Kurt Fick and Jacky Chang collab for ECQ version of ‘Balay Ni Mayang’

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May 10, 2020

Of course, we could all be a philanthropist in our own ways.

In this world full of negative news, Michael Bublé decided to be otherwise by giving his caretaker a new home. He renovated his grandfather’s humble abode and gave it to her thereafter.

Minette was his grandfather’s friend and employee. Caretaker Minette worked in his house where Michael has spent many happy hours.

Demetrio, Michael’s grandfather, built a home in Vancouver and has always hoped for Minette to live there after he passed away.

Bublé appeared on the HGTB show Celebrity IOU, where Property Brothers’ Drew and Jonathan Scott team up with some celebrities to renovate homes of the people they love.

During the show, Bublé explained how Minette would send most of her hard-earned money to her family back in the Philippines, making this gift really matter. Especially because of how Minette has been so close to the family, he said that gifting her this house would feel like gifting it to a family.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0gCjxBFw18

“The greatest moments of my life happened here. The songs I learned and the style of music I fell in love with, they all happened here. I hired Minette, the nurse, to come and live with [my grandfather] and by the end, [she] was his best friend. Minette never does anything for herself, and I think my grandpa would be thrilled knowing we could maybe lessen her burden a little bit and continue having Minette help her family,” said Bublé.

“My grandfather, his greatest wish was not just that I kept this house in the family, but it was that this would be your home ’cause he loved you so much, and so there is no documentary, this is all for you,” he added.

Minette broke down in tears and described the house as ‘amazing’.

“Minette is really a special, beautiful woman. My grandpa would be so happy. Giving her this house would have been his dream,” he finished.

This new home will definitely be filled with new laughters and joy. Thanks, Michael!

Philippines can now conduct 12,000 COVID-19 tests a day

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May 10, 2020

covid-19-rapid-test-cebu-5 — Photo from Cebu City Public Information Office

Thank you, Philippines. You have stepped up your COVID-19 game.

Like other nations, the Philippines is now able to perform 12,000 tests a day, moving closer to its goal of conducting 30,000 tests for the COVID-19 disease in May 30.

The Deputy Chief Implementer of the National Task Forxe COVID-19 and president of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority, Vince Dizon, said that the government is also planning to set up 50 additional laboratories this month. These laboratories are on top of the existing 20 laboratories from the government and private sectors.

In an interview, he said that the Philippines is now at a laboratory capacity of roughly around 12,000 per day.

Recently, we have only been able to test around 7,000 per day, a jump from the 5,000 test in late March to early April this year.

“But again, that’s just capacity. The other thing that needs to be done is to increase our ability to get the specimen from our kababayans (countrymen) on the ground,” he explained.

He said that the laboratories being targeted to be set up this month are already in its last stages of accreditation.

“We have 18,000 to go but I am really confident that with the help of the private sector and the government working together, and the government being a facilitator helping out our labs especially the labs being proposed by the private sector, we can achieve this goal of 30,000-tests-per-day lab capacity by May 30,” he added.

According to Dizon, the government will be opening four mega swabbing centers in Metro Manila and Bulacan. This js to help the country’s capacity for mass testing.

The centers are located at the:

Philippine Sports Stadium inside the Philippine Arena (North)
Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City (South)
Enderun Colleges in Taguig City (East)
Palacio de Maynila Tent in Roxas Boulevard (West)

However, according to Dizon, more than 20,000 OFWs will be prioritiezed in these centers.

“If they test positive, they have to continue undergoing quarantine, if they are negative, they will be given a certificate attesting that they are already negative and then they can now go home to their places of residence and undergo home quarantine,” he said.

Dizon also noted that the goal of reaching its target testing capacity by the end of May is not just a government effort.

“This is not just a government effort. This is a whole-of-nation effort wherein both the government and private sector must come together to reach our goal of 30,000 tests a day,” he said.

‘Inuyasha’ sequel in the works; reveals title and story details

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May 9, 2020

What do you think about a potential sequel for Inuyasha?

