WTA

Intramuros is Asia's leading tourist attraction: 2020 WTA

MANILA – The historic walled city of Intramuros has emerged as Asia's leading tourist attraction in the 2020 World Travel Awards, besting such world-class landmarks as India’s Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China.

This is the second time the Philippine destination won the title after getting the award in 2016.

Trailing Intramuros in this year's awards are the Angkor Temples in Cambodia, the Borobudur Temple Compounds in Indonesia, the Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, the Sengan-en and Shoko Shuseikan Museum in Japan, Victoria Peak in Hong Kong, the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Japan, and the Terracotta Warriors and The Forbidden City in China.

Four years since its 2016 WTA Asia's Leading Tourist Attraction title, the walled city has not only maintained its grandeur but also features several improvements, which, for the Intramuros Administration (IA), may have contributed to its recent win.

From 2017 to 2019, Intramuros strived to revitalize its pocket parks and plazas, such as the Plaza Sto. Tomas, Plaza Roma, President's Gallery, Juan Luna Monument, Legazpi Monument, Plazuela de Sta. Isabel, Plaza de España, Gomburza Monument, and Plaza de Armaz.

Plaza Sto. Tomas used to be riddled with vendors and illegal street provisions. Now, its streets have been cleared for tourists and the general public, the vendors are properly organized, and the plaza is well lit and secured. "We also put eff ort to renew and establish old and new attractions in Intramuros for the tourists. The two general projects were the renewal of Fort Santiago, off ering a revitalized perspective for the world-renowned gate, and the opening of Museo de Intramuros," the IA said.

After being left in ruins for decades, Fort Santiago was reconstructed in phases starting 2011 and was completed in April 2019.

Before the pandemic, the Museo de Intramuros inside the old San Ignacio Church, off ered ecclesiastical insights for museum afi cionados, stretching back to the early Christianization of the Philippines.

Walled city of Intramuros

The Manila Cathedral located inside Intramuros (Pre-pandemic photo by DOT/Denison Manuel)

In the years beyond, the IA said it wants tourists – and local businesses alike – to look at Intramuros and imagine a "vibrant future" not limited to cobblestones and old churches but an old city breathing a brand new life.

Metro Manila is still under general community quarantine (GCQ) but the IA is prepared should the region shift to modifi ed GCQ and eventually allow leisure travel. "We have adopted the SafePass and also further recalibrate our existing sites to comply with the health and safety protocols. We will wait for the proper guidelines to be issued," IA Administrator Guiller Asido told the Philippine News Agency.

(PNA)

“We consider the senators as vital partners, allies and friends, and we thank the Senate leadership for this productive meeting,” he added.

During the meeting, the legislators agreed to come up with a common legislative priority plan for the next fi ve months following the agenda set by President Rodrigo Duterte himself during his fi fth State of the Nation Address.

Part of the President's agenda are the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act, Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer Act, Rural Agricultural and Fisheries Development Financing System Act, and the bill creating the Department of Overseas Filipinos.

“The President, in his remaining years as our Chief Executive, can rely on Congress to help him fulfi ll his promises to our people before his term ends,” Velasco said.

“We take seriously his call to put an end to systemic corruption, and we will work together with our fellow lawmakers to come up with legislation to help our overseas Filipino workers, farmers and fi sherfolk,” he added.

At the same time, Velasco said the House also urged the Senate to prioritize the passage of the proposed Magna Carta of Barangay Workers Act to assist frontliners in the barangay, as well as the proposed Internet Transactions Act aimed at protecting consumers in their online transactions amid the pandemic.

The House last October 27 submitted its version of the proposed 2021 General Appropriations Act to the Senate, which Velasco believes the two houses will be able to pass before the year ends.

“The House and Senate leaderships were both in agreement that the national budget should be approved as soon as possible,” he said.

Velasco is expecting that both the Senate and the House will work harmoniously on the budget bill as well as on other proposed measures to help the country quickly recover from the pandemic.

“We have a good working relationship with the Senate, and everyone is united,” he said.

“We are confi dent that we can pass responsive laws that will help our countrymen rise above this pandemic before the year ends," he added.

(MNS)

IN 2017... FROM PAGE 2

ments, or Revenue in 2017.

