On Thursday night, the Department of Health Central Visayas (DOH-7) released its official, consolidated data of the COVID-19 cases in the region as of August 19, 2021.
Today, the whole island of Cebu — Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, and the Cebu Province — recorded 978 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, 577 new recoveries, and 13 new deaths. This brings Cebu’s total confirmed cases to 83,601, while the active cases increased to 13,605 (from 13,211).
Breakdown of cases:
Cebu City – Total confirmed: 35,231 (+274 new) – Total recoveries: 29,454 (+56 new) – Total deaths: 1,088 (+3 new) – Active cases: 4,689
Lapu-Lapu City – Total confirmed: 10,890 (+106 new) – Total recoveries: 8,879 (+127 new) – Total deaths: 287 (+1 new) – Active cases: 1,724
Mandaue City – Total confirmed: 9,911 (+131 new) – Total recoveries: 7,722 (+0 new) – Total deaths: 293 (+3 new) – Active cases: 1,896
Cebu Province – Total confirmed: 27,569 (+467 new) – Total recoveries: 20,984 (+394 new) – Total deaths: 1,289 (+6 new) – Active cases: 5,296
Summary of COVID-19 cases in Cebu:
Total Active Cases in Cebu: 13,605 (from 13,211)
Total Confirmed Cases in Cebu: 83,601 (+978 new)
Total Recoveries in Cebu: 67,039 (+577 new)
Total Deaths in Cebu: 2,957 (+13 new*)
A total of 4,483 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.
Yes, you’ve read it right, located in Babag after Busay is Sachiko’s Little Kyoto, the newest attraction that lets you experience Kyoto, Japan.
Photo from Arean Keith Cinematography Facebook Page
Photo from Sachiko’s Little Kyoto Facebook Page
Photo from Arean Keith Cinematography Facebook Page
Photo from Sachiko’s Little Kyoto Facebook Page
Photo from Arean Keith Cinematography Facebook Page
Kyoto is known as the cultural capital of Japan where numerous Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, palaces and gardens are found.
Sachiko’s Little Kyoto has this vast space of varying levels where stairs and steps takes you around the place to breath in the whole experience of being in Kyoto.
Japanese paper lanterns and lamp posts decorates the whole area as you walk through the Torii gates and cute Japanese bridges.
Photo from Sachiko’s Little Kyoto Facebook Page
Photo from Arean Keith Cinematography Facebook Page
Photo from Arean Keith Cinematography Facebook Page
Photo from Arean Keith Cinematography Facebook Page
Photo from Arean Keith Cinematography Facebook Page
Photo from Arean Keith Cinematography Facebook Page
Photo from Arean Keith Cinematography Facebook Page
Photo from Arean Keith Cinematography Facebook Page
Photo from Sachiko’s Little Kyoto Facebook Page
Photo from Sachiko’s Little Kyoto Facebook Page
They also have big attractions like the “Lying buddha” which represents the historical Buddha during his last illness, about to enter the nirvana. And of course, the famous dog which made the world cry- Hachiko.
A viewing deck can also be accessed to gaze at the breathtaking view of the mountains and the sky.
Photo from Arean Keith Cinematography Facebook Page
Photo from Sachiko’s Little Kyoto Facebook Page
Photo from Arean Keith Cinematography Facebook Page
Photo from Arean Keith Cinematography Facebook Page
Photo from Arean Keith Cinematography Facebook Page
Photo from Arean Keith Cinematography Facebook Page
Photo from Motoholic Facebook Page
A taste of Japanese Food
The whole Kyoto experience wouldn’t be complete without having a full day of binge eating pure Japanese cuisine.
They have different food stalls available in the area for everyone as a tour can get you hungry in no time. You’ll just have to proceed to the ticket booth to pay for your meals.