Yes. We might just be hearing another round of petty fights from Inuyasha and Kagome from who might be the children of then characters.

Inuyasha, as known by fans, have already ended with Inuyasha: The Final Act. But it seems as if our favorite anime is making a sequel with what is reported to be called as Hanyo no Yashahime (Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon).

The character designs, as seen, reveal resemblances to then characters of Inuyasha: Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, and Sango. We don’t know all the details yet, but we’ll surely do once they hit the scenes in the future.

Twitter user RanobeSugoi was the one who shared these character designs of the Inuyasha sequel.

Visual for the upcoming Inuyasha related project "Hanyo no Yashahime" pic.twitter.com/PNkskL7Ss4
— Ranobe Sugoi (plus) Shonen (@RanobeSugoi) May 8, 2020

The creator, Rumiko Inuyasha, has kept himself busy with the new manga project of Mao. It focuses on a similar setup of Inuyasha.

While not enough details were provided, we are certain to be hoping for this to be declared as an official sequel of our favorite, Inuyasha. I would want to be in that monster-filled world again.

LOOK: Starbucks Philippines outs new refreshing drinks

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May 9, 2020

Our favorite coffee store has granted our wishes at last. Satisfy your longing for a cup of your favorite Starbucks drink as they now offer delivery and take-outs.

Select Starbucks branches are now available on GrabFood. All the drinks you’ve missed are just a click away.

What’s more is they are also offering new refreshing Tea-ology beverages that are just perfect for this insane heat.

Tropical Triple Citrus – handshaken Teavana™ Emperor’s Clouds & Mist green tea mixed with a zesty blend of three orange juices topped with grapefruit, lemon and oranges slices.

Sangria Hibiscus Cold Brew -Made with Teavana™ Hibiscus tea, this drink is flavored with luscious hibiscus flowers and real mixed berries that complement the smooth and naturally sweet flavor of Cold Brew Coffee. Garnished with an orange slice of citrus, the summer beverage is as delicious as it is beautiful.

Peach Cloud with Jelly – Savor sweet, juicy peaches all summer long with the new Peach Cloud with Jelly. A combination of white peach juice, Teavana™ Emperor’s Clouds & Mist green tea, peach jelly and diced white peaches. Topped with velvety white peach cold foam for a sweet, creamy finish.

Matcha Mango Freeze – The new Mango Matcha Freeze offers a tangy, tropical twist on our classic Matcha. This summer beverage is an icy blend of smooth and creamy Matcha with mango and passionfruit juice. Complete with a scoop of mango jelly for a vibrant pop of flavor and color.

Oolong Jelly Matcha Royale – The new Oolong Jelly Matcha Royale is a tea lover’s dream, featuring lively and rich flavors of Teavana™ Matcha and oolong tea jelly. Matcha is mixed together with silky milk, served over ice and topped with oolong tea jelly, creating a luxurious, smooth finish sure to satisfy your cravings.

Note: These Starbucks beverages are available for take-out and delivery (via GrabFood) at select branches only. If you’re opting to take-out from the stores, please follow social distancing and wear a mask.

US gives additional P298M assistance to PH amid COVID-19 crisis

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May 9, 2020

US and Philippines — Photo by Karl Norman Alonzo / Presidential Photo

The United States Embassy in the Philippines has announced that the US government has given an additional P298 million or $5.9 million aid in the fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The total amount of US pandemic assistance is now more than P768 million or $15.2 million which includes P44 million or $875,000 from the US Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration for the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The funds came a month after President Rodrigo Duterte spoke with US President Donald Trump. The conversation that lasted 18 minutes tackled bilateral efforts to fight the global pandemic.