Just as Wholesale Trade is the largest sector in total sales in the United States, it was also king in 32 states in 2017. Wholesale Trade also saw the largest increase in sales from 2012 to 2017 in 22 states.

Retail Trade was the top sales growth sector in 12 states. Florida retail sales were up $59.3 billion between 2012 and 2017.

Where certain industry sectors rank high:

Manufacturing was the top sector in shipment in 11 states. It grew the most in Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee. (South Carolina gained the most, up $39.4 billion.)

Retail was tops in fi ve states (Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, New Hampshire and New Mexico). In Nevada, total retail sales in 2017 were $45.1 billion, the largest of these fi ve states.

Mining ranked highest in Alaska, ($12.3 billion) and Wyoming ($12.8 billion).

Professional, Scientifi c, and Technical Services was the top sector in revenue in Washington, D.C. ($37.2 billion).

Health Care grew the most in eight states led by Louisiana, where it increased by $6.7 billion.

Construction saw the largest increase in revenue between 2012 and 2017 in Colorado ($24.4 billion), Kansas ($4.7 billion), and Nevada ($8.3 billion) Professional Services went up in D.C. ($5.4 billion) and New Mexico ($2.5 billion).

Mining saw the largest increase in North Dakota ($4.1 billion).

Who Is Hiring and Where in 2017?

While wholesale trade may be king in terms of sales, health care rules in terms of employment. This sector employed the most people in 41 states in 2017, with over 2 million working in this sector in California alone.

Top employment sectors by state:

Professional Services employed the most workers (108,016) in Washington, D.C., and Virginia (470,265) in 2017,

Administration and Support was tops in Florida (1.7 million workers) and South Carolina (276,277).

Accommodation and Food Services was the largest employer in two tourism-dominated states: Hawaii, (112,743 workers) and Nevada (319,584).

Retail was largest employer in New Hampshire (96,591 workers) and Utah (153,633).

Manufacturing was the largest employer in Indiana (496,083) and Wisconsin (455,538).

Sectors that gained the most employees:

Health Care employment grew the most in 22 states, with Texas gaining the most (253,913) employees.

Administration and Support gained the most employees in nine states. Florida added the most (516,706) workers (Figure 7).

Accommodation and Food Services sector saw the greatest employment growth between 2012 and 2017 in 10 states. Georgia added 73,246 workers, the biggest gain in this sector during this period.

Manufacturing was the largest employer in Indiana and Wisconsin in 2017, and this sector gained the most employees in Indiana and Michigan (43,570 and 68,307 employees, respectively)..

Professional Services gained the most employees in Massachusetts (55,291), Minnesota (45,670), and New Mexico (12,520).

Finance gained the most (7,682) in Delaware.

Other Services gained the most employees (14,774) in the District of Columbia.

Average Annual Payroll per Employee in 2017

The Utilities sector was one of the smallest employer sectors in the United States (with only 658,384 workers nationwide), yet businesses in this sector reported the highest average annual payroll per employee of any sector in 2017 in 33 states.

Management was tops in eight states (Figure 8). Finance and Insurance was the highest payer in Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts and New York; New York led the pack, paying an average annual payroll per employee in this sector of $194,713.

Mining reported the highest average annual payroll per employee in Alaska, New Mexico, and North Dakota (Alaska was tops at $106,347). Information was tops in California ($158,169), and Washington ($161,569) and Wholesale was the leader in Delaware ($104,444).

None of these data would be possible without the millions of U.S. businesses that respond to the Economic Census and other Census Bureau business surveys.

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DOH confirms: Face mask, ventilation determine rate of COVID infection

MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Department of Health on Thursday confirmed that the rate of coronavirus infection can be greatly reduced by wearing face mask and staying in a place with proper ventilation.

Presenting different scenarios at an online briefing, Nurse Rodley Carza of the DOH’s Health Promotion Bureau said that an infected person with five others without face mask in a poorly-ventilated room for four hours can infect the five others.

Carza made the warning as he underscored the importance of having proper ventilation and wearing of face mask.

Further, he said that one infected person in a poorly-ventilated room with six people can also put four people at risk of getting coronavirus even if all are wearing face mask, but under prolonged exposure.

