Tag: COVID-19

COVID-19 further highlights how important it is for the Philippines to be INDEPENDENT

March 22, 2020 benign0 22 Comments

One thing the COVID-19 pandemic is teaching the world is that it is important for communities, both at local and at national levels, to be self sufficient. The drastic equalising effect of this global disaster can be felt in the accelerated dismantling of the fragile international inter-dependencies built up over decades of the “globalisation” frenzy….

Economy, Technology

A Tale of Three Viruses: How Smallpox, the 1918 ‘Spanish’ Flu, and COVID-19 Changed the World

March 22, 2020 Anthony Quilon 6 Comments

The history of human civilization is riddled with course-changing epochs in world history related to the transmission of pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses. I learned that important concept in evolutionary medicine when I studied evolutionary biology as a graduate student. Not only did we study the history of evolutionary theory, evidence for evolution,…

History, Media, Science

Filipinos need to Stop Believing in Famous Names

March 22, 2020April 24, 2021 ChinoF 18 Comments

Many Filipinos are too lazy to think and this is demonstrated in their voting habits and approach towards people. They think of the first name that comes to mind, or that is more familiar. There’s often no bother to dig up the history of the person. They probably assume, ah these guys will automatically do…

Culture, Glitz and Glamour

The COVID-19 pandemic did not “expose” the class divide. It’s always been there in plain sight!

March 19, 2020 benign0 25 Comments

People are now lamenting the sad social divide supposedly laid bare as the COVID-19 pandemic ravages Philippine society. This comes across as mere quaint virtue signalling within the current context — one that provides fertile environment for that sort of behaviour. The fact is, the social divide has always been there for all to behold…

Society

Has PLDT been depriving its customers of available capacity all this time?

March 16, 2020March 16, 2020 benign0 7 Comments

One of the good things about the COVID-19 pandemic is that it reveals what business organisations are actually capable of given a call to step up the quality and performance of their products and services. According to a Rappler “report”, it turns out top national telco Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) company has “more than…

Business, Tech Talk

Implementing community quarantine in Metro Manila a test-and-learn exercise to manage the spread of COVID-19

March 15, 2020 benign0 4 Comments

As much of the Philippines belatedly comes to terms with the enormity of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is, to be fair, important that quick and strong measures be implemented to contain the disease. A Code Red Sub-Level 2 alert has been raised by the Philippine government which when implemented restricts movement out of and into…

Civics, Government

The rapid spread of the novel coronavirus forces us to rethink our lifestyles

March 14, 2020 Ilda 2 Comments

Societies around the world have been caught flat-footed after the spread of a new disease now named COVID-19 carried by the novel coronavirus has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO). It has exposed how ill-prepared most governments, including governments from First World countries are, to a threat of mass casualties. One…

Society

Philippine “President” Leni Robredo in a time of pandemic

March 14, 2020 benign0 3 Comments

As the COVID-19 pandemic plays out globally, the main drive of the Philippine Oppositions is not to help Filipinos deal with the crisis together. Rather, their goal is to prove that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is not fit to lead his people through it. This is consistent with their singular objective — to seize power…

Government, Politics