US Agency for International Development (USAID) is also planning to partner with LGU’s in some of the Philippines’ hardest-hit areas to:

Promote effective crisis management and implement response plans
Rapidly disburse emergency funding and supplies
Strengthen the capacity of local crisis response centers to disseminate accurate and timely crisis response information
Manage quarantine measures
Set up public handwashing facilities
Ensure food supply
Support local business recovery
Provide supply chain analytics
Promote a regulatory environment that facilitates logistics and transportation for food, medical products, and other essential goods
Facilitate access to credit and provide grants and skills training to heavily affected sectors and communities for small and micro-enterprises

“This latest assistance builds on our long-standing relationships with local government units across the Philippines, and represents our continued commitment to our Filipino friends, partners, and allies in this time of crisis,”
– Sung Kim,US Ambassador to the Philippines

Crime rate in Cebu drops by 70% under ECQ

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May 9, 2020

The province of Cebu is more peaceful now than ever before, due to the quarantine and the vigilance in the barangay level, down to sub-villages called ‘sitios’ and ‘puroks’.

An enormous drop of 70% in the crime rate is a feat indeed.

“We owe this to the efforts and various initiatives on security in the barangay level”, according to a report by Police Regional Office 7 Director Brig. Gen. Albert Ignatius Ferro.

“Mahimo man gyud diay. For the first time. Dugay na ni natong gipangandoy. Gani nag-set up na ta ani nga structure. Duna na tay barangay tanod, duna tay purok leaders, nga ang structure makatabang sa peace and order. Karon ato na nang nakita,”
– Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia

The governor also congratulated the 1,063 barangays of Cebu Province’s 44 towns and seven component cities — Talisay, Toledo, Carcar, Naga, Danao, Bogo, and Mandaue.

Some of the initiatives for security are barriers placed at the sitio level, with logbooks on people who enter their areas and barangays having extensive monitoring on new arrivals within their territories.

Climate change: ‘Unlivable heat’ could affect up to 3.5 billion people in 2070

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May 9, 2020

We have all been experiencing the excessive heat even in our own homes.

Well, according to a new study, it will become worse 50 years from now if we don’t change our ways.

About 2 to 3.5 billion people around the world, mostly those who can’t afford air-conditioning, will be living in a climate that is too hot a human body can handle.

With every 1.8-degree Celsius increase in the global average temperature yearly, about a billion or so will end up with unlivable heat according to ecologist Marten Scheffer of Wageningen University in the Netherlands, co-author of the study.

We humans have a sweet spot of temperature as a group of international scientists have studied — average annual temperatures between 11 to 15 degrees Celsius.

We can live in warmer and colder places than that, but the farther we are from the sweet spot, the harder it gets either warmer or colder.

The scientists are looking places like parts of Africa, Asia, South America, and Australia that will likely to experience the effects of climate change first.

Our future highly depends on the climate altering choices we make and our population growth.

SKY subscribers can now manage subscription and ask for help online

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Sugbo.ph

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May 8, 2020

SKY subscribers can now maximize digital platforms in managing their subscriptions as a new normal begins to limit the movement and reshape the Filipino’s way of life amid the enhanced community quarantine and beyond. As they utilize these digital facilities, SKY is able to give them their much-needed peace of mind since all transactions do not require any physical contact and can be done at the safety of their home.

If they would like to check their billing status online, they can simply enroll their account through mysky.com.ph/myaccounts or to SKY e-bill to receive their statement of account via email or simply open the mySKY app.

For their safety and convenience, subscribers can pay their bills through digital facilities such as via credit card at mysky.com.ph/myaccounts or the mySKY App, e-Wallets Gcash and Paymaya, and online banking via BPI, BDO, Landbank, and more.

Subscribers can easily refer to a detailed step-by-step guide featured in mysky.com.ph/digitalpayment for more details on how to use these digital payment facilities.

Subscribers are encouraged to download the mySKY app (mysky.com.ph/app) as it will help them manage their account with much ease as the app offers program schedules, minor troubleshooting guides, billing information, and even allows them to add more channels and streaming apps to their subscription.

If they are experiencing common issues with their service, they can quickly access Do-It-Yourself and troubleshooting guides on SKY’s official website. They can also fill up SKYServes’ webform (mysky.com.ph/contact-us) to be able to immediately inform SKY of their concerns.

To know more about SKY’s safety tools and services, visit www.mysky.com.ph.

Cebu Pacific says Piso Fare will be back, shares ‘new normal’ in domestic travel

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May 8, 2020