A room of six people with one COVID-infected person, however, will only put one other at risk if all in the poorly-ventilated room are wearing face mask.

In another scenario, a COVID patient in a bar with 17 others without face mask can infect 14 others in a fourhour period inside a poorly-ventilated space.

If these same people in the bar wear face mask, in a poorly ventilated space and under prolonged exposure, eight people will still be at risk of being infected.

If the 18 people in the said bar wear face mask and in a space with proper ventilation, only one person will be at risk of getting infected.

Meanwhile, in a classroom setup wherein one of the 24 students present is infected with coronavirus, the carrier can infect 12 students in two hours if they are not wearing face mask in a poorly-ventilated classroom.

If the 24 students are wearing face mask but are in a poorly-ventilated classroom and under prolonged exposure, five students will be at risk of getting infected.

However, only one student will be at risk of infection if the 24 students are wearing face masks and are in a properly-ventilated classroom with one student infected student with them.

The Philippines has recorded 388,137 COVID-19 cases so far. Of this number, 349,091 recovered while 7,367 died. The number of active COVID-19 cases as of Wednesday was at 31,679.

(MNS)

WHO lauds DOH on PH polio program amid pandemic

MANILA (Mabuhay) — The World Health Organization (WHO) commended the Philippine polio program on top of the government’s steady fight to contain and reduce the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

In a letter signed by Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO particularly cited the Department of Health’s (DOH) efforts in prioritizing the preventive treatment of polio through immunization especially for children, despite the current challenges in managing the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic.

Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III acknowledged that the ongoing polio response must continue amid the Covid-19 crisis as he noted that the medical, financial, and relational pressures caused by the pandemic can make people neglect or dismiss their children’s potential exposure to polio.

“Polio is a vaccine-preventable disease and we cannot let our gains over the years go to waste by deprioritizing our polio response, despite the pandemic. Parents and caregivers must have their children vaccinated, while strictly adhering to the infection prevention and control protocols, as we cannot afford to overwhelm our health system with another outbreak,” Duque said.

An infected three-year-old girl diagnosed in Lanao del Sur in September 2019 was the first documented case of polio in the Philippines in recent years. Fifteen more positive cases of children have emerged since then: their ages range from below 1-year-old to 9 years old; and their original locations have been traced to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Region 12 (Soccsksargen), Region 3 (Central Luzon), and Region 4A (Calabarzon).

The WHO letter also highlighted the DOH’s launch of the first phase of an integrated supplementary immunization activity, which combines the delivery of measles-rubella vaccine with the bivalent oral polio vaccine (bOPV).

It also noted the health department’s simultaneous twopronged objective to shield the people, communities, and health workers alike from the infection and transmission of both Covid-19 and vaccine-preventable diseases.

“We admire the department’s ability to sustain and reinforce the National Immunization Program (NIP) and vaccine-preventable disease surveillance system by securing regular operational funding and appointing qualified staff at all levels to ensure NIP performance, sustainability, and preparedness for multipurpose national needs. We look forward to sharing the lessons learned in this challenging time,” wrote Ghebreyesus.

Duque highlighted the leadership of the different local government units and development partners like the WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund. “This is not just the success of a few people. This is the success of all of us in the

DOH, to our partners, and down to our ‘bakunators’ at the grassroots level,” Duque said. He also thanked the onground vaccinators who braved the harsh conditions in traveling to far-flung areas, “You have set the bar for selfless service -- trudging through jungles and scaling mountains to protect our children.”

“We will not allow Covid-19 to stymie our efforts nor distract us from our regular programs that protect our people. Through our continued, collective effort, I am confident that we will be able to swiftly and effectively prevent Polio and other vaccine-preventable illnesses from affecting our countrymen, especially our children,” he said. (MNS)

PH daily infections, COVID-19 positivity rate in NCR steadily declining

MANILA (Mabuhay) — The COVID-19 positivity rate in Metro Manila is declining steadily as the Philippines' daily coronavirus cases also continue to decrease, a group of analysts said early Wednesday, presenting a brighter outlook for the country.

The OCTA Research Group said in a report that the ratio of people testing positive of COVID-19 in Metro Manila is trending at the right direction at 6 percent, and is close to the World Health Organization's recommended target of 5 percent to effectively curb the virus spread.