Photo from Arean Keith Cinematography Facebook Page
Photo from Arean Keith Cinematography Facebook Page
Photo from Arean Keith Cinematography Facebook Page
Photo from Arean Keith Cinematography Facebook Page
Photo from Sachiko’s Little Kyoto Facebook Page
Some of the Japanes Food stalls offers:
Yakisoba
Takoyaki
Taiyaki
Yakitori(Pork, Chicken)
Tempura/ Karaage
They also have a café if you’d want to sit down and take a break. Cafe Nara serves coffee, different flavored milkteas and other drinks as refreshment. If you’d want a meal then you can choose to have ramen, gyoza, maki California, maki Chashu and a lot of other Japanese dishes in their menu.
Photo from Arean Keith Cinematography Facebook Page
Photo from Sachiko’s Little Kyoto Facebook Page
Photo from Sachiko’s Little Kyoto Facebook Page
Photo from Arean Keith Cinematography Facebook Page
Photo from Arean Keith Cinematography Facebook Page
Photo from Arean Keith Cinematography Facebook Page
For safety purposes, they only allow a maximum of 70 people at a time and there will be no reservations and no pets.
Also as we enjoy ourselves sightseeing, we should always wear a facemask and observe Social Distancing.
Photo from Arean Keith Cinematography Facebook Page
Photo from Sachiko’s Little Kyoto Facebook Page
Photo from Sachiko’s Little Kyoto Facebook Page
Note: Any person below 18 years old, those who are more than 65 years old, those with immunodeficiency, comorbidity, or other health risks, and pregnant women are not allowed, as per MECQ guidelines
RATES & OTHER INFORMATION
DAY USE:
Entrance fee: P60 per adult; P30 per child (Children below 4ft are free)
Exact location: Sitio Lamacan, Babag Uno, Cebu City — approx. 40 mins away from city center
BY BUS: Ride a PUV/PUB going to Babag. From there, ride a tricycle or motorcycle going to Sachiko’s Little Kyoto.
BY CAR: Navigate with Waze or Google Maps and set your destination to “Sachiko’s Little Kyoto” in Babag. Parking space is available.
Another route: Take the road to mountain view park going through temple of leah and chixboi then take a right, you’ll find it just 500m beyond Soul Sierra.
Olango Island is a beautiful place to visit especially if you love wildlife and nature. There, you can visit the Marine Sanctuary with its colorful fishes and the Bird Sanctuary with the abundance of birds of different feathers.
If you plan on going to Olango Island but have no idea where to stay, Pag Utlan Camp might just be for you with their invigorating beach camping experience.
Photo from Paz Radaza Facebook Page
Photo from Paz Radaza Facebook Page
Photo by JONELL travels
Photo by JONELL travels
Photo by JONELL travels
Photo from Paz Radaza Facebook Page
Photo from Paz Radaza Facebook Page
Photo from Paz Radaza Facebook Page
Photo by John Dyeve Cortes
Photo by John Dyeve Cortes
Photo from Paz Radaza Facebook Page
Set your tent by the beach and swim about for as long as you want. The Olango waters are cool and chilling to the bone. Do you want to experience other places that Olango offers? You can secure your things in your tent and either rent their bikes or ride a tricycle. That way, you can travel wherever you want and you can have somewhere to go back to.
Don’t have a tent? Don’t worry! You can rent theirs instead. Do you want to visit the place but have another place to stay in?
You can do that by paying their entrance fee for only P10! How crazy is that? Plus, you can see the sunset on the horizon. Truly a beautiful moment.
Photo from Paz Radaza Facebook Page
Photo from Paz Radaza Facebook Page
Photo from Paz Radaza Facebook Page
Photo by James Degollacion
Photo by PotenCiana Balabat Hilot
Photo by YhEoj Tan
Photo from Paz Radaza Facebook Page
Photo by John Dyeve Cortes
Photo by John Dyeve Cortes
Photo by Moses Mari Lacierda
Photo by John Dyeve Cortes
RATES & OTHER INFORMATION
NOTE: As of writing, they have ceased operations because of the rise in cases of COVID-19. But be sure to follow them to get updated on when they will be back!
