Seen Heard Found

6 Sept 2021 – A platform shopper’s tale They could barely meet their needs. The woman manages the household, with their three children. The man was the ‘provider’, she said, a freelance ‘visual artist ‘making do with contracts for restoration of paintings. No SSS, no other benefits, nothing. Then came Covid-19 of immeasurable pain and…

by Louise Maureen Simeon – The Philippine Star, 1 Sep 2021 MANILA, Philippines — Three in every five poor Filipinos said their income fell this year as the pandemic drags on and continues to impact the most vulnerable sector of society.

(The Philippine Star), 12 Aug 2021 MANILA, Philippines — Filipinos will face difficulty seeking work until 2022 despite the gains made in recovering jobs lost last year, forcing the Department of Finance (DOF) to push for the distribution of cash aid to the poorest families.

by Patrick Galey (Agence France-Presse), 10 Aug 2021 PARIS, France — World leaders, green groups and influencers reacted on Monday to a “terrifying” UN climate science report with a mix of horror and hopefulness as the scale of the emergency became abundantly clear.

Read more here.

By Ben O. de Vera, 4 Aug 2021 The number of jobless Filipinos increased to 3.76 million in June, equivalent to 7.7 percent of the labor force, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported yesterday.

by Helen Flores (The Philippine Star), 14 Jul 2021 MANILA, Philippines — About 4.2 million Filipino families experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the past three months, the latest Social Weather Stations’ (SWS) survey showed.

by Lawrence Agcaoili (The Philippine Star), 3 Jun 2021 MANILA, Philippines — Inequality in the Philippines has increased substantially as the country is seen lagging in Asia-Pacific in terms of recovery, according to Moody’s Analytics.

by Czeriza Valencia (The Philippine Star), 19 May 2021 MANILA, Philippines — Economic managers lowered economic growth expectations for this year, taking into account the emergence of new COVID-19 variants and the reimposition of strict lockdown in the National Capital Region and four nearby provinces or NCR Plus in the second quarter of the year.

Read more here.

By Louise Maureen Simeon(Philstar.com), 23 Apr 2021 MANILA, Philippines — A global think tank expects the Philippines to suffer the most from the pandemic in Asia-Pacific as its continued failure to control COVID-19 infections is making a huge dent on the economy.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic ruining the global economy, Filipino billionaires saw their wealth grow. Their combined wealth totals $45.6 billion (P2.2 trillion), based on Forbes' 2021 billionaires list. For perspective, the Philippines' 2021 national budget is P4.5 trillion. pic.twitter.com/ypBqr8JZBI — Rappler (@rapplerdotcom) April 7, 2021

by Louise Maureen Simeon (The Philippine Star), 1 Apr 2021 MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines slipped a notch in the global ranking on gender equality, highlighting the pandemic’s consequence on more Filipino women leaving the labor force.

By CNN Philippines Staff, 19 Mar 2021 Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 19)— A majority of Filipinos believed it is “dangerous” to print or broadcast things critical of the administration, according to a recent survey.

by Raul Montemayor, 23 Feb 2020 (First of two parts) The rice tariffication law (RTL) was born on Feb. 14, 2019 when President Rodrigo Duterte signed it, promising a host of benefits for consumers and gains for the economy.

Read more here.

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by Mary Grace Padin (The Philippine Star), 20 Nov 2020 MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Finance (DOF) has joined the call for climate justice, saying that the Philippines continues to bear the brunt of the impact of climate change despite being among the world’s lowest carbon emitters.

(The Philippine Star), 20 Nov 2020 MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Population is moving to stop the rising prevalence of teenage pregnancy in the country, with 75,000 young women likely to become first-time mothers next year.

30 Aug 2020 – What does it matter – the ‘low’ inflation rate – when, in COVID-19,  households are buying different commodities from what were in the CPI basket in 2018. True, nominally, minimum wage earners have lost buying power (about P15 in Metro Manila), but little consolation for those millions who have lost their…

30 July 2020 – “Stand still and you will be left behind.” – Grey’s Anatomy – Life will be like this for years; the earliest close to ‘normal’ would probably be 2022. [And why would we like the normal? With its crisis, inequities, injustice?] [Read more.]

23 May 2020 – Days are tough in the days of the #corona Waiting for ayuda, hearing further disadvantaged people scrambling for relief, but some just waiting to be served, as in ‘ihahain na lang’

20 Apr 2020 – A few first-hand experience, observations, about ECQ: Everyone is rushing, struggling, as #coronavirus plagues us. The playlist on dealing with the new crisis is evolving, [Read more.]

30 March 2020 – “God’s dozen” – from a shelter to just before the #corona lockdown All came from troubled backgrounds, aged 3 to 18. Four of them were street children, eight victims of sexual abuse (by family or relatives), two mentally delayed, one prostituted by her own mother. They were brought into the shelter…