Even after the Philippine Red Cross resumed its coronavirus testing services, following a debt feud with the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), daily infections are dropping in the country especially in the capital region, the analysts noted.

The average number of new cases per day for the whole Philippines went down to around 1,800 while the new average in Metro Manila is at 490, a significant improvement from August when it was at 2,500, the OCTA group said.

The Philippines recorded 1,772 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 387,161.

The health department noted that this is the 21st straight day that the country's daily tally is less than 3,000, although it does not include data from 18 accredited testing laboratories that failed to submit results on time.

However, the OCTA group — composed of professors from the University of the Philippines, the University of Santo Tomas, and Providence College in the United States — warned that positive downward trend in the Philippines and Metro Manila can "easily be reversed" if the government, private sector, and the public become complacent with the virus and begin to ignore anti-coronavirus policies. "To this end, we urge the national and the local governments to strictly monitor and enforce compliance with minimum health standards such as physical distancing, the wearing of face mask and face shields and proper hygiene to reverse the increase in transmissions at the community level," the group said.

They urged the local governments (LGUs) of areas with highrisk of coronavirus transmission to intensify testing, contact tracing and isolation efforts to arrest the spread of the disease in their jurisdictions. "In the identified high-risk LGUs, the implementation of more aggressive and effective localized lockdowns with stricter border controls is urgently needed to suppress further viral transmissions," the analysts said.

The health department earlier said it is hopeful that the entire country would be able to shift to more lenient quarantine protocols by the first quarter of next year, should LGUs sufficiently follow anti-coronavirus policies and programs.

According to the Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus dashboard, almost 47 million people have been infected by the COVID-19 virus globally since it first emerged in China. Of those, more than 1.2 million have died, and more than 31.3 million have recovered. (MNS)

Holidays could bring 'uptick' in COVID-19 cases in PH — OCTA Research

MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Philippines may face an increase in its COVID-19 cases as the holidays near, a researcher said Thursday.

The country now ranks 22nd among nations with most coronavirus cases worldwide as it records around 1,000 daily average patients, according to Professor Guido David, member of the OCTA Research Group which analyzes COVID-19 data in the Philippines. "Aware rin naman tayo na pagdating ng holiday season meron na ring fatigue ang mga tao, gustong lumabas, pwedeng magkaroon ng uptick pero ang importante d'yan 'yung response natin mabilis para... di lalala at magkakaroon ng surge," he said. "Patuloy pa rin nating gawin ang mga ginagawa nating tama para di magbago ang trajectory natin so 'yung health protocols kailangan strictly sinusunod natin. Wag muna tayo magpabaya at maging pasaway."

David said the decline in daily average cases may be due to the Philippine Red Cross' halt of government testing, which has since resumed, and the disruption of laboratory tests results due to typhoons.

The Philippines as of Wednesday reported 388,137 COVID-19 cases, of which 31,679 were considered active, 349,091 were recoveries and 7,367 were fatalities. "We expect may mga backlog pa rin ng cases na biglang papasok pero ang trend na nakikita natin is still a real trend kasi 'yung nakikita nating positivity rate mababa na rin sa Metro Manila, nasa 6 percent na lang, malapit na 5 percent, ang target natin," he said. "Kahit na kulang sa test, 'yung positivity rate ay percentage naman, hindi masyado affected."

The number of cases may increase a "few hundred" if the backlog cases are included, David said. "Di naman 'yan aabot ng 2,000 plus. Siguro pwede naman siya tumaas ng few hundred pero di naman alarming yan. 'Yung average natin is okay pa rin naman," he said.

The research group also favors the decision of Metro Manila mayors' to keep the capital region under general community quarantine until end of the year. "Gusto natin may konting balance para macontrol ang crowding sa malls and public places. 'Di naman forever ang GCQ," he said.

The health department earlier said it was hopeful that the entire country could shift to more lenient quarantine protocols by the first quarter of 2021, should local government units be able to sufficiently comply with standards on prevention, contact-tracing and treatment. (MNS)

Philippines may start COVID-19 vaccination by May 2021 — Galvez

MANILA (Mabuhay) — The Philippines may start inoculating COVID-19 vaccines to the public by May next year if everything will go according to plan, Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr, who was recently tapped to lead the importation and distribution program, said Thursday.