Exact location: Pag Utlan Camp, Olango Island, Cebu
FROM CEBU CITY: Ride a jeepney or a bus to go to Parkmall. This is where you can find the jeepney/bus terminal heading to Lapu-Lapu City. Find one that can take you to Angasil Port or Hilton Wharf in Punta Engaño, beside the Movenpick Hotel. There, avail a ticket to ride a boat going to Olango Island. Upon arriving, find a tricycle and tell the driver to take you to Pag Utlan Camp in San Vicente.
BY CAR: Navigate with Waze or Google Maps and set your destination to “Pag Utlan Camp” in Olango Island.
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 August 18, 2021.
Today, the whole island of Cebu — Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, and the Cebu Province — recorded 1,153 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, 768 new recoveries, and 60 new deaths. This brings Cebu’s total confirmed cases to 82,624, while the active cases increased to 13,211 (from 12,882).
Breakdown of cases:
Cebu City – Total confirmed: 34,957 (+417 new) – Total recoveries: 29,399 (+208 new) – Total deaths: 1,085 (+13 new) – Active cases: 4,473
Lapu-Lapu City – Total confirmed: 10,784 (+169 new) – Total recoveries: 8,753 (+71 new) – Total deaths: 286 (+15 new) – Active cases: 1,745
Mandaue City – Total confirmed: 9,780 (+96 new) – Total recoveries: 7,723 (+95 new) – Total deaths: 290 (+4 new) – Active cases: 1,767
Cebu Province – Total confirmed: 27,103 (+471 new) – Total recoveries: 20,594 (+394 new) – Total deaths: 1,283 (+28 new) – Active cases: 5,226
Summary of COVID-19 cases in Cebu:
Total Active Cases in Cebu: 13,211 (from 12,882)
Total Confirmed Cases in Cebu: 82,624 (+1,153 new)
Total Recoveries in Cebu: 66,469 (+768 new)
Total Deaths in Cebu: 2,944 (+60 new*)
A total of 5,271 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.
“We’re all born naked and the rest is drag.” -RuPaul
If you’ve followed the famous reality competition series and wondered if you could ever be one, then here is your chance to become the Philippines’ First Drag Superstar.
RuPaul’s Drag Race Philippines is now casting as one of its international versions and will premiere exclusively on WOW Presents Plus.
RuPaul has personally called on all fierce queens of the Philippines to submit their entries for casting through a video, inviting them to showcase their charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent.
The series, which has shined a spotlight on so many incredible queens, has a total of 19 Emmy wins, making it the Television Academy’s most-awarded reality competition show in history from around the world.
Check out the show’s teaser here:
Drag is about artistry, fashion, and detail, as well as performance and personality. Drag Race Philippines will be a good opportunity to help hard working drag queens get publicity and uplift the voices of the lgbtq+ people. It also helps them feel more comfortable in their skin as well as provide good entertainment.
Drag Race Philippines will have Randy Barbato, Fenton Bailey, Tom Campbell and RuPaul serving as the executive producers on the series. The host, judges, cast, and premiere date are still to be announced.
World of Wonder has yet to announce other details about Drag Race Philippines, including its host, panel, and target airing date. Fans on Twitter are hoping Paolo Ballesteros and Vice Ganda to become hosts for the series.
“When you become the image of your own imagination, it’s the most powerful thing you could ever do.” – RuPaul
Taking it from RuPaul, imagination is the limit, so what are you waiting for queen?
A true trail blazer for costume, set and production design in film and theater comes from Cebu.
Yes, it is a wonder how some people may not know Clint Ramos, a Cebuano costume designer that have even caught the attention and recognition of Oprah Winfrey and Jennifer Hudson.
Clint Ramos is a Filipino-American costume and set designer who have made history as the first Filipino and Asian – and the first person of color – to win the best costume design of a play for ‘Eclipsed’ in the Tony Awards. As one of the theater world’s biggest honor, Ramos is on a league of his own indeed.
