The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
After ‘community quarantine’, the next buzz phrase is ‘new normal’. Many believe the new classification ‘general community quarantine’ will be the new normal for Filipinos. Apart from tourism, the next hardest hit by the pandemic is the travel sector including the aviation industry. All airlines around the world are affected – no one’s exempted, even Cebu Pacific. Hundreds of billions …
Points of View & Perspectives
April, 2020
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20 April
The China conspiracy
US President Donald Trump took a lot of beating after he withdrew support to the World Health Organization (WHO), accusing the Geneva-based agency – led by Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus – of propagating “false information” and charged that its reliance on Chinese data had “likely caused a 20-fold increase in cases worldwide.” The US contributed $400 million to the WHO …
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12 April
Middle class taken for granted
First, some good news: several afflicted doctors and nurses who recovered from COVID-19 decided without hesitation to return to work. They are heroes of the finest grade. While distribution of relief goods by barangay and city/town officials received the usual flak – from selective beneficiaries to measly goods – their non-stop efforts have largely been ungratified. Apparently, some unscrupulous barangay/city/town …
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5 April
Has the end started?
The biggest single-day number of confirmed COVID-19 cases was 538 last March 1. On April 3, the number went down to 385. On April 4, it was 76. The following day, it jumped back to 152. In Baguio, they have recorded zero new cases for five consecutive days. In Italy – which is second to the US in most number …
March, 2020
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27 March
More conspiracy theories
The global quarantine – today’s fashionable buzzword – has driven fertile minds to go on overdrive. Those who can afford to heed the call to stay at home have easily succumbed into believing various conspiracy theories on the COVID-19 pandemic. Two recent theories both point to China as deliberately causing the pandemic. A first-hand revelation from an insider indicated there …
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21 March
Contradicting directives
A guy (or girl) who goes by the pseudonym ‘Joe Americano’ – Filipino or American, undetermined – posted an insightful view on the President’s COVID-19 declarations. In the President’s first live telecast at Malacanang, he seemed to exhibit sincere concern on the gravity of the epidemic. Viewers clearly understood his message – he directed all local government units to do …
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14 March
The panic is real
With President Rodrigo Duterte personally declaring the whole Metro Manila under community quarantine – euphemism for ‘lockdown’ – the real panic begins. With the careful use of subtle words, the President did not want to raise panic. Minutes after the declaration, panic-buying ensued late into the night. The President’s lieutenants valiantly tried to interpret the lockdown directive by assuaging any …
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10 March
What is Cayetano up to?
Letters From DavaoBy Jun Ledesma What is Speaker Alan Cayetano up to? Until he shook his own house by removing a strong pillar closely identified with Pres. Rodrigo R. Duterte, there is neither a storm or tsunami that could shake the foundation of the lower house.
February, 2020
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20 February
Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
After nearly two months since the outbreak of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) – WHO’s new name for the nCoV – speed of global spread is starting to slow down but not enough for governments to let their guard down.
May, 2019
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27 May
Italy’s beaten economy and the EU ballot
Italy made many headlines ahead of the coming EU election due to the League Party, but even after the election, the headlines continue- due to the economy.