In the timetable proposed by Galvez, the Philippines will place an advance procurement within the first quarter of next year. He said the inoculation will largely depend on the financing, development and approval of the vaccines. "If everything will go well, ang mangyayari po is earliest is May," he said when asked about the vaccination timeline.

Should there be roadblocks on supply and demand, the earliest that the program may begin is by the end of 2021, he said.

The Philippine government is targeting to purchase an initial 24 million COVID-19 vaccines for the country, Galvez said.

Galvez stressed that President Rodrigo Duterte wants to make the COVID-19 vaccine accessible to the poor and vulnerable individuals. "Ang gusto po ng mahal na residente ay magkaroon po ng vaccine ang lahat ng population natin and many countries also dedicated twice as much as the population of their countries. 'Yun po talaga ang gusto ng presidente, be accessible to the poor," Galvez said. "So ang pinakatarget po natin is 24 million sa tinatawag nating indigents, mga poor communities, mga informals, at saka 'yung tinatawag nating vulnerable," he added.

Asked if this initial target could be attained by the first three months of 2021, Galvez said the government's vaccine roadmap is attainable in a period of three to five years.

Galvez said he will form a team of representatives from government agencies and the private sector as he takes on his role.

This panel will consist of about 20 people who are "experts" on vaccines, diplomacy, logistics, and financing, Galvez said. This inter-agency group will be in charge of the assessment, planning, and execution of the country's vaccination program.

Galvez

President Rodrigo Duterte will approve the names in a list Galvez will submit. His recommendation will include people from the Department of Finance, the Department of Health, Department of Foreign Affairs, and the private sector, he said. "Mayroon po tayong tinatawag na mga new people, at the same time, kasama rin ang IATF," he said, referring to the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Galvez, a former military chief and currently a peace process adviser, is also chief implementer of the National Task Force against COVID-19 and the vaccine roadmap task group will be under this office.

Earlier, the DOH said Galvez's appointment as COVID-19 vaccine czar will not cause any changes in the government’s vaccine plan.

Instead, Galvez will fast-track the procurement and rollout of coronavirus vaccines once it becomes available, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a virtual press briefing.

“We will not change anything in our processes just because he was assigned as vaccine czar. All the processes would still be continued,” she said in Filipino.

The health ministry supports the appointment of the former military chief, who will lead the country in the purchase, negotiation, production and distribution of vaccines against the disease, Vergeire said.

“He was placed in that role so we will have a more expeditious and more efficient manner of doing all of these things that we need for the vaccines that will be brought here,” she said.

Malacañang earlier explained Galvez's new appointment, saying a vaccine czar needs "managerial skills."

Vergeire stressed they had already formed a vaccine expert panel from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), a technical advisory group from the DOH and vaccinologists from different scientific institutions to ensure the vaccines would be safe and effective.

“This would be still be a whole-of-government, a whole-of-society approach. Secretary Galvez will not be working alone. We will help him. We will support him. The whole government will,” she said. (MNS)

Rolly’s effects trouble health sector amid COVID-19 pandemic, Duque says

MANILA (Mabuhay) — The effects of Typhoon Rolly are affecting the operation of the healthcare system amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.

In a press briefing on Monday, Duque said some health workers are having a hard time going to hospitals due to the floodings and lahar flows.

“Dahil sa pinsala ng bagyo, unstable ang ating communication lines, power, and water supply, lalong-lalo na po sa Region V,” he said during a briefing led by presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.

“Ang ating mga health personnel sa Region V ay nahihirapan rin maka-report on duty dahil sa dinanas na heavy flooding, flash floods, at lahar flow,” he added.

Aside from this, Duque also raised the concern on cold chain storage for vaccines and COVID-19 test specimens amid the interrupted power supply.

“May mga potential na cold chain management na problema para sa ating mga bakuna, ang COVID-19 test kits, at specimens kung magtatagal ang pagbalik ng kuryente,” he said.

Due to this, Duque called on the Department of Energy to prioritize restoring the supply of electricity in affected areas.