Beyond the Sea, the Waves Whisper to Me

BY: MARC T. DAVID

It was summer, and the fourth quarter was almost over. I had a meeting with several teachers from the TLE department. It was a repetitious hot afternoon when our master teacher, Sir Bongaling, had a brilliant idea for a vacation. He’ll bring us to a place in Batangas he bought sometime, which was near the sea. People often like to swim when it is summer, and so that was the plan.

We had three days of preparation and now, we are ready to leave and go out of town. No one was seen bored, it was crystal clear that all of us are excited for this bonding they were planning a long time ago. It was a plan a long time ago, but our time was so insufficient we always had to reschedule.

After traveling for a few hours, we arrived at their destination. The sea breeze and howling winds is what they were welcomed with. We enjoyed the view and the beach`s weather ing-formed crushed shells white sand. There were patterns of big waves massive mations later calms down along with the beach melody made by the locals there.

We’re back after an hour of rest, ready to bond and enjoy the coastline. We visited the huge rock formations and took photos together. While we were walking on the sparkling white sand of Batangas, local tour guides greeted us by offering water rides like jetski, banana boat, and kayaking. Sir and Sir Payawal. With his politeness, he wanted all of us to experience it but since only three of them were capable of jet skiing, they were the only ones to go.

After the fun and exhausting day, we decided to make a bonfire and have dinner togethWe shared stories about the experiences and hardships we have gone through in life, our preferences and dislikes, and even love stories about our spouses. there were bookshelves made by him. “His works are a lot to mention, ‘’ Sir Jaranilla jokingly said.

A car door slammed and woke me up. I realized that I had just fallen asleep on the way to Batangas with the whole TLE Department. As I exited the van, the calming waves of the crystal blue beach welcomed me. I looked around, and something felt missing. The teachers were packing up their belongings, getting ready to settle in their hotel rooms. Something felt weird as the memories of Sir Bongaling repeatedly inviting us visit Batangas is playing in my memory.

As I walked through the seaside the wind howled, the waves whispered. I started recalling Sir. We shared memories together where I learned a lot. His works made of wood around the school is what keeps him from our hearts.

He fought his condition like the raging waves, he brought his all to make his health stable. But as the waves calm, he also found peace, still like water.

1968-2022

SOURCE:pia.gov.ph

COVID-19’s return poses risks to Philippines

The Philippines again witnessed an increase in COVID-19 cases, with 3,148 infections last week, April 17–23, 2023.

It has been over three years since the first suspected case in the Philippines was investigated, and since then, the number of cases has continued to grow. Just a year ago, the country announced reaching 37,207 confirmed cases in a day, making it the highest record tally throughout the pandemic that began years ago.

In May 2022, the health department reported that COVID-19 cases nationwide had dropped to “minimal-risk case classification,” with an average of only 159 instances per day documented from May 3 to 9. COVID-19 cases nationwide began to decline in February 2022. By early June 2022, 69.4 million Filipinos had received all of their recommended vaccinations, and 14.3 million had received their booster injections. For the first time in two years, Filipino public schools returned in August 2022 for in-person instruction. As of February 23, 2023, a total of 170,545,638 vaccination doses had been given.

Although the cases in the Philippines dropped, the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed that PH is still classified as moderate risk.

From April 17 to 23, 3,148 new cases were recorded in the country.

As of April 23, 2023, there were 345 serious and critical patients admitted to hospitals due to COVID-19. Of the 2,010 ICU beds for patients with COVID-19, 275 (13.7%) are occupied. Meanwhile, 2,980 (17.4%) of the 17,152 non-ICU COVID-19 beds are currently in use.

The Department of Health (DOH) is reminding everyone not to be complacent about the threat of COVID-19. Rather, we must continue to properly follow the minimum public health standards under Alert Level 1. A reminder to always wear the best-fitted face mask and, if possible, stay in well-ventilated areas.

Heat Index: The Indicator of Summer

Juan Miguel Leonardo

In the past decade, temperatures have been rising, especially in the Philippines. Just two years ago, the Philippines witnessed a record-breaking heat index as they sizzled with 51 degrees Celsius in Dagupan City, Pangasinan, on May 10. The highest for the year 2021.

Meanwhile, in recent days, the heat index has been rising exponentially. Butuan City in Agusan Del Norte and Legazpi City in Albay recorded a soaring heat index, reaching 48°C and 47°C, respectively. This was one of the highest recorded from March 1 to April 21 for the year 2023.

For the last few days,

SOURCE:cnbc.com high temperatures struck as heat indices in cities started to reach above 40°C. The Weather Bureau states a heat index of 44 degrees Celsius in Northern Samar, Virac, Catarman, and Catanduanes and 43 degrees Celsius in NAIA.

Heat indices of 43 degrees Celsius were also recorded in Baler, Aurora, Dagupan, Pangasinan, and Iba, Zambales.

Luckily, heat indices began to drop, especially for “key cities”, reaching just about 26 degrees Celsius to 37 degrees Celsius, a surprise after the last few days of “hell” and scorching tempera- tion has declared the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. tures with heat indices striking above 40 degrees Celsius. mean that COVID is gone for good, and we still have to be on the lookout as it’s still a danger to global security. worldwide efforts made in order to fight the virus. n Friday, March 5, the World Health Organization Emergency Committee held a meeting in London, United Kingdom, where it was decided to announce the official end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This Friday, May 5, the WHO Emergency Committee held a meeting in which they suggested the UN-Agency declaration of the end of the COVID-19 pandemic as a “public health emergency of international concern”, which has been in place for over 3 years since the start of the pandemic.

While this gives a sigh of relief, the head of the impact assessment and applications section of PAGASA’s Climatology and Agrometeorology division, Dr. Marcelino Villafuerte II, forecasts and warns the public about higher heat indexes in the future, especially for the month of May.

Too much exposure to these scorching heat waves can cause different implications and diseases such as fatigue, heat cramps, and heat exhaustion, and doing continuous activities would likely cause a deadly heat stroke.

Boiling temperatures can also be linked with the increased risks of other types of disasters, such as drought and the phenomenon El Nino. Dry and hot conditions were also expected, increasing the chances of creating wildfire conditions.

As summer and May approach, temperatures are forecast to soar much higher. Due to this, PAG-ASA warns the public about the concerns and stress and advises them to take precautionary measures to lighten the heat stress and prevent any health risks linked with this harsh climate condition.

Despite COVID-19 having yet to be completely eradicated and still posing a threat to public safety, the World Health Organiza-

The majority of the committee members supported the declaration, the head of the COVID emergency committee, Didier Houssin, said.

“It is therefore with great hope that I declare COVID-19 a global health emergency.” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, he also added that the end of the emergency does not

According to WHO’s latest data, death rates of COVID-19 have slowed down from the peak of 100,000 people per week in January 2021 to over 3,500 a week on April 24, 2023, showing the effectiveness of widespread vaccination against the virus, thus resulting in community-wide immunity.

Just 4 months before WHO’s declaration of the end of the state of emergency, the Chinese government ended its country-wide COVID restrictions, which ultimately resulted in cases of COVID in China skyrocketing in numbers.

An end to the emergency would also mean an end to the continuous

Last year, US President Joe Biden stated that the pandemic is over, with the US dismantling its state of emergency for COVID, officially ending on May 11, which means the country will stop supporting vaccine testing.

At this age and time, we should prioritize our safety, wear masks, and practice proper sanitation. Many countries have suffered many catastrophic cases because people lacked the proper practice or were ignorant of the dangers the virus poses. COVID is still with us, which is why we should strive to follow safety precautions so that we may finally put an end to the coronavirus.