance in karenderyas and silogans, but also features in hotels, buffets, restaurants, and at home. It’s a treat that Cebuanos of all ages enjoy!
Nowadays, you can get yourself a link of chorizos from many resellers online. Markets and meat shops also typically have regular and spicy chorizos for sale for about ₱200 to ₱300 per kilogram.
Heading down south for a vacation? Are you planning to chase some waterfalls or chase the sunset?
Make sure to add Sofio’s Grill House to your list of stops!
This newly-opened restaurant offers open-air dining taken to a new height. Indulge in great food as you dine in an absolutely serene and airy al-fresco atmosphere and look at the calm mountain views.
Photo from Sofio’s Facebook Page
Photo from Sofio’s Facebook Page
Photo from Sofio’s Facebook Page
Photo from Sofio’s Facebook Page
Photo from Sofio’s Facebook Page
Photo from Sofio’s Facebook Page
Photo from Sofio’s Facebook Page
Photo from Sofio’s Facebook Page
Photo from Sofio’s Facebook Page
Should you dine here, prepare yourself for a mellow meal as you eat on a platform overlooking the western mountain range of Cebu. The verdant view is made of mountains winding through the terrain and eventually sloping into the sea.
It’s the perfect view to fill your stomach to!
Around the dining area you’ll find different plants in pots and planters that add to the cool, fresh air. This means that everywhere you look, you’re greeted by lush plant life which makes the food ten times as enjoyable.
Photo from Sofio’s Facebook Page
Photo from Sofio’s Facebook Page
Photo from Sofio’s Facebook Page
Photo from Sofio’s Facebook Page
Photo from Sofio’s Facebook Page
Speaking of food, Sofio’s Grill House specializes in barbecues and grilled food including pork strips, chicken, and whole fish. At the same time, they also serve pizzas, pastas, and burgers. There’s something to order for any craving and for all kinds of hungry diner.
Their open-air diner also has a performance area complete with a sound system. Just imagine acoustic singers serenading you as you have your meal over a great view. Now that’s quite the experience!
RATES & OTHER INFORMATION
Menu:
Photo from Sofio’s Facebook Page
Photo from Sofio’s Facebook Page
Photo from Sofio’s Facebook Page
Other Information:
They accept table reservations on their Facebook page.
Exact location: Brgy. Kawasan, Santander – Barili – Toledo Rd, Aloguinsan – 1.5 to 2 hours from Cebu City and just along the national highway, right across Curbada Dela Maria Resort.
BY CAR: Navigate with Waze or Google Maps and set your destination to “Sofio’s Grill House” in Aloguinsan. Alternatively, you can pin “Curbada Dela Maria Resort”.