Clint Ramos is also the costume designer for the 2021 movie ‘Respect,’ a biopic of the late Aretha Franklin’s life from her roots in her father’s church choir as a child to becoming an international musical superstar and her struggle in her personal life.
The Queen of Soul will be played by American singer and actress- Jennifer Hudson which is why when Jennifer visited Oprah in her show OWN Spotlight, they were gushing praises about his costumes for Respect.
Photo from MGM Studios Facebook Page
Photo from MGM Studios Facebook Page
Photo from MGM Studios Facebook Page
Photo from MGM Studios Facebook Page
Oprah opened with this statement. “Let’s talk about the clothes, y’all. Okay, I don’t know who was in charge of the wardrobing there but…”
And of course, Jennifer offered his name. “Clint Ramos” and added“It’s amazing,” as both were clapping. Jennifer also stated in another interview that the costumes gave her a huge sense of personality.
Ramos was very happy being recognized and jokingly shared that he actually went to heaven for that and that it was a wonderful surprise as those who work behind the screen are often not mentioned.
Costume designer do not just dress the stars but they dress thousands of people as background players which Ramos also want to point out that there is an actual team of hundreds behind all of it– from the beaders, sewers to everyone involved on designing the pieces.
Growing up in Cebu, Clint Ramo’s inspiration was his mom Erlinda Ramos whom he said taught him about style, taste and everything else.
Going hard and early, as the Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern announced a nationwide lockdown after its first one coronavirus case.
Treating it as the contagious Delta variant while still waiting for the genome sequencing, Ardern held a press conference and declared that New Zealand will be under level four lockdown, the strictest lockdown level, for the next three days starting from 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, local time.
With this announcement, everyone in the country must stay home and businesses are closed aside for essential services such as supermarkets and pharmacies.
This first locally transmitted Covid-19 case in the community since February is from an unvaccinated 58-year-old man in Auckland.
“Delta has been called a gamechanger — and it is. It means we need to again go hard and early to stop the spread. We have seen what can happen elsewhere if we fail to get on top of it. We only get one chance.”– Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand
It’s not news for all of us that New Zealand has been praised and look up to by everyone in the world for its handling of the virus last year, closing its borders to almost all foreign nationals early, and imposing strict state-run quarantines on incoming travelers avoiding the devastating outbreaks seen in other countries.
This immediate and hard action from NZ government is just another proof of its proactive way of handling the pandemic. Ardern also highlighted that as they are one the last countries in the world to have the Delta variant, they are in the position to learn from experience overseas, and what actions work, and what actions don’t work.
New Zealand only has 26 deaths in a population of about 5 million due to Covid-19 and with this swift reaction to their first case, they are sure to have a better handle of the delta variant than any other country.
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 August 17, 2021.
Today, the whole island of Cebu — Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, Mandaue City, and the Cebu Province — recorded 568 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, 391 new recoveries, and 52 new deaths. This brings Cebu’s total confirmed cases to 81,472, while the active cases increased to 12,882 (from 12,750).
Breakdown of cases:
Cebu City – Total confirmed: 34,540 (+272 new) – Total recoveries: 29,194 (+83 new) – Total deaths: 1,072 (+17 new) – Active cases: 4,274
Lapu-Lapu City – Total confirmed: 10,615 (+65 new) – Total recoveries: 8,687 (+136 new) – Total deaths: 271 (+7 new) – Active cases: 1,657
Mandaue City – Total confirmed: 9,684 (+46 new) – Total recoveries: 7,628 (+28 new) – Total deaths: 286 (+7 new) – Active cases: 1,770
Cebu Province – Total confirmed: 26,633 (+185 new) – Total recoveries: 20,206 (+144 new) – Total deaths: 1,246 (+21 new) – Active cases: 5,181
Summary of COVID-19 cases in Cebu:
Total Active Cases in Cebu: 12,882 (from 12,750)
Total Confirmed Cases in Cebu: 81,472 (+568 new)
Total Recoveries in Cebu: 65,715 (+391 new)
Total Deaths in Cebu: 2,875 (+52 new*)
A total of 3,439 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 collapse of Afghanistan’s government shook the world as pictures of the Taliban terrorists taking over the presidential palace spread on the internet along with videos of a swarm of people running and panicking trying to leave the country in the Kabul airport.
Photo from Reuters
With this devastating news, the palace has released a statement that the Philippines is willing to accept refugees from Afghanistan and even cited a previous instance when the country was one of the few nations that unconditionally opened its doors to Jewish refugees during the Holocaust.
“Since time immemorial po, the Philippines has had jurisprudence even before the convention on refugees welcoming asylum seekers. Sabi nga po ng Korte Suprema, the Philippines will not hesitate to admit individuals fleeing their homelands because of fear of persecution” – Pres. Spokesman Harry Roque, August 17
The terrorist group, Taliban, has a long history of committing violence against innocent women and children. They kill political opponents and have defeated the Afghan government forces triggering panic and fear in the capital.
Photo from ReutersPhoto from ReutersPhoto from Reuters
Not only Philippines but many countries are now bracing for a mass influx of refugees fleeing the Taliban rule with at least 400,000 Afghans forced from their homes in 2021 according to the UN High Commission for Refugees.
It is now for the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to comment on whether the Philippines will recognize and open diplomatic channels with Afghanistan.
“The Philippines continues to honor this humanitarian tradition in accordance with our obligations under the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol,” – President Rodrigo Duterte, United Nations (UN) General Assembly in September 2020
With everything that is going on, it is of utmost importance that we help each other out and remain humane in all our actions. Always remember, Humanity is our race and Love is our language.
This article was first seen on vismin.ph with few revisions from the Sugbo.ph editors.
A new COVID-19 variant, Lambda, has entered the Philippines. After the wide spread of the Delta variant in our country, we really don’t need another one but here it is.
The first Lambda case in the Philippines was a 35-year-old-female who tested positive in July but is now recovered.
Lambda, also known as “C.37”, is now all over the news after the World Health Organization (WHO) noted its rapid spread and detection in 29 countries including Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Now, the question is how do we differentiate Lambda to the Delta variant? Here is what we know so far.
VOC and VOI
VOC and VOI stand for Variant of Concern and Variant of Interest, respectively. This is a classification made by the WHO to classify covid-19 variants.
The Delta variant is classified as VOC whereas the Lambda variant is classified by WHO as VOI, a level below VOC, for now.
According to the WHO description, VOI are variants with genetic changes that are predicted or known to affect virus characteristics such as transmissibility, disease severity, immune escape, diagnostic or therapeutic escape.
In summary, Lambda have caused significant community transmission or multiple COVID-19 infection and has the potential for disease severity.
Less Infectious than Delta Variant
Comparing Lambda to the Delta variant in transmissibility, laboratory results shows that Lambda is less infectious than the hyper transmissible Delta variant but more infectious than the original covid-19 virus due to its unique new gene deletions and mutations.
Although, there is still no accurate way to know how lambda’s different genetic profile will affect community transmission, severity of symptoms or vaccine resistance around the world.
Different Studies suggestions
Lambda may be potentially resistant to current vaccines than the original coronavirus. (Laboratory studies from Japan and Chile)
Sinovac vaccine did not work as well as it did with the original virus when tested against Lambda. (Chile research)
Johnson and Johnson vaccine was less effective against Lambda and the Delta variant compared to the Pfizer and Moderna. (New York University research)
Note: These studies are not yet peer-reviewed
Just because vaccines appear less effective doesn’t mean they don’t work. Now that different variants are popping everywhere around the world, it is still a known fact that vaccines protect everyone against severe illness and stops deaths.
